27 Fun Things To Do With Kids in Nassau, Bahamas
I spent an epic 2 week adventure with my 2 kids and wife last month in the Bahamas. We stayed 1 week at a time share on cable beach, and the second week at Junkanoo beach right in the heart of Nassau. It was an awesome cultural experience that I highly recommend, and our kids loved it. Online I found there were limited resources on the top things to do in the Bahamas, so I decided to write a series of articles to help travellers get the most out of their experience. This article will teach you about 21 fun things to do with kids in Nassau, Bahamas.
Fun Things to do with Kids in Nassau, Bahamas
27 Fun things to do with kids in Nassau, Bahamas
1. Take a snorkel tour with Stuart Cove’s
One of our favourite things to do when we were in the Bahamas is to snorkel the island. The water in the Bahamas is relatively calm (usually on a specific side of the island depending on the time of year). The best part about the water here is that it is so bright and clear. This is due to extra white sand they have here and the overall calmness of the water. It makes it really easy for my 6 year old sun to get in the water and safely view the underwater life.
I was so excited this trip as I also got my 3 year old daughter doing this activity, she saw all kinds of cool things and her face was all lit up every time she saw something. What an amazing experience to have with your children, it teaches them adventure, discovery and respect for the ocean and it’s inhabitants.
Stuarts Cove is the largest snorkel and dive company on the island, they pick you up at your hotel and take you to their private cove on the other side of the island. This literally gives you a free tour of the island! Once we arrived at their cove, there were several boats leaving on trips. We hopped on a large boat with an upper sun deck. There were hardly anyone on the boat other than us and a couple. Our first stop was to a reef, where Rayden (my 6 yr old son) and I jumped in. The coral reef here was super healthy and the visibility was really far 100m +. As we were in the open ocean, I take no chances and made sure i had my hand wrapped around a hook in his life jacket at all times.
Snorkel Tour with Stuart Coves, Bahamas Things to do with kids
Is swimming in the Bahamas ocean safe for kids?
The longer we spent in the water watching the beauty around us, the safer we felt. This tour took us to 3 locations and I enjoyed them all. The second stop you will see less sea life but a lot of cool stuff, the sunk giant statues here and there is also a passenger plane that went down at the same reef. It was really neat and we got some cool pictures here. If you swim around the statues you will notice there is a reef here and they are grown coral. From an educational standpoint here is your chance to teach your kids why they are growing coral.
The last stop was the shark dive. I do not recommend this for small kids, I did not let my son in the water for this one. They feed the sharks way below you and 20+ sharks will join in. You float at the top of the water holding onto a rope. At the end of the snorkel, everyone gets back on the boat and they bring the sharks to the shallows. This is where my son got his first glimpse of a wild shark.
On the way back to the mainland we were lucky enough to spot a pod of dolphins. the boat stopped near them and they swam around the boat. Rayden was so excited and we took a bunch of pictures.
2. Aquaventure waterpark at Atlantis
The Aquaventure park in the Bahamas is listed as one of the most popular things to do when you are on Paradise island or in Nassau Bahamas. You will find it heavily advertised online, in the hotels and on the cruise ships. I went there one day and I would have to agree, the place is pretty awesome depending on the age of your kids and also depending on your budget.
Our kids are 3 and 6 years old at the time we visited Atlantis. I don’t recommend the waterpark for this age group, because I feel like there is not enough for them to do, the slides are catered towards a larger age group. There are also loads of people at the waterpark every day and it is easy to get lost in a place like this. I recommend your children to be 10+ before visiting the Aquaventure park at Atlantis.
Oh Gosh the price…. If you have a large family, you will easily end up spending $500 USD or more for a day here. If you are on a budget, stay away from this place please..
The waterpark is similar to lesser than those you would pay $40 for in Orlando. And the price is close to triple what you would pay there!
Overall I did not find the Aquaventure waterpark to be a good value, especially with young kids. There are much better things to do and places to see in the Bahamas and the Nassau Area for the price.
Family Beach pics Atlantis Bahamas things to do
3. Swimming with the Dolphins on the private Blue Lagoon Island
One of our absolute favourite activities in the Nassau and New providence area of the Bahamas was the day trip we did to the Blue Lagoon island. It is so close to the mainland, that you could literally do this trip when your cruise ship docks for the day!
The Blue lagoon island is a private island 10km off of the mainland Nassau and Paradise island. This place had everything a family would want in one place, and the best part is it is very affordable. The island has 3 or 4 beautiful beaches, instagram worthy scenic walks, a forest trail and restaurants and amenities. There are also animal experiences here that you will not find in the rest of the Bahamas. The animal experiences included on the island are shark experiences, sea lions, Dolphins, stingrays and more.
