Eyewitness Travel Family Guide Florida Read online

  $$ • Wi-Fi • Family rooms • Kitchen facilities

  Beacon Hotel

  720 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, 33139 ; 305 674 8200; www.mybeaconhotel.com

  Across the street from the beach, in the heart of the Art Deco district, this 1930s hotel offers complimentary Continental breakfast and beach chairs. The hotel has a restaurant and room service, but is also close to the cafés along Ocean Drive.

  $$$ • Wi-Fi • Restaurant • Beach

  Sunny Isles

  Resorts

  Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort

  16701 Collins Ave, 33160 ; 305 949 1300 or 800 327 5476; www.newportbeachsideresort.com

  A playground on the beach, a children’s pool, and loads of family-friendly activities ensure those with kids of all ages are happy here. Many rooms have fold-down wall beds. The on-site restaurant, Kitchen 305, serves only dinner, but guests can have break- fast and lunch at the poolside café.

  $$ • Wi-Fi • Restaurant • Swimming pool • Beach

  Acqualina Resort & Spa

  17875 Collins Ave, 33160 ; 305 918 8000 or 877 312 9742; www.acqualinaresort.com

  Though pricey, the suites are the best option for families here, as the resort does not offer two-bed rooms. A Children’s Center, movie nights, arts and crafts, and private swimming and sports lessons also make it a hit with families. Its award-winning marine biology-focused children’s program is free for guests.

  $$$ • Wi-Fi • Restaurant • Family rooms • Swimming pool • Beach

  Trump International Beach Resort

  18001 Collins Ave, 33160 ; 305 692 5612 or 866 628 1197; www.trumpmiami.com

  This luxurious resort towers over the beach, where a grotto-style pool, watersports rentals, and cabana rentals make it even more fun. The resort’s Planet Kids children’s club offers exciting half- and full-day programs, featuring an “Enviro-Adventures” themed curriculum.

  $$$ • Wi-Fi • Restaurant • Swimming pool • Beach

  >> Hotels Map

  < Exploring Florida

  The Gold and Treasure Coasts

  North of Miami, Florida’s sun-drenched Atlantic shoreline is blessed with miles of fine beaches as well as parks and family-friendly attractions. The Gold Coast has a huge variety of theme parks, zoos, and museums. By contrast, the Treasure Coast, north of Palm Beach, is all about nature, with wild, unspoiled beaches and pine-covered barrier islands set in pristine waters that attract sea turtles, dolphins, and manatees.

  Spectacular drawing room at the Flagler Museum, Palm Beach

  Highlights

  Museum of Discovery and Science

  See dinosaur fossils, visit a storm center, feel space simulations, and watch IMAX® movies at this absorbing museum (see Fort Lauderdale).

  John U. Lloyd Beach State Park

  Discover one of the best stretches of unspoiled sand on the Gold Coast, follow a hiking trail, or rent a kayak to explore a creek favored by manatees (see John U. Lloyd Beach State Park).

  Butterfly World

  Admire tropical greenhouses brimming with butterflies, and then go see the colorful parrots and scary spiders (see Butterfly World).

  Flagler Museum

  Check out the “palace on wheels”, tycoon Henry Flagler’s private railcar, at this fascinating museum (see Flagler Museum).

  Juno Beach: Loggerhead Marinelife Center

  Watch turtle shows, take part in a turtle walk, or see how injured amphibians are treated in the Sea Turtle Hospital (see Juno Beach: Loggerhead Marinelife Center).

  Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center

  Learn all about Florida’s marine life, stroke a stingray, and take a walk through the mangroves of the Indian River Lagoon.

  * * *

  The Best of The Gold and Treasure Coasts

  Great Gravity Clock in the grand atrium of the Museum of Discovery and Science, Fort Lauderdale

  This part of Florida has something to suit every taste. Fort Lauderdale is a fun, full-scale resort, while the state parks provide opportunities for hiking and kayaking, and reserves such as Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge offer pristine strips of sand. Inland, there is plenty to do – wildlife parks, zoos, and marine life centers provide a window into Florida’s rich natural habitats, and historic sites and art galleries dish up a slice of culture.

  In a week

  Start with Fort Lauderdale, taking in a museum or two before sunbathing on the beach or enjoying a cruise on the Jungle Queen. Spend day two on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, then return to Fort Lauderdale beach for an evening dip. Hit the road on day three, stopping at Butterfly World before sampling the varied delights of Boca Raton. Take a trip to Japan on day four, courtesy of the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, and end the day with a swim at Palm Beach. Stay in town for another day to explore the Flagler Museum, Palm Beach Zoo, and Lion Country Safari. Spend the last two days trawling the Treasure Coast, traveling via Juno Beach and Hutchinson Island to an overnight stay at Fort Pierce, then finishing off at the seaside town of Vero Beach.

