Beaches
Of course you will want to spend lots of time at the beach. There are lots of beaches to choose from. The closest is Palm Beach, which you can get in in under 10 minutes by driving east on Okeechobee Blvd until you hit the water. This is a nice beach but parking is very expensive. They are very quick to write parking tickets, too, so do NOT park illegally.
Juno Beach is a gorgeous beach to spend the day. It is quite a bit further, about 30 minutes, but parking is free and easy. It is right next to the Loggerhead Marine Life Center, which you should definitely check out (see below), so that is a nice way to spend the day.
Ocean Reef park is another nice beach to the north of us with free parking. There is a small playground there and picnicking spots.
A great place for the kids is the Boynton Beach Inlet. It is about 20 minutes away. Parking is free and very close to the beach, and there are picnic tables, lots of shady trees, and a playground. It is the inlet rather than the ocean, so there are no waves and it is very shallow. It's nice for swimming and snorkeling and is much safer than the ocean if you are not strong swimmers. It gets very crowded on the weekends and holidays, though, so I would recommend it only for a weekday.
Of course any beach you hit up and down the coast will be very nice, so feel free to try out any spot that strikes your fancy.
Other Places of Interest
There are many other things to see here in Palm Beach County that you might like to try out.
The Loggerhead Marinelife Center is very cool. They rescue sea turtles that need medical help, rehabilitate them, and then release them back into the wild. You can visit the center and see the sea turtles that are in recovery. They also have some aquariums with local tropical fish and sea life. It is free to visit. You might even check to see if a turtle is scheduled to be released soon; and watch him make his way back to the ocean. https://www.marinelife.org/
The Manatee Lagoon is great to visit in the winter. In warm/hot months you are not likely to see manatees, as they like to congregate there when the water is cold. Check the manatee cam on the website to see if there are manatees around on any given day. You can only see them from above ground; there is no underwater viewing area. Free to visit. https://www.visitmanateelagoon.com/
The Busch Wildlife Sanctuary is also a free center that features local wildlife. You can see bears, panthers, bald eagles, alligators, bobcats, foxes, and lots more. http://www.buschwildlife.org/
A great place for the kids is the Boynton Beach Inlet. It is about 20 minutes away. Parking is free and very close to the beach, and there are picnic tables, lots of shady trees, and a playground. It is the inlet rather than the ocean, so there are no waves and it is very shallow. It's nice for swimming and snorkeling and is much safer than the ocean if you are not strong swimmers. It gets very crowded on the weekends and holidays, though, so I would recommend it only for a weekday.
Of course any beach you hit up and down the coast will be very nice, so feel free to try out any spot that strikes your fancy.
Other Places of Interest
There are many other things to see here in Palm Beach County that you might like to try out.
The Loggerhead Marinelife Center is very cool. They rescue sea turtles that need medical help, rehabilitate them, and then release them back into the wild. You can visit the center and see the sea turtles that are in recovery. They also have some aquariums with local tropical fish and sea life. It is free to visit. You might even check to see if a turtle is scheduled to be released soon; and watch him make his way back to the ocean. https://www.marinelife.org/
The Manatee Lagoon is great to visit in the winter. In warm/hot months you are not likely to see manatees, as they like to congregate there when the water is cold. Check the manatee cam on the website to see if there are manatees around on any given day. You can only see them from above ground; there is no underwater viewing area. Free to visit. https://www.visitmanateelagoon.com/
The Busch Wildlife Sanctuary is also a free center that features local wildlife. You can see bears, panthers, bald eagles, alligators, bobcats, foxes, and lots more. http://www.buschwildlife.org/
A fun day for kids is to Lion Country Safari. It is like a zoo that you drive through in your car, and also has a small amusement park included in the price. One of my favorite parts is to feed the giraffes up close and personal. https://www.lioncountrysafari.com/
If you'd like a tour of West Palm Beach along with interesting facts and history, I would recommend the Diva Duck tour. It leaves from Cityplace, and is a bus and a boat in one. There is a driving tour, and then the bus drives right into the intercoastal waterway and takes you on a water tour as well. http://www.divaduck.com/
The Flagler Museum is a great cultural and historical spot. It's a beautiful Gilded Area home of the founder of South Florida, and you'll feel like you're walking into the Great Gatsby's home. Flagler's private railway car is out back as well, which is fun to walk through. It's not very interesting for the kids, but they will get a kick out of the enormous banyan tree next door at the church. https://www.flaglermuseum.us/
If you'd like a tour of West Palm Beach along with interesting facts and history, I would recommend the Diva Duck tour. It leaves from Cityplace, and is a bus and a boat in one. There is a driving tour, and then the bus drives right into the intercoastal waterway and takes you on a water tour as well. http://www.divaduck.com/
The Flagler Museum is a great cultural and historical spot. It's a beautiful Gilded Area home of the founder of South Florida, and you'll feel like you're walking into the Great Gatsby's home. Flagler's private railway car is out back as well, which is fun to walk through. It's not very interesting for the kids, but they will get a kick out of the enormous banyan tree next door at the church. https://www.flaglermuseum.us/
If you would like to get out into the Everglades and see alligators, there are two spots we recommend. Everglades Holiday Park does airboat rides and alligator wrestling. It's a fun experience. www.evergladesholidaypark.com
Less touristy is the Shark Valley trail, where you can bike (there is a bike rental on site), ride a tram, or walk the trail in the Everglades to a big observation deck. We have always seen many many gators on that trail. www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/shark-valley-tamiami.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment