Ardastra Gardens

A small zoo and botanical garden west of downtown, founded in 1937. The signature attraction is the troupe of marching flamingos — Caribbean flamingos that have been trained to parade in formation to a drill-sergeant's commands. The show happens at 10:30, 1:30, and 4:15 daily and is genuinely surreal.

Beyond the flamingos there are parrots you can hand-feed, peacocks, lemurs, and a small collection of Bahamian native plants. The whole site is compact — an hour or so. Children love it. Best in cool early morning before the iguanas retreat into the shade.

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A story
Ardastra's marching flamingos are a 1950s creation of the Bahamian Defence Force's bird-trainer Norman Solomon, who realised the flamingos' natural fight-or-flight behaviour could be redirected into a formation parade. The show has been running, three times a day, for over sixty years.

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