Eyewitness Travel Family Guide Florida Read online

  • West Room Part of the 1925 hotel extension, this room originally served as the dining room. Look out for the medieval crests that circle the walls below the ceiling.

  Left The West Room Middle Flagler-Kenan History Room Right Lavish Master Suite

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  Kids’ Corner

  Do you know…

  Visit the Flagler-Kenan History Room and see if you can answer these questions: When was Henry Flagler born?

  Which company made the original gold telegram? (Hint: it’s a girl’s name.)

  Which town in Florida did Flagler’s railway reach in 1912?

  >> Answers

  Flagler’s long-lost rail car

  Henry Flagler’s private Railcar No. 91 wasn’t always at the Flagler Museum. In 1935 it was sold to a railway in Georgia; 14 years later it was sold again. By the time it was rediscovered in 1959 it was being used as a dormitory for farm workers in Virginia! It took another nine years to restore it at the museum.

  Color it pretty

  Did you visit the Yellow Roses Room? Flowery wallpaper was popular in the early 1900s. Draw the most colorful wallpaper pattern you can think of – try to use at least three shapes and three colors.

  Dream house

  Flagler’s mansion had 75 rooms, including 22 bathrooms. If you could design a mansion or a palace, how many rooms would you have? What kind of rooms would you include? Draw a floor plan of your dream house. Be sure to mark the front door on the plan.

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  13. Palm Beach Zoo

  Pyramids, an interactive fountain, and wild things

  A rare Florida panther in Palm Beach Zoo, West Palm Beach

  This wildlife park has an intriguing array of themed areas and plenty of showstopping animal attractions, including eagles, panthers, black bears, otters, tigers, and alligators. Don’t miss the stunning Harriet W. & George D. Cornell Tropics of the Americas exhibit – a re-creation of the Central and South American rain forest, where jaguars and giant anteaters pad around Mayan pyramids. The zoo, with its naturalistic environments and friendly, informative staff, is especially good for families. There are plenty of things to touch and climb onto, and opportunities to feed pelicans. The daily Wild Things Show features a rainbow boa, singing dogs, and a pygmy hedgehog named Xena. Be sure to bring the kids’ bathing suits – they get to cool off in the water jets at the Interactive Play Fountain. Kids also love taking rides on the Wildlife Carousel and browsing the outdoor gift shop.

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  Kids’ Corner

  Zoo tycoon

  Plan your own zoo or safari park – draw a map dividing all the animals into different areas, but make sure to add in paths and walkways for the visitors!

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  < The Gold and Treasure Coasts

  14. Lion Country Safari

  Journey to the African savanna

  Antelopes resting in shade at Lion Country Safari, Loxahatchee

  A wildlife preserve, Lion Country Safari does a fine job of re-creating the African plains, with elephants, giraffes, chimpanzees, zebras, ostriches, and lions roaming free. This is a drive-through safari park, with a 4-mile (6-km) road and 900 wild animals, which means visitors are confined to their cars. In addition to the African areas, there are sections dedicated to the South American pampas and the Gir Forest in India.

  The chimpanzees live on a five-island system: try to spot Little Mama, who was born in Africa around 1938 and is the oldest chimpanzee in captivity. She is thought to have been a performer in the traveling entertainment show Ice Capades when she was young, and she still likes to wear a shawl!

  After the safari, families can stretch their legs at Safari World. This is a theme park with interactive fountains, a Ferris wheel, and a petting zoo, as well as camel rides and a giraffe-feeding exhibit.

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  Kids’ Corner

  What’s in a name?

  A group of lions is called a pride, and each pride can include up to 40 lions. There are a lot of funny names for such groups – a romp of otters, an ambush of tigers, a gaggle of geese, a mischief of mice, a school of whales, a convocation of eagles, and even a murder of crows!

  On safari

  At the Lion Country Safari or Palm Beach Zoo How many animals did you see starting with the letter “A”?

  How many animals did you see with two legs?

  How many animals did you see starting with the letter “L”?

  How many reptiles did you see?

