Government House

Government House Review

The official residence of the Bahamas governor-general, the personal representative of the queen since 1801, this imposing pink-and-white building on Duke Street is an excellent example of the mingling of Bahamian-British and American Colonial architecture. Its graceful columns and broad circular drive recall the styles of Virginia or the Carolinas. But its pink color, distinctive white quoins (cross-laid cornerstones), and louvered wooden shutters (to keep out the tropical sun) are typically Bahamian. Here you can catch the crisply disciplined but beautifully flamboyant changing of the guard ceremony, which takes place every second Saturday of the month at 11 am. The stars of the pomp and pageantry are members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band, who are decked out in white tunics, red-stripe navy trousers, and spiked, white pith helmets with red bands. The drummers sport leopard skins. The governor's wife hosts a tea party open to the public from 3 to 4 pm on the last Friday of the month January-June as part of the People-to-People program. Dress is casual but elegant—no shorts, jeans, or tennis shoes. Musicians, poets, and storytellers provide entertainment.