This place was not originally designed for this, they have grown into an eco friendly animal habitat, that literally saves animals and teaches people how to properly interact with them.
Some of the other amenities of the island are restaurants, bars, gift shop, learning centre, waterspouts, a waterpark and much more.
There are rides back to the mainland every 2 hours and it only takes around 30 minutes to get there.
Our kids really loved the dolphin experience they had on the island. This experience was one of their absolute favourite things to do in the Bahamas. They got right up and close with these beautiful creature at the Blue lagoon island! The dolphins played with them, kissed them and splashed them. All while a photographer took memorable pictures that we will enjoy forever! It was a surreal experience.
You can read more about our experience on the blue lagoon island here!
Swimming with the dolphins at Blue Lagoon island Bahamas. Best things to do with Kids in the Bahamas
4. Build a sandcastle at Cable beach
Cable beach is one of the most beautiful beaches on the Nassau and New providence islands. This is the same beach that the popular Baha Mar sits on. Cable beach spans around 22 km long of beautiful white sand. It is absolutely one of the most picturesque beaches in the Bahamas, and this is why a load of models and instagrammers choose to take their Bahamas Photos here.
Our kids really enjoyed this beach, we spent at least 4 whole days hanging out here and playing in the sand. One of the hotels on the beach made massive piles of sand that we climbed and rolled around on. It was really cool. Our kids love making sand castles on the beach and this beach in particular was great for this. The sand is soft and extremely thin, making it very easy to manipulate. The water here is also not very rough because of the protective islands around cable beach, making it great for kids to safely play around in.
That being said, no matter what if your kids are playing in the ocean they should be wearing a lifejacket and be monitored by adults.
Building sandcastles at cable beach Bahamas
5. Hotel Pools days
Although our kids love the ocean, we always spend a lot of time in the hotel pools. And the Bahamas has amazing pools. Some hotels will have heated pools that are more comfortable to spend the whole day in, and others will have pools with lazy rivers and waterfalls.
I am usually in the water with the kids and my wife hangs out watching us from the sun deck.
The hotel pool is a great way to tire the kids so that they will go down for a nap. We enjoy our evenings out and if our kids don’t have a little snooze they sometimes turn into gremlins at night lol.
If you are chilling at the hotel pool, you can have lunch and drinks around the pool and just relax. You don’t have to plan anything.
Baha Mar Pool, Nassau Bahamas
6. Learn how to dance to cool Caribbean music
Who doesn’t like Caribbean music? In the Bahamas there is always somewhere playing live music, and our kids love it! One of our favourites was Margaritaville on Paradise island, this place was literally made as an awesome parent child experience. They have a pool in the restaurant for kids as well as games etc. There is a live band that plays there and parents can dance or chill out and have some drink.
The margaritaville is conveniently located across the street from Atlantis on Paradise island, and they are also building another one right now beside Junkanoo beach.
The other could spot we liked to hang out at is called the green Parrot. We went there one night with the kids and they had a Caribbean live band playing. We danced to sweet smooth Caribbean vibes and the food was great at the same time here.
7. Shop for some souvenirs at the Straw Market
If you are looking for inexpensive souveniers, the straw market is your place. The straw market is conveniently located across the street from the cruise port. It is the cheapest place on the island for souvenirs. The straw market is in an open air building and has multipole vendors with their own booths set-up selling items from jewelry to local crafts and art. They also sell hats, t-shirt and other souvenierish junk.
You will find when you are here that the vendors may pressure you a bit, so void this place if you really hate that. Keep in mind they are just trying to make a living in an expensive place.
We let our kids choose 1 item each from here and tried to teach them how to negotiate with the vendors. It was a little confusing for them but I thought teaching negotiation at a young age might be good for them.
If you are negotiating here you can get as much off as 50% of the sale price!
Bahamas travel Blog, things to do with kids
8. Go to the Park at Cable beach
One morning I went out for a jog along cable beach. This is the same beach the Baha mar is at. At one point I found a beach front park with an open field. There were some locals in the area and a hot dog stand set up. The park was great and I ended up taking my kids back there to play. Hanging out in this part of cable beach you will find that it is a lot quieter than in front of the hotels. It also has a lot more for the kids to do, as you have the park, the beach, food, a field and some locals in the area.
9. Ride a water bicycle at the Blue Lagoon Island
Blue lagoon island was one of our favourite places to go in the Nassau/Paradise island area of the Bahamas. The water bicycles are large plastic bikes that float easily in the water. They are kind of like modern day paddle boats, but they are way cooler. Your kids will get a kick out of them and they make for a great picture.
