Bush medicine is a tradition African slaves brought with them when they came here, and today there are almost 100 plants found in Nassau that can be used for medical treatment. True Bahamians all have stories of their parents and grandparents running out to the back yard to pick plants to boil into tea as cure-alls anytime a family member had a serious ailment or a common cold. Start the morning with a guided walk at the 11-acre Retreat Gardens, a property that was once the home of Arthur and Margaret Langlois, and is now a national park managed by the Bahamas National Trust. As you walk through the coppice forest, you’ll learn which indigenous plants are often used for medicinal purposes, from aloe vera, guinep, pigeon plum and lignum vitae to mahogany and satinleaf.

From here, you’ll be transported to the lavish Graycliff Hotel, a historic landmark that since 1740 has housed pirates, privateers and prisoners alike, as well as lords and ladies. In Graycliff Restaurant, you’ll enjoy traditional afternoon tea, as you sip herbal bush teas and dine on delicate pastries and finger sandwiches. Before returning to port, you’ll stop at Tasty Teas, a local bush tea company run by a Bahamian mother-and-son team, where you can purchase a selection of indigenous teas that Bahamians believe can improve everything from memory loss, arthritis and high blood pressure, to jump-starting one’s libido.