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  15. Juno Beach: Loggerhead Marinelife Center

  Saving turtles and feeding fish

  The sands of Juno Beach, 13 miles (21 km) north of West Palm Beach, make for a pleasant visit any time, but this small seaside town is enhanced by the family-friendly Loggerhead Marinelife Center. The focus here is the Sea Turtle Hospital, where sick and injured turtles are cared for. See feeding, medication being given, and even physical therapy sessions, depending on the time of day.

  The center’s exhibit hall chronicles turtle life cycles and Florida’s coastal ecosystems. There are also five small aquariums with fish, corals, and anemones. Catch the 30-minute Dr. Logger show, which reveals the life of a sea turtle, highlighting not just its diet and habits, but the threats it faces in an interactive way that engages kids of all ages. At Hatchling Tales, younger kids are entertained with ocean-inspired stories and crafts, and there is also a weekly marine-related Kids’ Story Time. In June and July, there are turtle walks in the evening – expeditions to watch the turtles as they crawl ashore to lay eggs under cover of darkness. Reservations for this are essential, and accepted from May onward.

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  Kids’ Corner

  Magic turtles

  How many turtles have you seen so far in Florida? Write a short story about a magic sea turtle. What magical powers does it have? Can it change color, fly, talk, travel in time, make spells, or become invisible?

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  16. Vero Beach

  Let’s hunt for treasure!

  Trial Scene by Tom Otterness, Vero Beach Museum of Art

  North of Palm Beach, the cities, resorts, and grand mansions give way to the less developed Treasure Coast, which boasts waters where manatees can be spotted, great sweeps of sandy beaches, and seaside towns such as Vero Beach. Much of the area’s appeal lies in its state parks and sandy barrier islands, but there are plenty of museums and wildlife-related activities to keep families busy.

  Key Sights

  1. Sebastian Inlet State Park The wild and enchanting beaches here lure plenty of surfers and swimmers, and the McLarty Treasure Museum provides a cultural diversion.

  2. Mel Fisher’s Treasure Museum Dedicated to Mel Fisher, a modern treasure hunter, this museum displays Spanish booty dredged up from the 1715 fleet wrecked just offshore.

  3. Environmental Learning Center Learn about the mangroves and wetlands of the Indian River Lagoon here, with hands-on exhibits, boat tours, and touch tanks full of local sea life.

  4. Riverside Children’s Theatre Watch plays and musicals performed by kids for kids here – from Roald Dahl’s The Twits, to The Wiz, and a jazz version of The Nutcracker.

  5. Driftwood Resort This bizarre-looking hotel – a giant beach shack right on the water – is worth a visit even for non-guests. The entire edifice was built in 1935 from ocean-washed timbers and planks.

  6. Vero Beach Museum of Art See modern art in a variety
of media, from the stunning glasswork of Dale Chihuly to the horse sculptures of Deborah Butterfield.

  7. Indian River Citrus Museum Citrus farming has been an important part of life in Florida since the 1860s, and this museum chronicles the struggles and successes of the early pioneers.

  8. McKee Botanical Garden This lush, blossom-smothered garden features an extensive subtropical jungle laced with streams, ponds, and trails dating back to the 1920s.

  Left Indian River Citrus Museum Middle Manatee sculpture at the Environmental Learning Center Right The blossom-smothered McKee Botanical Garden

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  Kids’ Corner

  Tables, trees, and Tikis

  You might think that the McKee Botanical Garden is just full of plants and trees, but if you look hard enough you might find some special things: Somewhere in the garden is a wooden table – not just any table, but the biggest mahogany table in the world!

  A Tiki is a large Polynesian carving of a scary face usually made on Pacific islands. But there is one here guarding a secret seating area: can you find it?

  There is a strange-looking tree called “the dragon tree.” Can you see why it is called that?

  The pineapples you can eat look green and yellow. You can see tiny pink pineapples in the gardens. Don’t try to pick them!

  Treasure quest

  Take a sketchbook and draw your own treasure island map. Add scary names such as Blood Valley, Skull Cave, and Terror River. Make sure you mark the treasure with a special symbol, and draw arrows to show how to find it.

  What lies beneath

  The Spanish treasure fleet of 1715, sailing from Cuba to Spain, was made up of 12 galleons loaded with silverware, and lots of gold. As the fleet sailed past Florida, it was hit by a fierce hurricane that wrecked 11 of the ships. Over 1,000 sailors were drowned, and many more died of starvation. Much of the treasure was never recovered – experts think that treasure worth $550 million remains hidden on the seabed.