You can do this activity in a few places in the Bahamas, but the Blue lagoon island is the best because the water is perfectly still and it is also shallow, making it one of the best places in the Bahamas to ride a water bicycle.
Things to do with kids in the Bahamas
10. Cabbage beach day on Paradise island
We have done paradise island several times, and have never really found the beaches there great. This time, we sought out cabbage beach, this is located east of Atlantis. To get there we had to walk around 30 minutes, you can also just take a taxi here. We followed the signs and got to a blue building, this is the restaurant and bar at cabbage beach. Past that there is a sand path to the beach and stairs going down. From the top of the stairs I realized that this is one of the most beautiful and secluded beaches on the entire island! The sand was thicker here than anywhere else in Nassau or New providence and the beach was also wider.
We sat there for hours listening to music and eating snacks. The kids played around, building sandcastles and running away from the waves. The water was a little rough that day, so we did not let them go in, but we all still really enjoyed this place. I had a couple of beers, at the top of the stairs there is a tiny little restaurant that sells snacks and drinks.
This beach is also one of the best places to watch a sunset on Paradise island. The lighting was perfect for family photos…if I can get the kids to cooperate.
Overall I highly recommend visiting this beach, don’t bother going to the beach by Atlantis, it is not good. Take a walk over to Cabbage beach instead, it is much more beautiful than Junkanoo beach and even cable beach!
Cabbage beach, Paradise island Bahamas. Top things to do with kids in the Bahamas
11. Swimming with the pigs
I really think swimming with pigs is gross, but this is one of those tours you have to go on because it offers way more than just swimming with pigs. The highlight online is swimming with pigs because it is neat and the pigs are kind of cute. Your kids will get a kick out of it and you will get some pretty cool pictures. But the pigs poop in the water and that part is pretty gross.
There are tours that take you out for around $200USD to the outlying islands and the pigs are just one of the stops. The second stop lets you get up and close with wild stingrays! That is super cool and you can hand feed them! These rays are huge and do not have teeth, they literally will touch you as they are fed daily. And the best part for me is that they are wild!
The next stop will be feeding the nurse sharks. This is another famous instagrammer stop, and very unique to the Bahamas. There is around 30 to 40 bottom dwelling sharks that lie around a dock all day waiting for people to come and feed them. They are relatively docile and you can swim around with them in shallow water pretty safely.
What islands should I visit when I book swimming with the pigs?
The last stop is iguana island where you can feed wild iguanas. There are hundred of them and they are not scared of humans. On this island there are also many birds that will fly right on your hand if you have something to eat. It is really amazing to see, and your kids will love the entire experience.
There are several boats you can go on, including a speed boat that is super fun. You will find that the islands around the Bahamas are much more beautiful than the mainland beaches. The water is clearer and the snorkelling and diving is much better.
Really if you have not gone to an outlying island you should really do this tour. If you are on a cruise and are limited for time then you should do the blue lagoon island.
Bahamas beach with kids, cable beach
12. Learn about Pirates
Right in the heart of downtown Nassau, not far from the cruise port is the Pirate museum. It is a huge facility that explains some of the pirate history around the Bahamas. You can take your kids here if you are into that. I found this to be for older kids closer to their teens, because it does depict some of the violence that happened during that period.
Pirate Museum in Nassau Bahamas
13. Shore fishing
Every time I go away, I take a portable fishing rod with me. Rayden and I wake up early in the morning and find a quiet spot usually on a pier or sea wall and cast out. The exhilaration your child will get when they get a fish on the line is incredible. And just the act of doing this together is very bonding. You spend a a few hour talking or strategizing on how you are going to catch your prey.
The fish around the island like shrimp, you can cut them up into small pieces and put them on an empty hook. Don’t complicate the bait, fish like it simple. If you are fishing around rocks you might even get lucky enough to catch a lobster!
After catching a few fish we take them back to the hotel/timeshare to cook it up. I prefer to wrap it in foil and cook it up with veggies. This keeps the moisture in, and all of the flavours fuse together.
While we fished here, i taught my son how to tie a fishing knot, how to lift the rod when you have a fish on how to respect the catch. It is one of the best things I did with my kids while I was in the Bahamas!
Atlantis travel blog Cabbage beach paradise island
14. Eat at Junkanoo beach
Junkanoo beach is one of the most popular beaches on Nassau, the reason for this is because there are restaurants and entertainment here and it is the closest beach to the cruise port.
Overall we spent 2.5 weeks in the Bahamas on our last trip and 1 week of that was at the marriott Junkanoo across the street from the beach.
