New Providence is the busy, beach-fringed heart of the Bahamas, home to the capital Nassau and the easiest introduction to the islands a family can have. The beaches set the tone, powdery white sand and shallow, gentle turquoise water at Cable Beach and Saunders Beach, calm enough for the youngest swimmers and lined with resorts geared to families. The headline, though, is Atlantis on neighboring Paradise Island, a short bridge away: a vast water park of slides and lazy rivers wrapped around aquariums and marine encounters, the kind of place that can fill several days on its own and leaves kids talking about it for months.

Nassau gives the island a dose of color and history beyond the resorts. Children can climb the Queen's Staircase to the old Fort Fincastle, lap up the swashbuckling Pirates of Nassau Museum, and watch the famous marching flamingos at the Ardastra Gardens. Out on the water, snorkeling trips, glass-bottom boats, and dolphin experiences round out the days. The accommodation ranges from large beachfront resorts with extensive family facilities and all-inclusive options to smaller boutique hotels with a more local feel, so families can dial the trip toward full-on resort entertainment or something quieter. New Providence is the Caribbean made simple: short flights, calm beaches, a blockbuster water park, and just enough pirate history to keep it interesting.