Photo Diary: The Garden Of The Groves
Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas
I was celebrating my birthday in The Bahamas this year and while I was there we happened to appear in Freeport on the one cloudy, drizzled day of the year. As a result none of us were up for the beach but decided to cab over to a wondrous place titled The Garden Of The Groves. None of us knew what to expect but the seemingly lengthy cab ride was a trip through the real ruggedness of Freeport. Rather than being surrounded by colorful homes and foot traffic as you would see in Nassau - Freeport had a very cool vibe and much less tourism which made it great for exploring and finding the hidden gems.
The story of Freeport isn't a fascinating one. It was founded by a rich and seemingly not-so-nice investor, Wallace Groves. The Garden was dedicated to him and his wife in 1973 as Mr. Groves didn't seem to be the nicest man but he was credited with being a frontrunner in the development of making Grand Bahama Island a vacation destination (he pretty muched owned everything on it at one point.)
Upon entering the black arches that welcome you to the 12-acre garden, you immediately feel this overwhelming sense of calmness and serenity. Surrounding be luscious green plants, trees, bright tropical flowers, and the rushing water from the waterfalls and beautiful fountains. Those who operate the privately owned garden did an exceptional job landscaping it to create a feeling of wildness among the very carefully chosen exotic and colorful plants.
Originally, labyrinths were designed to provide a symbolic pilgrims' journey to The Holy Land. Today they are used as a walk of peace, prayer, meditation, celebration, connection, and contemplation where calming energy and reflection can bring spiritual balance to our earthly challenges. A labyrinth has a single path that leads dependably -- although circuitously -- to the center. If you stay on the path you WILL reach the center. A maze, on the other hand, has many paths and intersections, the purpose of which is to challenge or confuse you. The Labyrinth walk is representative of Life's journey and experiences, where pausing, breathing, praying, and walking on the path can bring us back into closer union with the Divine.
Last but not least you'll see tons of these funny looking ducks around. They're extremely calm and hang out around the garden without problem. One even had me hold the gate open for them so they could access the other side of the garden. Their eggs hatch in the spring so it would be a wonderful time to visit to see all of the exotic plants bloom and a bundle of little ducklings!
Aside from simple walking around the garden and finding inner peace you can shop at the cottages and take a look around to find beautiful Bahamian treasures and art. Also looking for a wedding location? The quaint chapel would make a perfect location for a small, destination wedding!
You can also tour The Garden Of The Groves daily at 10AM.
The Garden Of The Groves @ Midshipman Rd. and Magellan Dr. Freeport, Grand Bahamas, Bahamas