Our kids loved that we had easy and fast access to the beach, and we loved that everything was right there. This beach has every type of Bahamian food you can think of including jerk chicken, conch and more. They also have the foods your kids want like hot dogs and hamburgers all in very close proximity.
The beach is not the cleanest and it can also be rough on your feet. I recommend wearing flip flops here. We also noticed that the restaurants serve beer in a glass bottle here, and I’m sure some bottles have broken here over time. I would be really careful allowing your kids to run around barefoot on this beach.
Junkanoo is not the best beach, but it is easily accessible. In my opinion it is best for adults, if you want a good beach for kids, go to cable beach or cabbage beach.
Eat at Junkanoo beach in Nassau Bahamas
15. Go for ice cream downtown Nassau
There are several places you can go for ice cream in downtown Nassau, the biggest and most popular place is the Main street ice cream parlour.
When you are downtown Nassau you will notice a huge red and white stripped building at the end of the block. This is the ice cream parlour. Check this place out, your kids will love it, as they have hundreds of flavours of ice cream.
If you want to try something Bahamian here, try the pineapple ice cream, omg it is sooo good.
Best things to do with kids in Nassau, Bahamas
16. Take an excursion to Blue lagoon island
I’ve talked about the blue lagoon island in a few of my articles, this place is epic and inexpensive to get to. If you are travelling with kids to the Bahamas, this island should be on your itinerary. Not only is there swimming with the dolphins here, there is also a shark interaction, sea lion interaction and a kids learning centre. When we were at the kids learning centre they had a cool tank for kids to touch sea stars and anemones, it can be an amazing learning experience for the kids. On the island there is also a jungle walk and they point out local sea birds and fauna that live in the area. You kids will also enjoy a kick ass waterpark, and play area in the sand.
For adults, you will enjoy the random hammocks scattered around the island, the bars, restaurants and quiet beach. The water is so still and shallow in the cove that you will not have to worry about your kids at all here. There are also life guards on duty.
Being on the blue lagoon island with my kids was surreal, its like being at an all inclusive for a very low cost. If you have a ever travelled anywhere else in the world (beach destinations), you probably have realized that the best beaches are in the out islands. This is because the water is so clear here and the sand is usually very fine. The sand on blue lagoon is so soft, anyone would enjoy it. Some of the other features of the island include a VIP area, canoes and water bikes, snorkel rentals and more.
There is a free buffet lunch included in your ticket, and the beer was pretty inexpensive. Overall our day here was my absolute favourite. Even if you are on a cruise, the blue lagoon island is and option as they will pick you up right at the cruise port and drop you off back at your ship!
Blue Lagoon Island Excursions in the Bahamas. Fun things to do with kids
17. Playing games at the Hotel
Every hotel will have activities going on throughout the day, some will just have a bunch of games available to play upfront. We liked to just chill at the hotel sometimes and play games.
When we are on vacation, we often find ourselves keeping so busy with seeing the sites that we are exhausted. A game day with the kids is a great way to break up the trip and just relax!
Playing games at the hotel in the Bahamas
18. Look at the pink flamingos at the Baha Mar
The Baha Mar is a really cool hotel, now it is not the best hotel for kids as it is more of an adult atmosphere. There are a lot of really neat things for the kids to see here and the pink flamingos are one of them. It is located in the pool area of the Baha mar close to the beach! There are some other really cool hidden gems in this area for your kids to see including food truck serving excellent food and a giant peer for you to snap some pictures at.
The Baha Mar is located at Cable beach, on of the best beaches in the Bahama’s for kids. You do not need to be staying there to visit the hotel and to see these things, so this can be an inexpensive thing to do on the island.
19. Visit a local Park
Most of the local parks are pretty run down, I found 3 really nice ones on the island. One at cable beach, another on the way to cable beach from Nassau and one more at the sandy pointe beach area. All of the park I found were across the street from a beach. Our kids would play at the park, get all sweaty and cool off with a swim in the ocean. It made for perfect days and it costed nothing to do it.
Going to a park in the Bahamas
20. Take an Island tour
The island tours are epic ways of exploring the new providence island surroundings. The outlying island all tell a story and if you have a good tour guides they will be able to tell you what up.
On one of our scuba dives the boat drove by an island where there were massive billionaire properties. The boatsmen told stories about billionaires that disliked each other destroying each others properties. Other island were full of sea bird nests, and others were full of thousands of iguanas!
Our kids loved the diversity of the stories and experiences that the island tours give on the Bahamas
Wild dolphins in the Bahamas
21. The Queens Staircase
We took a really nice walk to the queens staircase with the kids from downtown Nassau, it took around 20 minutes to get there and it was a really cool experience. When you get there you will notice a forested rocky area where slaves had cut into the rock mountain wall and created a large path for visitors to see. A lot of locals go here to exercise and jog up and down the staircase. There is also a waterfall here where you can take some nice pictures.