  On the manatee and turtle trail

  On Florida’s Atlantic coast summer is turtle nesting time, and hundreds of them crawl up to the beach to lay their eggs. The best place to see them is the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, where there are guided turtle walks through June and July. The Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center on Hutchinson Island runs a sea turtle program, while the Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a hospital for sick or injured sea turtles.

  Winter is the best time to see manatees in these parts: try the John U. Lloyd Beach State Park, or the Manatee Observation & Education Center in Fort Pierce.

  A sea turtle on the shore at Juno Beach

  Art versus science

  Florida’s east coast is best known for its beaches, but the region also offers plenty to stimulate young minds. Bright avant-garde works and Impressionism reign at the NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale, while kids with an inclination for science will find heaps to explore at the nearby Museum of Discovery and Science. Try to catch a concert (and if not, get a bit of shopping done) at the Seminole Indian Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Younger ones will enjoy the Young at Art Children’s Museum in Davie, and aspiring astronomers can gaze at the stars at the nearby Buehler Planetarium & Observatory. Boca Raton Children’s Museum provides a hands-on, absorbing introduction to Florida’s history. Older kids will appreciate the colorful works of US glass sculptor Dale Chihuly on display at the Norton Museum of Art in Palm Beach.

  The great outdoors

  Nothing quite beats a day lounging or playing on the beach, but active families will find plenty to do off the sands. Tranquil Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, just minutes from downtown Fort Lauderdale, offers canoeing, hiking, and biking, while the John U. Lloyd Beach State Park features a hammock forest hiking trail and a creek perfect for kayaking. Marvel at the exotic wildlife on show at the Lion Country Safari, Palm Beach Zoo, Butterfly World, or Flamingo Gardens. Rent bikes and circle Palm Beach on the 3-mile (5-km) Lake Trail, explore the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, or head inland to Jonathan Dickinson State Park near Stuart, where intrepid families can explore the pine flatwoods, mangroves, and river swamps along the Loxahatchee River.

  < The Gold and Treasure Coasts

  The Gold and Treasure Coasts

  Sand castle at a public beach, Palm Beach

  Running along Florida’s Atlantic seaboard, the Gold and Treasure Coasts extend for some 200 miles (322 km) from Miami to the Space Coast and the Northeast. The area is battered by tropical storms in summer, but the weather is subtropical, balmy, and hot most of the year. The beaches are superb. The coastline is hea
vily built up as far as Palm Beach, trailing off into sparsely populated barrier islands, swamp, and pine forest farther north. Separated from the barrier islands and beaches by the Intracoastal Waterway, the mainland is dotted with mansions and is rich in marine and bird life. Roads are great in this region, but public transportation is limited north of West Palm Beach.

  1. Fort Lauderdale

  2. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

  3. John U. Lloyd Beach State Park

  4. Seminole Indian Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

  5. Davie

  6. Flamingo Gardens

  7. Butterfly World

  8. Boca Raton

  9. Delray Beach

  10. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

  11. Palm Beach

  12. Flagler Museum

  13. Palm Beach Zoo

  14. Lion Country Safari

  15. Juno Beach: Loggerhead Marinelife Center

  16. Vero Beach

  17. Fort Pierce

  18. Hutchinson Island

  19. Jupiter Island

  >>Practical Information

  >>Sights Map

  >>Where to Stay

  < The Gold and Treasure Coasts

  1. Fort Lauderdale

  Beaches, vintage cars, and a rocket into space

  Stranahan House

  Little more than a riverside trading camp in 1900, Fort Lauderdale became known as “the Venice of America” when its mangrove swamps were transformed into canals during the 1920s. Today, water taxis and an old-fashioned riverboat, the Jungle Queen, glide along these mansion-lined waterways, connecting downtown with a stunning beach. The city is crammed with creaky old houses to explore, hands-on art galleries, and an excellent science museum.

  Key Sights

  1. Museum of Discovery and Science Become an astronaut and travel to Mars, dig for fossils alongside a megalodon shark, or watch a 3-D IMAX® movie at this entertaining museum.

  2. Riverwalk Park Running along the banks of the New River, this shaded waterside park has winding walkways that take in all sorts of shops and cafés.

  3. NSU Art Museum Core exhibits here include the vivid Impressionism of American artist William Glackens, contemporary Cuban art, and the amazing Indigo Room installation by Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié, with its themes of voodoo and migration.

  4. Stranahan House Built in 1901, this creaky pinewood home served as a trading post where pioneer Frank Stranahan would buy goods such as egret plumes and alligator hides from the local Seminole Indians.

  5. Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum The 22 vintage cars at this museum, which date from 1909 to the 1940s, keep alive the spirit of the Packard automobiles that were once made in Detroit, Michigan.

