Junkanoo And Beaches, Too: Our Guide To Bahamas Family Vacations
Family vacations in the Bahamas can be rewarding experiences or absolute disasters -- it all depends on pretrip homework. To make planning easier, we've done all the preparation.As part of a Huffington Post Travel serieson traveling with children, here are recommended attractions for those planning Bahamas family vacations.
Cable Beach
Address:West Bay St., Nassau, Bahamas
Phone:Nassau/Paradise Island Tourism Bureau: 242-322-8381
Hours:Open year round
Price:Free
The Pirates Museum
Address:George St., Nassau, Bahamas
Phone:Nassau/Paradise Island Tourism Bureau: 242-322-8381
Hours:Open year round. Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Price:Adults, $12; children ages 4 to 17, $6
Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Center
Address:Chippingham Road, P.O. Box N-4882, Nassau, Bahamas
Phone:242-323-5806
Hours:Open year-round, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entrance at 4:15 p.m.). Closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Price:Adults, $15 (with resident ID, $10); children ages 4-12, $7.50 (with resident ID, $5)
Junkanoo
On Boxing Day and New Years Day each year, Bahamians take to the streets in elaborate costumes to celebrate theJunkanoofestival, originally begun to celebrate slaves' three days of freedom from work around Christmas. Junkanoo Groups carefully (and secretly!) plan their costume theme for the year, hoping to outdo other groups in music, dancing and other performance arts. Think Mardi Gras, but in a tropical paradise, with less saxophone and more goatskin drums.
Address:Bay Street, Nassau, Bahamas
Phone:Nassau/Paradise Island Tourism Bureau: 242-322-8381
Hours:December 26 and January 1, 2 a.m. to dawn. Other times, check out the Junkanoo Museum, open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (242-356-2731).
Price:Free
The Straw Market
Address:Bay Street, Nassau, New Providence Island, Bahamas
Phone:Nassau/Paradise Island Tourism Bureau: 242-322-8381
Hours:Open 7 days a week, from roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Price:Free
Dolphin Encounter
Address:Dolphin Encounters Ltd., P.O. Box SS 6257, Nassau, Bahamas
Phone:242-363-1003
Hours:Tours leave daily at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. and last approximately three and a half hours total.
Price:$98 for the three and a half hour program, which includes a ride on a large catamaran sailboat
Aquaventure Water Park
Twenty million gallons of water course throughAquaventure, where guests enjoy water slides, river rides and even rock climbing. The park's central feature is the impressive Mayan Temple, where brave riders can slide down a 60-foot near-vertical drop through a clear water tunnel, appropriately named the Leap of Faith. From stomach-turning thrills to scenic water rafting to smaller slides for kids, Aquaventure gives the whole family a burst of energy to punctuate relaxing days on the beach.
Address:Atlantis - Paradise Island, One Casino Dr., Paradise Island, Bahamas
Phone:242-363-3000
Hours:Hours vary by season, but the park is generally open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call for more information.
Price:Day passes are $110 for adults and $80 for children ages 4 to 11, but these passes are not available if Atlantis is fully booked. Free for guests staying at the hotel.
What's your favorite attraction in the Bahamas?
Check out moreFAMILY TRAVEL GUIDES.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