While there, there were groups of kids playing music and selling nuts etc. It is a chill area to hang out in, and one of the sites to see in Nassau.
Top things to do with kids in Nassau, Bahamas. The queens staircase
22. Prime evil Forest
This forest is located on the new providence part of the island and you will need a car to get here. I rented a car for a day and we discovered this place. It is a forest with local flora and fauna, they have created paths to explore and trails to water features along the way.
Bahamas National parks
23. Rent a Kayak
My kids love kayaking, as long as the waters are calm it is safe and you can explore around the island at your leisure. The water in the Bahamas are really clear and you can see deep into the water right from the kayak. You might also find some hidden areas if you are exploring it from a kayak.
24. Eat local foods
Most kids are not into trying new random foods, however we try to get our kids to try everything once. To my surprise our son actually like conch! He did not like the slimy conch salad but he loved the conch fritters! The fritters are a deep fried breaded snack that the Bahamians eat as an appetizer. It is salty and chewy and Rayden loved the taste.
Atlantis Queens Chair
25. Go on a speed boat
There are lots of speed boat rentals around the Bahamas, many of which you can hop on right from the cruise port area. This is a neat way to explore around the island. Our kids liked the simple water taxis that takes you from the cruise port to paradise island. It is dirt cheap to take and the ride is only around 20 minutes long, keeping their attention for the entire time.
26. Chase birds at the beach
Natasha liked chasing the scavenging birds around the beach, she would do this for hours and as she approached them they would fly a few meters away from her thinking she would stop……She would just keep chasing them and as frustrating as it was for the birds, she loved it!
27. Watch a parade
The locals try to make the island as entertaining as it can be for the tourists, that’s how they make most of their incomes. While we were there, the junkanoo kids parade was on and they had trucks playing music, Bahamian schools in a parade and music competition and food vendors all over the street. Our kids made a bunch of friends this day and they played in the hangout areas in downtown Bahamas
Nassau family travel blog. Fun things to do with kids in Nassau Bahamas
Common questions about travelling with kids in the Bahamas
Is the Bahamas Safe for kids
Yes the Bahamas is very safe for kids. Some of the common things to watch out for is the the ocean pulling them out, sharks in the water and food poisoning and travellers diarrhea.
The instagram famous bridge at Atlantis Bahamas. Best things to do with kids in the Bahamas
Are the Bahamas dirty?
No the Bahamas is actiually very clean. There are of course some areas that are dirtier than others, however you will probably never see those areas as a tourist.
Is there covid 19 in the Bahamas?
Yes there are some cases of covid 19 in the Bahamas. The country has taken measures to control and contain the virus including preventing cruise ships from porting int he country.
Is the Bahamas good for kids?
Yes the Bahamas is great for kids. I had my 2 kids there for 3 weeks and they were totally entertained for the entire time we were there.
Nassau Bahamas things to do with kids
Do kids like Bahamas food?
My kids liked some of the Bahamian foods, they also have all of the north american dishes your kids eat as well.
Can you buy diapers and formula in the Bahamas?
Yes, there are grocery stores and corner stores all over the tourist areas that you can buy this stuff in. You can also buy them from most hotels like Atlantis and Baha Mar. If you are in Nassau, there is a big grocery store right across the street from the cruise port and they have diapers and formula right there. If you are in the cable beach area there is a grocery store a 20 minute walk from the beach where you can buy formula. You can also take the #10 bus for a dollar to get there.
Do they kidnap kids in the Bahamas?
No lol this is not a thing in the Bahamas, but you would be surprised that this is actually googled searched a lot.
Is Nassau fun for kids?
Our kids loved Nassau, paradise island and all of the new providence area. There is so much for them to see and do and the people here were amazing with kids. It is really a family environment.
Atlantis with kids. Bahamas travel blogs
Is the beach in the Nassau good for kids?
Our kids did enjoy the beach in Nassau a lot that was Junkanoo beach. For kids I personally preferred cable beach or cabbage beach. The sand is thicker at those beaches, there is less noise and people and way less intoxicated people at these beaches. You will probably not see as many girls in thong bikinis at the other beaches as well, my son was grossed out by that when we were on Junkanoo…..I liked it though lol
If you have any more insight or questions about Nassau or the Bahamas, please shoot us an email or comment. We want our Bahama Travel blogs to be the most comprehensive source of information about the Bahamas on the internet.
Waikiki beach day