  6. Bonnet House Museum and Gardens Explore the lush gardens of this Caribbean-style plantation house, designed by painter Frederic Clay Bartlett in 1920.

  7. International Swimming Hall of Fame This museum is packed with swimming memorabilia, including exhibits relating to Olympic legend Mark Spitz, and the history of water polo.

  Left Intricately carved door at Bonnet House Middle Riverwalk Park Right Museum of Discovery and Science

  >>Practical Information

  >>More Things to Do

  >>Eat and Drink

  >>Kids' Corner

  Kids’ Corner

  Creature quest

  There are many animals hiding among the ponds, palms, and gardens of Bonnet House. See if you can spot any of these creatures: Amazon parrot

  Cockatiel

  Swan

  Squirrel monkey

  Gopher tortoise

  Manatee

  Venice in America?

  Venice is a famous city in Italy. Why do you think Fort Lauderdale is called “the Venice of America”?

  The old new river

  Is Fort Lauderdale’s New River really “new”? Not really – the river was given its name by the Spanish in the 1600s, possibly as the result of a legend that claimed the river had miraculously sprung into existence overnight. The river has actually been here for thousands of years.

  “Count” time on the great gravity clock

  The giant clock in the Museum of Discovery and Science is 52 ft (16 m) tall. Unlike a regular clock, it has no hands: you tell the time by counting how many balls are on the lower rails: Each ball on the bottom rail counts as 1 hour.

  Each ball on the middle rail counts as 10 minutes.

  Each ball on the top rail counts as 1 minute. What time is it now?

  * * *

  < The Gold and Treasure Coasts

  2. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

  Canoes, hikes, and bikes

  Canoes for hire at Lake Helen in Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

  This rustic park, just minutes away from downtown Fort Lauderdale, preserves a pristine slice of Florida’s wilderness, thanks to Chicago attorney Hugh Taylor Birch, who donated his estate as a public park in 1941. The park provides access to an especially inviting section of Fort Lauderdale Beach, but to paddle up and down the park’s mile-long (1.6-km) freshwater lagoon, Lake Helen, with younger children, it’s best to rent canoes that hold 3–4 people. Older kids might prefer their own kayak. Look out for turtles, ducks, herons, gray squirrels, wading birds, raccoons, and the occasional marsh rabbit.

  Back on dry land, the Coastal Hammock Trail is an easy 20–30-minute walk through a tropical hardwood hammock (forest). There are interpretive signs along the way that provide information about native fauna – try spotting one of the park’s rare gopher tortoises or gray foxes.

  Another fun thing to do is to rent bikes and cycle through the park on the 2-mile (3-km) park road.

  >>Practical Information

  >>Letting Off Steam

  >>Eat and Drink

  < The Gold and Treasure Coasts

  3. John U. Lloyd Beach State Park

  A day at the beach

  Sunbathing at the beach in John U. Lloyd Beach State Park

  The main attraction at this park is the beach – a wonderful 2-mile (4-km) stretch of unspoiled sand that is evocative of old Florida and perfect for swimming. Just inland is the 45-minute Barrier Island Nature Trail through hammock forest, where squirrels and raccoons sometimes scamper into the brush. Whiskey Creek, which divides the park along its length, has lots of manatees, especially in winter, and there is plenty of bird life to see in the mangroves. The whole family will enjoy watching Port Everglades cruise ships coming and going at the northern end of the park.

  >>Practical Information

  >>Take Cover

  >>Eat and Drink

  >>Kids' Corner

  Kids’ Corner

  You’ve Got Mail!

  Back in the 1800s, mail was delivered by carriers who traveled all the way from West Palm Beach to Miami on foot! The beach at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park was part of their 68-mile (109-km) route. They came to be known as ‘barefoot mailmen’ because they used to walk barefoot on the hard sand along the beach, as the salt water would spoil their shoes.

  Protect the turtles!

  In summer, southern Florida’s beaches become one of the largest loggerhead sea turtle nesting grounds in the world. Nests full of turtle eggs are hidden under the sand, so their location is marked with yellow tape to warn people to stay away from them. Park guides at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park lead walks to view nesting loggerhead turtles on Wednesdays and Fridays in June and July.

  How many nests can you spot on the park’s beach? Remember to keep your distance and never step on them!

  * * *

  < The Gold and Treasure Coasts

  4. Seminole Indian Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

  Florida’s Native Americans and a Hard Rock Cafe

  The tropical pool area in the Seminole Indian Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

  For a different perspective on Florida’s history and culture, visit the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino near Hollywood. In 1979, the Seminole became the first Native American tribe to develop gaming as a f
orm of income and in 2004 the tribe purchased the Hard Rock Cafe franchise. Today, the millions earned as revenue from the complex finance health care, education, full senior care, and modern community centers.