So you're coming to South Florida and you want to see it
all...well these attractions are a must for both locals and visitors alike. They
have the creatures beyond compare.
Parrot Jungle and Gardens (weekends only)
Parrot Jungle Island is located at 1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, off 395,
between downtown Miami and South Beach.
An exotic bird sanctuary, wildlife habitat and botanical garden. Here you will
find 100's of varieties of birds and plants. Also, ape exhibits, wildlife shows,
and alligators.
At Funderdome, you’ll find a special place, a team of
fun-loving Ambassadors that provide a truly unique experience in South Florida
for parents with babies, families with kids of all ages and visitors to the
area.
(954)
525.1816
1455 SE 17TH STREET - FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33316
HOURS OF OPERATION
Sunday - Thursday: 9:00am - 8:00pm
Friday - Saturday: 9:00am - 9:00pm
Metrozoo
12400 SW 152 Street, Miami.
305-638-6700
A giant zoo with more than 250 species and 60 major animal exhibits. The zoo
also has a wildlife amphitheater with three shows daily.
Miccosukee Indian Village
US 41 ( Tamiami Trail) West
305-223-8380
Attractions include alligator wrestling, crafts, demonstartions, a small museum
featuring the history of the tribe, and airboats rides. Music and arts festivals
are held in July and December.
Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium
3280 S. Miami Ave
305-854-4247
The exhibits on coral reefs and the Everglades here are especially enlightening.
There is also a participatory science arcade, a wildlife center housing more
than 150 live animals, and a natural history collection with cases of fossils
and butterflies. Kids love the hands on exhibits and mini-shows. The Planetarium
has several daily shows, explaining what's new in the heavens.
Fairchild Tropical Garden
10901 Old Cutler Road, Miami.
305-667-1651
An extensive botanical garden with a vast collection of rare tropical plants, a
rain forest display, and sunken garden.
Monkey Jungle
4805 SW 216 Street, Miami.
See a colony of monkeys living in a topical jungle. Shows are held throughout
the day. Shows include Wild Monkey Swimming Pool, Ape Encounter, and Hangin'
Wild Orangs.
Historical Museum of South Florida
305-375-1492
The excellent exhibits here chronicle the histories of the various groups that
have settled in the region. Numerous displays including a chickee hut, depict
Native American Life, while the Spanish exploration period comes alive through
the 17th-century maps and a mock fort that kids can climb.
Coral Castle
28655 South Dixie Highway, Homestead.
305-248-6344
A coral wonder built by a single man over 30 years. Open daily from 9am to 6pm.
Miami Seaquarium
4400 Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne.
305-361-3705
Home to more than 10,000 sea creatures, a killer whale, and dolphin superstar
Flipper. South Florida's largest marine aquarium.
Bass Museum of Art
2121 Park Ave.
305-673-7533
Classic Art Deco design, and constructed of Key stone, the exterior of this
building is adorned with carved nautical figures and features whimsical touches
inspired by traditional Maya architecture. The gems included within the museum
include works by Botticellie, Ghirlandaio, and Ruebens.
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
3251 South Miami Avenue, Miami.
305-250-9133
An Italian Renaissance style villa built in 1916 by James Deering. Over 10 acres
of formal gardens and fountains. The house contains 34 rooms with antique
furnishing.
Everglades National Park
25 miles west of Miami on the Tamiami Trail.
305-242-7700.
A 1.4 million acre park complete with endangered species and many species of
birds and animals. Boats tours are available.
Jungle Queen
Bahia Mar Yacht Basin in Fort Lauderdale on A1A, north of 17th Street Causeway.
Sails to a tropical island for an all-you-can-eat dinner of ribs, shrimp and
chicken. The dinner is followed by a variety show and sing-along. Daily
sightseeing cruises are also available.
Art Deco District
New and restored buildings, cafes, hotels, carry the facades of bright pink,
turquoise, and peach gleam in the sun. Take a walk through the Revival-style
buildings, many containing electric boutiques and art galleries.