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  17. Fort Pierce

  On top of the lagoon, and deep beneath the sea

  Much of Fort Pierce is industrial, but there are a few attractions on the outskirts. The Manatee Observation & Education Center, overlooking the Indian River Lagoon, is the favored grazing spot of the local manatee population. The best time to see them is from mid-November to early April. Dolphins and pelicans are also regular visitors. The center houses a butterfly garden and hands-on exhibits that provide information about manatees, butterflies, their habitats, and more.

  Just 5 miles (8 km) north of Fort Pierce, the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute is a well-equipped deep-sea research center belonging to Florida Atlantic University. Visit the Ocean Discovery Center to learn about the incredible work done in the underwater labs–developing food aquaculture and deep-ocean exploration. The interactive exhibits are educational, but still fun for kids 7 plus. There is also a small aquarium for little ones.

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  Kids’ Corner

  Snacks from the sea

  Which one of these sea creatures is not eaten by humans?

  (a) Clams

  (b) Seaweed

  (c) Coral

  (d) Crab

  (e) Shrimp

  >> Answer

  Manatee or mermaid?

  Did you see any manatees at the Manatee Observation Center? Hundreds of years ago sailors believed that manatees were actually mermaids – half woman, half fish!

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  18. Hutchinson Island

  Bathtubs on the beach

  Fishing along the shore of Hutchinson Island

  This island is a slim, 20-mile (32-km) stretch of mangroves, scrub, and idyllic sandy beaches. It has only one road, Highway-A1A, which runs from north to south. The best attractions lie at the southern end of the island, across from the town of Stuart. Bathtub Reef Park is a popular destination for families. At low tide, a series of exposed reefs just offshore create a protected, bathtub-like swimming area ideal for kids. A short drive north, the Elliott Museum, in eco-friendly premises, charts the history of the area with interactive exhibits and hands-on learning experiences. The museum also has a collection of over 50 vintage cars.

  The Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center across the street from the museum, takes a practical approach to learning about Florida’s marine life, offering a stingray touch tank, a huge game-fish lagoon, and a looping nature trail to the Indian River Lagoon.

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  Kids’ Corner

  Sketch a stingray

  At the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center you can actually feed three types of stingray: Atlantic, Cownose, and Southern. They all look a bit different – try to sketch all three kinds of stingray.

  Find a fish

  How many fish can you see in the fish tank of Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center? See if you can spot these sea creatures: Upside-down jellyfish

  Queen angelfish

  Porkfish

  Cocoa damselfish

  Octopus

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  19. Jupiter Island

  Turtle walks and blowing rocks

  A long, thin strip of pine, sand, and scrub, Jupiter Island is 17 miles (27 km) of affluent homes and wonderfully pristine beaches. The only north–south thoroughfare on the island is Beach Road, but with the sea blocked from view most of the way, it is not especially scenic, so plan to make several stops.

  The northern end of the island is protected within Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, a major nesting site for sea turtles and best experienced on an organized turtle walk. At other times, stroll up the 2-mile (4-km) beach trail to Peck Lake, looking out for scrub jays, gopher tortoises, and tiny snakes. The refuge’s small nature center, on US-1, has a few exhibits, including tanks with baby alligators, and there is a short nature trail that leads down to the shores of the Indian River Lagoon.

  Toward the southern end of the island, Blowing Rocks Preserve contains a rare limestone outcrop that covers much of the beach – it is fun to watch the waves driving under the rocks and spraying out at the top. The Hawley Education Center across the road has displays on Jupiter Island habitats and more trails into the thick mangroves on the lagoon.

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  >>Letting Off Steam

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  Where to Stay on The Gold and Treasure Coasts

  This region offers plenty of choice in family-friendly lodging, from budget motels to luxury resorts on the beach. Finding campgrounds close to the beach is tough, but state parks often have good camping options. There is a wide range of self-catering apartments and cottage rentals to choose from, too.

  Price Guide

  The following price ranges are based on one night’s accommodation in high season for a family of four, inclusive of service charges and additional taxes.

  $: Under $150; $$: $150–300; $$$: over $300

  Agencies

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