by vampirefan

Charlotte, North Carolina

April 27, 2012

by n2dwoods

New York, New York

March 23, 2010

by NancyK P

New Haven, Connecticut

March 2, 2009

by LOIT

Lakeville, Minnesota

January 30, 2009

by Dark Empress

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

September 25, 2007

by lashr1999

NY, New York

September 16, 2006

There are a variety of plants in the garden. It was nice to walk and see a waterway surrounded by plants. Be on the lookout for the national tree and flower. The Nation tree of the Bahamas called the lignum vitae can be found in 2 places. Look for it near the petting zoo and near the caimans exhibit. The yellow elder, the nation flower of the island can be found near the green gate by the exit.

The zoo exhibit animals from around the world including South America, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Caribbean. You can find various parrots, birds, flamingo, pigs, rabbits, lemurs, monkeys, jaguars and goats. Children will like the petting zoo. There are several animals that can only be found in the Bahamas that are displayed at the zoo. Watch for the Bahamian Parrot, the Bahamian rock Iguanas and the Bahamian boa Constrictors.

What the zoo is famous for its marching flamingos. In the 1950s, Hedley Edwards trained flamingos from southern Bahamas to march to his spoken commands. The first show was in 1957 and has been going on ever since. The flamingos were funny to watch. When I went it was mating season so some of the flamingos were not listening to the commands. When a few of the audience members participated the flamingo scared them when the flamingos butted their heads into them. Shows take place at 10:30am, 2pm, and 4pm.

Another feature I liked at the zoo was the Lory Parrot feeding which takes place at 11am, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm. You are given a slice of an apple and the parrot fly over to you and eat it. It was cool seeing the parrots do this. There were 2 types of parrots, one was green and multicolored and the other was read with blue. Both were very beautiful.

by jlmadnick

Derry, New Hampshire

August 30, 2004

Ardastra Gardens Zoo and Conservation Center Highly Recommended
Chippenham Rd off West Bay st, Cable Beach
323-5806
$12 adults

Ardastra Gardens is a 5 acre zoo, conservation center and botanical garden. There are a variety of native and exotic wildlife from all over the world. The main attractions are the "World Famous" Marching Flamingos and the Lory (parrot) feedings.

You visit the 50 exhibits by following a marked, self guided tour.

The flamingos were originally brought to Ardastra gardens by a wealthy conservationist. He decided to train them to march and the tradition has continued. The flamingos march, turn and stop under the command of their trainer. It's quite an interesting sight and we thoroughly enjoyed the show.

For the Lory feeding, you enter the lori enclosure and are given a piece of apple. You extend your arm, keep a tight grip on the apple and the lories will land on your arm and eat the apple from your hand. They will also land on your head or shoulders.

We also enjoyed feeding the goats. One of them would butt you with his horns if you ignored him. Not hard but enough to get your attention.

The tour followed some uneven walking paths and was difficult to negotiate with my wife's wheelchair. There were also some steps without a ramp. Someone that could not get out of the wheelchair would have a tough time navigating the tour path.

by markhoge

Bridgeville, Pennsylvania

October 10, 2003

by Watkinson1

Romsey, United Kingdom

February 10, 2003

by billmoy

Chicago, Illinois

September 25, 2002

There is no map of the complex, but the animal exhibits are numbered and there are a few red arrows to lend a sense of order. Guests can feed lory parrots by hand or get very close to peacocks walking about unfettered. You can see iguanas, monkeys, calyparas (these guys look like giant hamsters), a pot-bellied pig, Bahama parrots, a cockatoo, a boa constrictor, and much much more! Obviously the animals are the stars of the show, but there is an interesting variety of fruit trees and other flora.

Ardastra has a small snack shop and souvenir shop. The complex is open 7 days a week from 9AM to 5PM. The entrance fee is $12, but practically every tourism brochure or newsletter has a coupon redeemable for a free t-shirt in the store. There are package deals that will include shuttle bus pick up at hotels (usually $20) if you book in advance, but I did not mind the healthy walk west from downtown Nassau.