Phipps Ocean Park
2145 S. Ocean Blvd
832-0731
Tours are given weekday mornings.
A beautiful beach, some picnic tables, and grills, plus a Palm Beach County
landmark in the Little Red Schoolhouse. Dating from 1886, it was the first
schoolhouse in what was then Dade County.
Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens
253 Barcelona Rd.
832-5328.
Wed.-Sun. 11-4 (call ahead; schedule is not always observed) or by appointment.
This monument to the late American sculptor Ann Weaver Norton, second wife of
Norton Museum founder Ralph H. Norton, consists of charming 3-acre grounds
displaying seven granite figures and six brick megaliths. The plantings were
designed by Norton, an environmentalist, to attract native bird life.
John D. Macarthur Beach State Park
Almost 2 miles of beach, good fishing and shelling, and one of the finest
examples of subtropical coastal habitat remaining in southeast Florida can be
found here. Guided walk is available to a mangrove estuary along the upper
reaches of Lake Worth.
William T. Kirby Nature Center
Open Wednesday-Monday from 9 to 5and features exhibits on the coastal
environment.
10900 Rte. A1A, North Palm Beach
624-6950
Lion Country Safari
Southern Blvd. West
793-1084
Van rentals available
Daily 9:30-5:30 last vehicle in by 4:30.
Drive (with car windows closed; no convertibles or pets) on 8 miles of paved
roads through a 500-acre cageless zoo where 1,300 wild animals roam. Lions,
elephants, white rhinoceroses, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, chimpanzees, and
ostriches are among those in residence. Special exhibits include the Kalahari
Bushvelt, designed after a South African plateau and containing water buffalo
and Nilgai (the largest type of Asian antelope), and the Gir Forest, modeled
after a game forest in India and showcasing a pride of lions. Stop by the
petting zoo, or take a ride on the Safari Queen cruise.
Norton Museum Of Art
1451 S. Olive Ave.
832-5194.
Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. 1-5
Constructed in 1941 by steel magnate Ralph H. Norton, this museum boasts an
extensive permanent collection of 19th- and 20th-century American and European
paintings with special emphasis on 19th-century French Impressionists. There are
also Chinese bronze and jade sculptures, a sublime outdoor patio with sculptures
on display in a tropical garden, and a library housing more than 3,000 art books
and periodicals. Nine galleries showcase traveling exhibits as well as art from
the permanent collection.
Palm Beach Zoo At Dreher Park
1301 Summit Blvd.
533-0887 or 547-9453.
Daily 9-5 (until 7 on spring and summer weekends).
This excellent zoo is a 23-acre complex with more than 500 animals representing
more than 100 species, including Florida panthers, red kangaroos, and Bengal
tigers. The newest exhibit, Tropics of America, has six acres of tropical rain
forest plus Mayan ruins, an Amazon river village, and an aviary. Also of note
are a nature trail, an Australian Outback exhibit, and a children's zoo.
Loggerhead Park Marine Life Center
1200 U.S. 1 (entrance on west side of park), Juno Beach, 627-8280. Donation
welcome. Tues.-Sat. 10-4, Sun. noon-3.
Established by Eleanor N. Fletcher, "the turtle lady of Juno Beach,"
the center just south of Jupiter focuses on the natural history of sea turtles.
Also on view are displays of coastal natural history, sharks, whales, and
shells.
Lake Worth Municipal Park
Rte. A1A at end of Lake Worth Bridge
533-7367.
Pool. Daily 9-5.
This recreation area on the Atlantic Ocean has a beach, Olympic-size swimming
pool, fishing pier, picnic areas, shuffleboard, restaurants, and shops.
