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FUN THINGS TO DO
Jupiter Lighthouse and Museum - US 1 and Alternate
A1A, Jupiter. 747-8380. The lighthouse, completed in 1859, is the oldest landmark
in the Palm Beaches. Open Sat. - Wed. 10-4. The last tour to climb to the top
is at 3:15. You may also visit the Loxahatchee Historical Society Museum (747-6639)
right nearby which houses a shell collection as well as pioneer and Indian
artifacts. Open Tues.-Sat. 10-5.
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park - Singer Island. 624-6952. Over 300 acres
of pristine Florida, nature walks, undeveloped subtropical shoreline and a
nature center are open daily 8AM to Sunset. A 1/4 mile walkway brings you to
a 45 acre oceanfront beach island. Bring a picnic and enjoy the solitude and
beauty. During the summer months, this is a prime nesting sight for loggerhead,
green and leatherback turtles and evening walks are given. This is an ideal
place for fishing, kayaking, canoeing and snorkeling.
The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens - 4000 Morikami Park Rd., Delray
Beach. 495-0233. A permanent exhibit, "The Yamato Colony", offers
a fascinating look at the early Japanese settlers in the area. Other exhibits
vary. Admission to the museum includes the recently completed tranquil Japanese
gardens.
Lovely Japanese restaurant for a lovely authentic lunch. Open Tues.-Sun. 10-5.
Lion Country Safari - Southern Blvd. W., West Palm Beach. 793-1084. Allow
at least 2 hours to drive through this 500 acre wildlife preserve and see over
one thousand animals including lions, zebras and giraffes. Picnickers are welcome
and there is also an amusement park, nature walk, boat rides, miniature golf
and a petting zoo. Open daily 9:30AM-4:30PM.
The Rapids- Military Trail South of Blue Heron Blvd., West Palm Beach.
842-8756. Open Mid March -September, this is a complete family entertainment
complex.
The facilities include 16 water slides, a lazy river ride, loads of waterfalls,
a 19-hole miniature golf course and a games room.
Boomers -3100 Airport Road, Boca Raton. (561) 347-1888. Open 7 days a week
including holidays. Attractions include batting cages, bumper boats, go-karts,
kiddy play land, laser tag, game room, rock wall, miniature golf and snack
bar. This huge amusement park has something for everyone in the family.
Butterfly World - 3600 W. Sample Rd., Coconut Creek. (954) 977-4400. Open
Mon. – Sat. 9-5 and Sun. from 1-5. In and around a screened rainforest
aviary are thousand of butterflies from around the world. Another aviary contains
hummingbirds. You can actually watch butterflies emerge from their cocoons
and even buy a butterfly attracting plant for your garden. Beautifully done
and magical for children of all ages.
Henry Morrison Flagler Museum - Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach. 655-2832. Built
in 1902 as a wedding gift to his third wife, it has been carefully restored
with much of the original decorations and furniture. You can also tour “The
Rambler”, Mr. Flagler’s personal railway car, completely restored
to its 1886 condition. Open Tues.-Sat. 10-5 Sun. Noon-5.
South Florida Science Museum - 4801 Dreher Trail N., West Palm Beach. 832-1988.
Open Mon. – Friday 10-5, Sat. 10-6 and Sun. noon-6pm. This is an outstanding
facility with compelling exhibits that teach visitors about scientific phenomena.
Children love the big, colorful fish in the aquariums. There is a Planetarium
with laser light shows and an Observatory for star gazing. Open Tues.-Sun.
10AM-5PM and until 10PM on Friday evenings. Call 832-1348 for details.
Palm Beach Zoo - 1301 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach. 533-0887. Open daily
9-5. Tropical landscaped habitats are home to over 900 animals. Features include,
petting area, carousel, primate island, interactive fountain for splashing
(bring your swimsuit) and full service café.
Loggerhead Park on US1 in Juno has picnic facilities, a nature walk and best
of all the Marinelife Center. 627-8280. The enthusiastic staff explains all
about the work they do caring for turtles and conduct turtle walks during nesting
season. There are several salt water aquariums, shell and other marine exhibits
to see. Open Mon.-Sat. 10AM-4PM and Sun. noon-3PM.
John Prince Park – 2520 Lake Worth Road, Lake Worth. 966-6600. Over
700 acres of family fun including fishing, miniature golf, golf driving range,
baseball batting cages, bicycle paths, several children’s play areas,
nature trail and picnic pavilions.
Jonathan Dickinson State Park - 16450 S.E. Federal Hwy., Hobe Sound. 746-1466.
