The Island of Bimini

Bimini is actually two islands, North Bimini and South Bimini. It has a rich and storied past with a strong link to Nobel Prize winning author Ernest Hemingway, who first visited in 1935. In Bimini he garnered the knowledge that would enable him to write Old Man and the Sea and later Islands In the Stream. In Bimini he completed work on his novel To Have and Have Not. He often stayed at the Compleat Angler Hotel and visited its famous bar.

The Compleat Angler, arguably the island’s most popular site for visitors, was lost to fire in January 2006, as was owner Julian Brown who died helping guests escape. This loss came just weeks after a terrible seaplane crash in Miami that claimed 19 lives. 11 from Bimini perished.

Over the years, Bimini has survived many challenges. Prohibition, hurricanes, illegal drug trafficking have all taken a toll on its people. At the same time, islanders are resilient and can boast much about its storied history. North Bimini is the fabled site of Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth; The Bimini Road is a subterranean network of boulders that some believe to a road on the site of the lost city of Atlantis; Bimini Bound works in partnership with the Community Policing team on the island to help children stay in school, and share the love of reading.

Want to know more about Bimini? Please visit: www.bimini-museum.org and www.biminipolice.com