Arthur R. Marshall-Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
10119 Lee Rd., off U.S. 441 between Boynton Beach Blvd. (Rte. 804) and Atlantic
Ave. (Rte. 806), west of Boynton Beach 734-8303
Daily 6 AM-sunset; visitor center weekdays 9-4, weekends 9-4:30
The refuge, established in 1951, is the last remnant of land in the northern
Everglades in South Florida. It was acquired in an effort to protect migratory
birds, endangered species and the remaining 147,368 acres of northern Everglades
habitat. Celebrate Florida's National Wildlife Refuges. Discover the uniqueness
of the Florida Everglades as you participate in a variety of programs offered
free of charge. Be sure to bring a camera and binoculars to explore the nature
trails or canoe trail. Look closely for anhingas, fulvous whistling ducks,
smooth-billed anis, egrets, herons, alligators and turtles. Arthur R. Marshall
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is full of surprises.
Morikami Museum And Japanese Gardens
4000 Morikami Park Rd 495-0233.
At this 200-acre cultural and recreational facility, there is a beautiful
Japanese imperial-style villa with a display that recalls the Yamato Colony, an
agricultural community of Japanese settlers who came to Florida in 1905. Gardens
include the only known collection of bonsai Florida plants. There are also
programs and exhibits in a lakeside museum and theater, as well as a nature
trail, picnic pavilions, a library and audiovisual center, and a snack bar. Café
serves light Asian fare.
International Museum Of Cartoon Art
201 Plaza Real
391-2200
Tues.-Sat. 10-6, Sun. noon-6.
Telephone first to verify hours.
Championed by Beetle Bailey cartoonist Mort Walker, this is the only museum of
its kind in the world. It showcases more than 160,000 pieces of art created over
two centuries by more than 1,000 artists from more than 50 countries: everything
from turn-of-the-century Buster Brown cartoons to the Road Runner to Charles
Schulz's Peanuts.
The American Orchid Society
487-6552.
Once housed in a Palm Beach mansion, the Orchid Society recently opened at its
new headquarters on the grounds of the Morikami Museum
Featured are hundreds of breeds of orchids, the most common of which is the
traditional prom corsage orchid, and the decorative dendrobium, a long stalk
ranging from 4-18 inches with multiple flowers.
Christopher's Christmas Shoppe
North Palm Beach
848-4500
Visit the elaborate indoor/outdoor holiday displays, caroling by local choirs,
surprise visits by Santa Claus for youngsters. A 13,000-square-foot building
features quaint year-round Christmas Shoppe with large selections of trees,
lights, ornaments of European glass, speciality ornaments and collectables such
as Polonaise, Christopher Radko, Dean Griff, Winters Eve, Enesco, Pooh &
Disney. Other collectables include a department of 56 villages and accessories,
Seraphim, angels and snowbabies. Order or purchase custom designed wreaths and
decorations. Go back in time with genuine Antique Christmas Ornaments and
decorations.
Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
1801 N. Ocean Blvd.
338-1473
Donation welcome; turtle tours extra (tickets must be obtained in advance).
Mon.-Sat. 9-4, Sun. noon-4; turtle tours late May-mid-July, Mon.-Thurs. 9
PM-midnight.
Children enjoy are the four huge saltwater sea tanks containing an abundance of
sealife -- from coral to stingrays. A long boardwalk winds through dense forest
to a 50-ft tower you can climb to overlook the tree canopy. In the spring and
early summer, staff members lead nighttime turtle walks to see nesting females
come ashore and lay their eggs.
Herbert Hoover Dike
115 East Main Street, Pahokee
924-5579
Named after the late president, it was built after the devastating hurricane of
1928 when various man-made dikes failed to control the high waters of Lake
Okeechobee. The Dike is surrounded by the beautiful Lake Okeechobee, the second
largest lake in the United States, with 730 sq. miles of shoreline. Picnic area
and campground available.
