The Retreat Garden (Bahamas National Trust)

The Retreat Garden is Nassau's best-kept nature secret — an 11-acre botanical paradise tucked away on Village Road that most tourists walk right past. Managed by the Bahamas National Trust, this national park contains one of the largest private collections of palm species in the world, with over 170 rare and exotic varieties growing in a lush tropical setting.

For families, The Retreat offers something different from Nassau's beach-and-water-park circuit. It's a quiet, shaded oasis where kids can walk boardwalk trails through different ecosystems, spot colorful birds in the canopy, watch lizards and butterflies, and learn about tropical plants from passionate volunteer guides. The massive banyan trees with their aerial root systems are a highlight — kids love weaving through the hanging roots.

The park was originally a private estate, and you can still feel the sense of a personal garden that's grown wild in the best possible way. Towering royal palms, coconut palms, and rare species from Madagascar, the Pacific Islands, and Central America create a diverse canopy that supports a rich bird population. The park is a designated Important Bird Area, and early morning visits reward patient observers with sightings of warblers, bananaquits, woodpeckers, and migratory species.

Guided tours, available by appointment, transform the visit from a pleasant walk to a genuinely educational experience. The volunteer guides share stories about each palm's origin, the ecosystem's fragile balance, and the Bahamas National Trust's conservation work. These tours are especially valuable for school-age kids.

At $12 for adults and $6 for kids, The Retreat is affordable and works well as a morning activity before heading to a beach in the afternoon. Most families spend 1 to 1.5 hours here. Strollers can navigate the main boardwalk but some side trails are uneven. Bring bug spray — the lush vegetation means mosquitoes, especially after rain.