Bahamas Parks, Gardens and Recreation operators and support staff are ready to serve and show you around the newly refurbished Garden of the Groves set to open officially on October 1st. One-hour tours are open to the public each weekday at 10am and 2pm. Sundays in July enjoy the Ministry of Tourism’s People-to-People Tea Party and Gospel/Folklore Festivals from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. From left to right: Joanne Parotti, gardener; Michelle Hanson, operator; Erika Gates, operator; Chad Hepburn, assistant at the Lofty Fig Tree Bar and Cafe; and Julie Ryan, manager of Lofty Fig Bar and Cafe. Photo: Dave Mackey
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Grand Bahama Island –
Erika Gates and Michelle Hanson, operators of Bahamas Parks, Gardens & Recreation would like to advise the general public and tourism industry that as of
July 15th, 2008,
1-hour guided tours have become available to the public each weekday at 10am or 2pm. The Garden of the Groves will open officially with full hours on October 1st 2008.
Each Sunday in July, the park will also be open to the public from 4:30 to 6:30pm for the Ministry of Tourism’s People-to-People Tea Party, Gospel and Folklore Festival as part of their Summer Junkanoo Festival.
This event
features church choirs from throughout the island and folklore performances. It is ideal for those looking for a tranquil and spirit filled environment to spend their Sunday afternoons with family and loved ones, and have the opportunity to sip on Bahamian teas and nibble Island culinary delights.
The Lofty Fig Bar and Café at the Garden of the Groves, managed by Julie Ryan is now open to the public for happy hour from 5pm to 7pm nightly (Wednesdays to Sundays), with live entertainment each Friday night.
Memberships and donations are now being welcomed. Membership allows you free admission to the Gardens, free guided tours, 50% off movie nights and event entries, preferential use of facilities and discounted rates on facility site fees for private functions (weddings, parties, etc.), members-only plant sales, members-only celebrations, unrestricted restaurant and bar access, free bird watching courses, free entry to gardening workshops, monthly guided bird walks, and unrestricted access to the chapel and labyrinth for meditation, prayer or spiritual renewal.
Memberships to the Garden of the Groves help support the maintenance and further enhancement of the Garden. Anyone may become a “Friend of the Garden” by purchasing a membership. Family memberships (up to five persons) are $100.00/year; Individuals are $50.00/year; Supporting Members at $500.00/year (includes a plaque on a bench); and Bench Donations (plaque with your name) are $200.00/one time (does not include a membership).
Memberships run for one calendar year, and any memberships purchased now are valid up until the end of December 2009. Applications forms are available at the Garden entrance (and here at the base of this article).
A 2009 Calendar of Events, with activities each month has already been planned. Regular events beginning 2009 will include restaurant theme nights; Sunday brunches; monthly bird walks; film screenings, plays; art exhibitions; guided labyrinth walks; workshops and short courses; and interdenominational worship services.
The Garden of the Groves, founded by Wallace Groves in 1973 and owned by the Grand Bahama Port Authority, was considered one of the finest botanical Gardens in the Caribbean before the hurricanes of 2004. In November 2007 the Grand Bahama Port Authority began funding the restoration of the Gardens under the supervision Erika Gates and Michelle Hanson.
The Garden of the Groves has more than 10,000 species of flowers, shrubs, trees, and exotic plant life, and because of such, attract many birds and butterflies. Along its shaded, winding paths are several waterfalls, and an old-fashioned chapel on the hill. Plant-species signs are being created and will be posted throughout the garden to educate the visitors.
The Garden of the Groves is located off east Midshipman Road on Magellan Drive.
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