The Historical Society of Palm Beach County
400 North Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, 832-4164
Located in downtown West Palm Beach, the Historical Society is primarily an
archive and research facility. It is dedicated toward collecting and preserving
all materials, especially primary source materials, pertaining to the history of
Florida and in particular Palm Beach County. The Society's collection is
diverse, including letters, diaries and journals, periodicals, photographs,
scrapbooks, postcards, maps and one of Florida's largest collection of
architectural drawings. There is a winter lecture series. Stop in, visit and see
Florida in the past. Hours 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Tuesday- Friday. Membership
available.
Hoffman's Chocolate Shoppe & Gardens
5190 Lake Worth Road
Greenacres
967-2213
For generations, the Hoffman family has been creating the most luscious
chocolate masterpieces using only the finest ingredients. Each year more than
150,000 visitors are received at the Hoffman's Bavarian-style Tudor factory to
watch the creations being made and to tantalize their senses with more than 80
varieties of confections. Located just in the back of our chocolate factory are
the lush tropical gardens through which visitors stroll alongside colorful
foliage, stopping to view the waterfall, fish pond, and a G-scale train village
with 500 feet of track, while enjoying a chocolate treat. From Thanksgiving
through the New Year, Hoffman's transforms the gardens into a Winter Wonderland
with over 200,000 lights and brilliant displays. Visitors from near and far
arrive at Hoffman's to view and enjoy this free event.
Jungle Queen Riverboat Cruises
801 Seabreeze Boulevard
Ft. Lauderdale
954-462-5596
BBQ Dinner Cruises departs nightly 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. also daily sight-seeing
cruises through the Fort Lauderdale area depart from Bahia Mar Yachting Center
on Highway A1A. Daily Cruises 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. Open all year.
Jupiter Lighthouse
U.S. Highway 1 and Highway A1A, Jupiter, 747-8380
The oldest existing structure in Palm Beach County and one of the most
photographed structures in South Florida. Open Sunday - Wednesday 10 a.m. - 4
p.m. (Last tour begins 3:15 p.m.) weather permitting. It is a strenuous climb.
Visitors must be in good health and at least 48 inches tall. For your safety,
please wear shoes fastened in the back.
Knollwood Groves / Hallpatee Seminole Village
8053 Lawrence Road
Boynton Beach 734-4800 or (800) 222-9696
Open all year.
Discover a taste of "Old Florida" at Palm Beach County's oldest
working orange grove. Enjoy a tram ride through the grove & tropical
flowering jungle and visit a Native Indian village and alligator pit. Live
alligator handling show every Saturday. gift shop & fresh fruit market.
The Last Galleon
Jupiter, 747-7700
The only facility in the U.S. where the public is invited to watch the
archeological process on artifacts being recovered from what is believed to be
the oldest Spanish Galleon found in Florida waters. Please call in advance.
Loxahatchee Everglades Tour
Boca Raton
482-0313
Enjoy air boat tours, and see Florida the way it used to be. Loxahatchee
Everglades Tours are open to the public.. Guided tours are available every day
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A one-hour environmental tour is available for
reservations of parties 15 or more.
Manatee Queen
Behind The Crab House, Jupiter Island, 744-2191
Sightseeing Tours 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. daily. Sunset cruise 5-6:30 p.m. Enjoy
the evening along the Intracoastal Waterway.
Mariah Sailing Catamaran
Located at the North Palm Beach Marina, east of U.S. Highway 1, east of the
North Palm Beach Country Club.
844-3297 Reservations
329-4122 Cellular
Mariah is a 49-passenger sailing catamaran offering 3 1/2 hour sailing
adventures on the Atlantic Ocean and the protected waters of the Lake Worth
Lagoon. Scheduled sails: Thursday 10 a.m.; Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.;
Sunday 1 p.m.; Private group charters anytime. Snorkeling trips available.
Mounts Botanical Gardens
531 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach
233-1749
Tour a collection of tropical and subtropical plants, including fruits, citrus,
rose garden, hibiscus, herb garden, xeriscape, a rain forest and more. 8:30 a.m.
- 4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday.