Located on the Loxahatchee River, this is one of the largest parks in south
Florida. You can enjoy fishing, boating (canoe and boat rentals), hiking, biking
and horseback riding trails. Be sure to take the ranger-guided, 2 hour wilderness
tour to Trapper Nelson’s. Open year round 8AM until Sunset.
Roger Dean Stadium - 4751 Main Street, Jupiter. 775-1818. The baseball here
is a glorious, good, old-fashioned day out right down to the peanuts, crackerjacks
and hot dogs. The stadium is so convenient too. Just go straight down Central
Avenue, through Abacoa’s main entrance, and then follow the signs. Every
seat has a great view of the ballpark and you can get close enough to really
see the players. Spring training season is held February and March where you
can see both the Florida Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals. Minor league
teams play April through August.
Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairground. 793-0333. A unique and
fascinating collection of over 30 historic buildings and artifacts. Special
fair days will have costumed re-enactors that depict the southern Florida lifestyle
of days gone by, food, music and my favorite, kettle corn.
Playmobile Funpark on Military Trail just south of Northlake Blvd. 691-9880.
An indoor play school heaven especially suited for rainy day fun. Every conceivable
Fisher Price product is available in imaginative play areas. You can even bring
a lunch box or snack along. It’s free, if you can get out without buying
the kids lots of goodies and it is open daily 10-6.
Sailfish Marina located on the tip of Singer Island, 842-7806, has charter
boats, a restaurant, water taxi excursions and a sunset festival. This delightful,
out of the way spot has small town charm. Fully narrated tours by water taxi
(683-8294) are limited to 16 passengers or less and run on a regular basis.
It’s fun to watch the big fish come off the charter boats, stroll through
booths of crafts and watch the sun set at the weekly street fairs on Tuesday
evenings.
Peanut Island This man made island is in the Lake Worth/Palm Beach inlet
just across the channel from the Sailfish Marina can only be reached by boat
or water taxi. It has a dock, designated swimming area, snorkeling, showers,
restrooms, picnic area and extensive sand bars to walk along. There is a small
maritime museum and JFK’s nuclear bomb shelter. The water taxi runs at
regular intervals so you won’t get marooned overnight!
Imagination Station at Don Schaaf Park in Jupiter is located on Indian Creek
Parkway off Military Trail. This is a unique fortress-like playground that
kids adore and is well worth the short drive. The park also has a small lake
with a walking trail and loads of ducks to feed.
Museum of Discovery and Science at 401 SW 2nd Street, Fort Lauderdale, 954
467-6637, is the kind of place you could spend the entire day, with or without
children. Unusual exhibits include a real coral reef with sea creatures and
tropical fish, a gravity free moon walk, simulated space flight and landing,
a musical kaleidoscope you can conduct with a laser wand and a five story high
screen in the IMAX theater. Open Mon.-Sat. 10-5 and Sunday 12-6.
Sloans on Clematis Street just west of Flagler Drive, 833-3335, in West Palm
Beach is a charming, eclectic ice cream parlor with an endless variety of ice
creams, cakes, chocolates and crepes. Assorted fun trinkets and wild decor
make this a special treat for any age. Why not let the kids enjoy running in
and out of the Centennial Fountain while you are there. Open Sunday through
Wednesday 12-11 and Thursday through Saturday 12-12. Now at Downtown at the
Gardens too.
The Elliot Museum on Northeast Ocean Blvd., in Stuart houses collections almost
Smithsonian in scope. You’ll find a complete Victorian parlor, an old
fashioned turn of the century apothecary shop, an antique photographic collection
and a hodgepodge of baseball artifacts. Most spectacular is its lineup of classic
automobiles, motorcycles and bicycles in a fantasy garage illustrating the
history of automotive engineering. (772) 225-1961.
Wannado City Sawgrass Mills Mall, Sunrise, FL (1-888-wannado). This is kid
heaven, an indoor park the size of 3 football fields. Kids are totally in control
and get to try all sorts of careers. There’s a pathology lab, chef’s
kitchen, radio station, beauty salon, circus, hospital, art academy, fireworks
factory hall of justice and much, much more.
Solid Waste Authority Tours (640-4000 ext 4327) Tours run for about 2 hours
on the last two Mondays of the month. This is an unusual and yes, very interesting,
look at garbage and recycling. Call for more information.
Riverbend Park Indiantown Road, just west of the FL turnpike (748-2028) is
the perfect place to rent a canoe or kayak and spend a lazy day paddling down
Florida’s only National and Scenic River, the Loxahatchee. Special guided
tours along the park’s trails are also available.
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