Freeport has endless exploration and fun with its astonishing beaches, ritzy resorts and great shopping. Plan a snorkeling day at Deadman’s Reef or site see any of the three magnificent national parks, which are the Rand Nature Centre, Peterson’s Cay, and the Lucayan National Park. Also visit Lucayan historic towns, and scenic fishing villages. Freeport is the second most populated city in The Bahamas. It is a free trade zone, thanks to a Virginian financier named Wallace Groves, whose lumber interests in Grand Bahama led to the approval of 50,000 acres of pine yard by the Bahamian government. In August 1955, the Hawksbill Creek Agreement was signed by the government exempting businesses in the Freeport area from paying taxes and has been extended to the year 2054. Freeport has become an ideal centre for international shipping routes; resulting in the Freeport Container Port becoming the transshipment hub of the Americas. The primary shopping venues are the International Bazaar and the Port Lucaya Market. Cruise ships also frequent the island but visitors have the option of flying to Grand Bahama International Airport (FPO).