Okeeheelee Nature Center
Forest Hill Boulevard
West Palm Beach
233-1400
Walk along the nature trails that wind through 100 acres of native pine
flatwoods and wetlands. The center's 2.5 miles of trails include paved trails
designed to be accessible to strollers and the handicapped. They feature soft
surface trails leading into more remote areas of the sanctuary. The spacious
visitor center offers hands-on exhibits and the gift shop offers items related
to natural history.
Palm Beach Groves
7149 Lawrence Road, Boynton Beach
965-6699
Free tram rides daily through citrus groves and a packing house. Stroll through
our tropical gardens. See old Florida as it once was. Fresh squeezed juice, gift
shop, plant shop, country store.
On The Rocks
8400B Garden Road, Riviera Beach
842-2999.
On The Rocks offers: indoor rock climbing, with over 30 feet tall climbs. Team
building and challenge ropes courses that build teamwork, enhance trust and
communication. Adventure trips, weekend camp-outs to week-long excursions.
Portable rock climbing walls, perfect for festivals, events and company parties.
Palm Beach Polo and Country Club
South Shore Boulevard, Wellington
930-POLO.
Home to world-class polo. During the season, from January through mid-April, as
many as 6,000 horses may be on the grounds. Polo riders and horses are brought
in by team-owner patrons from throughout the world to participate in the oldest
sport on horseback. Palm Beach Polo continues to host the U.S. Open Polo
Championships. Matches are held every Sunday afternoon during season. Special
matches are often held, featuring well-known celebrities.
Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club
Pierson Road, Wellington, 793-JUMP
Home of Stadium Jumping, Inc. and International Equestrian events such as the
Cosequin Winter Equestrian Festival. The annual stadium jumping event draws the
elite during its run from January to March and is a proving ground for our
United States Equestrian Team in the sport of Show Jumping and Dressage. Among
its competitors, you'll find Olympic equestrian athletes, media celebrities and
3,500 magnificent horses from around the world during the 7-week run. It serves
as the site of qualifying events and selection trials to such important
international events as the World Championships and the summer Olympic games.
Stroll the show grounds and enjoy seeing horses and ponies of every size and
breed. You'll also see riders from as young as three years of age! Call for
event schedules.
Palm Beach Princess
Port of Palm Beach
845-SHIP (from Jupiter to Boynton Beach)
or toll free (800) 841-7447
Offering day and evening coastal cruises, the ship travels to international
waters where passengers may enjoy gaming, entertainment and a world class
buffet. Sailing from the Port of Palm Beach.
The Palm Beach Water Taxi
Based out of Sailfish Marina & Resort, Singer Island.
683-TAXI
Offers daily narrated Sightseeing Tours such as "Palm Beach Now &
Then", and "Nature Lovers Tour" and Sunset and Moonlight Cruises.
Waterway transfer service is also available to and from downtown West Palm
Beach's Clematis Street District; Palm Beach Garden's Waterway Cafe, Sailfish
Marina & Resort, Singer Island; waterfront attractions, restaurants &
bars; Peanut and Munyon Islands; and special events.
Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park
1301 Summit Boulevard
West Palm Beach
533-0887
Open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Call 547-WILD for special event information and summer and holiday hours. More
Info
Discover why The Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park is the number one family
attraction in Palm Beach County. This intimate, 23-acre tropical zoological
garden is home to more than 400 animals representing Australia, South and
Central America, Asia and Florida. The zoo is committed to the preservation of
several endangered species including the Komodo dragon, bengal tiger, lemur,
cotton top tamarin, golden lion tamarin, Florida panther, and features the
nation's first outdoor exhibit of Goeldi's monkeys. Enjoy the children's area
and reptile house. Explore the Cornell Nature Trail and shaded paved walkways
throughout the zoo. Enjoy refreshments at the Treehouse Cafe and search for
treasures at the Zoo Gift Shop.
Rapids Water Park
6566 N. Military Trail
West Palm Beach
842-8756
Rapids Water Park is South Florida's foremost family water park with over 12
acres of attractions. Plunge down 1,600 feet of spiraling flumes, dare to ride
out the storm in Tubin' Tornadoes or blast off in the new Body Blasters enclosed
slides. Get totally tubular in the quarter-mile action river, wave channel,
aquatic rain forest and 25,000-square foot Big Surf Wave Pool. Little ones can
also make a splash in the new Splish Splash Lagoon with 5 slides, a fort,
shipwreck and water shooting canons. The Rapids is open from mid March through
mid October in West Palm Beach.
Sawgrass Recreational Park
Located two miles north of I-75 on Hwy. 27 N.
1-800-457-0788
Fax (954) 389-9425 More
Info
Everglades tours at Sawgrass Recreation Park show the real Florida - the
"sea of grass." See the Everglades by airboat, visit an Indian
village, alligator and reptile exhibit and birds of prey. Allow two hours for
everything.
South Florida Science Museum
4801 Dreher Trail North
West Palm Beach, 832-1988
At the South Florida Science Museum, dozens of hands-on permanent exhibits as
well as special traveling exhibitions appeal to all ages. The McGlinty Aquarium
features tanks with Pacific and Atlantic species as well as Mangrove & Coral
Reef habitats. The Aldrin Planetarium offers star shows and spectacular laser
light concerts. The Museum is open Mon. - Thurs, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Fridays from
10 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sundays from Noon-6 p.m. On Friday
nights the Telescope Observatory is open for sky viewing from dark to 10 p.m.
(weather permitting.) Special traveling exhibits also.
Sports Immortals Museum
6830 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
997-2575
The largest sports memorabilia collection in the world is here. Rare sports
collectables and video presentations provide an exciting look at the history of
sports. Special features include theme parties, field trips, tours and fund
raisers.
Yesteryear Village
South Florida Fairgrounds
West Palm Beach, 793-0333
First established in 1992, Yesteryear Village is now a major attraction at the
South Florida Fairgrounds. In addition to being open during the 17 days of the
South Florida Fair in January, the Village is host to two events during the
year.
Henry Morrison Flagler Museum
1 Whitehall Way
655-2833
Tues.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. noon-5 More
Info
A tour with well informed guides takes about an hour. The opulence of Florida's
Gilded Age is still apparent at Whitehall, the palatial 73-room mansion Henry
Flagler had built in 1901 for his third wife, Mary Lily Kenan. Then-famous
architects John Carrère and Thomas Hastings were instructed to spare no expense
in creating the finest home they could imagine. They did as they were told, and
Whitehall rivals some of the fine palaces of Europe. In 1960 Flagler's
granddaughter, Jean Flagler Matthews, bought the building, which had been the
Whitehall Hotel from 1929 to 1959, and made it a museum. On display are many of
the original furnishings, an art collection, a 1,200-pipe organ, and exhibits on
the history of the Florida East Coast Railway, including Flagler's personal
railroad car, the Rambler.
The Breakers
Originally built by Henry Flagler in 1895 and rebuilt by his descendants after a
fire in 1925, this luxury hotel was one of the starting points of Florida
tourism. It resembles an ornate Italian Renaissance palace and recently received
a $100 million dollar renovation. The lobby of this five star hotel has painted
arched ceilings hung with crystal chandeliers, and an ornate Florentine Dining
Room which is hung with 15th-century Flemish tapestries.
Originally, Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway was designed with a stop
right on the grounds of the Breakers for the convenience of affluent guests
traveling from all parts of the country for a Florida holiday.
Mid-Town Beach
This small beach directly east of Worth Avenue is especially popular because
it's so close to town. But the only parking meters along Ocean Boulevard, the
only convenient public beach access, are found between Worth Avenue and Royal
Palm Way. 400 S. Ocean Blvd. Other parking is reserved for residents of Palm
Beach who are issued special parking decals.
