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John U. Lloyd Beach State Park
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Take Cover
Head 2 miles (3 km) southwest to watch a game of jai-alai at the Dania Jai-Alai Stadium (301 E Dania Beach Blvd, 33004; 954 920 1511; www.betdania.com). Jai-alai is an ancient game from northern Spain – a bit like squash, but much faster.
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Seminole Indian Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
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Letting Off Steam
A short drive south from the complex, the T.Y. Topeekeegee Yugnee Park (3300 N Park Rd, 33021) has picnic areas, basketball courts, playgrounds, and a 2-mile (3-km) loop of paved pathways for walking, jogging, skating, and biking. In summer, visit the Castaway Island Water Park, located within the park.
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Davie
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Letting Off Steam
Zip off to Tree Tops Park (3900 SW 100th Ave, 33328; 954 357 5130; www.broward.org/Parks), which has playgrounds, hiking trails, and guided horse-rides.
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Flamingo Gardens
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Take Cover
If it rains, head for the Old Davie School Historical Museum, located 6 miles (10 km) east of Flamingo Gardens. The museum houses artifacts and photographs that tell the story of the journey of the pioneers into the Everglades.
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Butterfly World
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Letting Off Steam
Kids can run around in Tradewinds Park (www.broward.org/Parks/TradewindsPark), an expanse of green that has playgrounds, picnic areas, and a fishing lake. Pony rides and trips in a model steam train are also available.
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Boca Raton
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Letting Off Steam
There are plenty of public beaches in Boca Raton, but parking tends to be expensive. The Red Reef Park, next to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center on Highway-A1A, is good for swimming, sunbathing, and snorkeling. The nearby Delray Beach is a cheaper alternative. Boomers (3100 Airport Rd, Boca Raton, 33431; 561 347 1888; fourwww.boomersparks.com/site/dania) is an old-fashioned fun park, with high-speed go-karts, mini-golf, laser tag, and a huge video arcade.
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Delray Beach
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Letting Off Steam
The Catherine Strong Splash Park (1500 SW 6th Ave, 33444; 561 243 7194) is good for a cool-down, and there’s a playground as well. For something calmer, opt for picking strawberries and explore the hydro- ponic garden at The Girls Strawberry U-Pick (14466 S Military Trail, 33484; www.thegirlsstrawberryupick.com).
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Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
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Letting Off Steam
The museum and gardens form part of the greater Morikami Park, a public space containing Lake Biwa and Saki Pavilion. Visitors can picnic here, and there is also a playground and a nature trail.
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Palm Beach
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Letting Off Steam
Spend time on the wide, clean public beach off Ocean Boulevard. Further afield, little ones will enjoy Playmobil toys at the Playmobil FunPark (8031 N Military Trail, 33410; 561 691 9880; www.playmobilusa.com).
Shopping
Teenagers might like to window shop in Worth Avenue (www.worth-avenue.com) in downtown Palm Beach, which is packed with designer stores and art galleries. Try Palm Beach’s high-class thrift stores, such as Church Mouse (378 S County Rd, 33480; 561 659 2154) for more affordable bargains.
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Digital
Check out www.pbpulse.com for information on events, dining, shopping, arts, and culture.
Next Stop…
Polo and swimming
The Palm Beach area is famous for polo. For fun tournaments held on weekends (Jan–Apr), visit the International Polo Club of Palm Beach (3667120th Ave S, Wellington, 33414; 561 204 5687; www.internationalpoloclub.com). Peanut Island (www.pbcgov.com/parks/peanutisland), in the middle of Lake Worth, is a county park good for swimming and snorkeling. It is home to John F. Kennedy’s Cold War bunker. The park also has a campground, and picnic areas with grills.
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Flagler Museum
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Letting Off Steam
The Flagler Museum lies on the route of the Lake Trail, while the beach is a short drive away on South Ocean Boulevard.
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Digital
Read about the house and the life of Henry Flagler on www.flaglermuseum.us, the official website. Find more on Flagler at www.keyshistory.org/flagler.html.
Next Stop…
Glimpses of the Gilded Age
Head up the road to the beautifully landscaped grounds of the Society of the Four Arts, or walk across the street to The Breakers, the extravagant hotel built by Henry Flagler in 1896.
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Palm Beach Zoo
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Take Cover
If it rains, head to the South Florida Science Museum (4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach, 33405; 561 832 1988; www.sfsciencecenter.org), located next door to the zoo. The museum features more than 50 hands-on exhibits, a planetarium, aquariums, and natural history displays.
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Lion Country Safari
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Letting Off Steam
Bring bathing suits to cool off in Safari Splash inside the Lion Country Safari. Kids can play a round of mini-golf, or slide down the bouncy waterslide. Paddleboats are available by the lake in the park.
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Juno Beach: Loggerhead Marinelife Center
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Letting Off Steam
Just south of Juno Beach, John D. MacArthur Beach State Park (10900 Jack Nicklaus Dr, North Palm Beach, 33408; 561 624 6952; www.macarthurbeach.org) offers plenty of outdoor activities, with a nature walk, a pretty beach with dunes, and kayak rental.
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Vero Beach
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Letting Off Steam
About 10 miles (16 km) north of Vero Beach lies Treasure Shores Beach Park (11300 Hwy-A1A, 32963) which also has a playground for little ones. Humiston Park (3000 Ocean Dr, 32963, 772 231 5790), closer to downtown, also has a playground, but the beach here is smaller and hemmed in by development. Lifeguards are on duty 9am–5pm in summer and 10am–3pm in winter.
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Digital
Visit www.kidsrecyclingzone.com and www.naturerocks.org, which are fun sites with an environmental theme. Older kids might want to check out 1715treasurefleet.com for more on the Spanish treasure fleet.
Next Stop…
Fort pierce Head 15 miles (24 km) south to Fort Pierce for a day to learn about Florida’s marine life at the Manatee Observation & Education Center and Harbor Branch Ocean Discovery Center.
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Fort Pierce
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Letting Off Steam
Head to Fort Pierce Inlet State Park (905 Shorewinds Dr, 34949; 772 468 3985; www.floridastateparks.org), on the other side of the North Causeway (Hwy-A1A). It has a small unspoiled beach.
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Hutchinson Island
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Letting Off Steam
Just across Ocean Boulevard from the Elliott Museum, Stuart Beach is a tranquil stretch of sand with lifeguards, boardwalk acc
ess points, parking, a snack bar, and restrooms.
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Jupiter Island
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Letting Off Steam
Visit Jonathan Dickinson State Park (16450 SE Federal Hwy, Hobe Sound, 33455; 772 546 2771; www.floridastateparks.org), located south of Stuart. It has a swath of pine scrub, mangroves, and river swamps just across the water from Jupiter Island.
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Walt Disney World® Resort
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Shopping
Find everything from toys and kids’ apparel to housewares, and jewelry in the park’s shops. Kids will love the Captain Jack-themed gifts near the Pirates of the Caribbean® ride in Magic Kingdom®, and carved animal toys in Animal Kingdom®.
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Digital
Visit www.wdwmagic.com/walt-disney-world-history.htm to learn about the history of Walt Disney World® Resort. The website has a timeline that highlights events in the park’s story. Younger kids will like www.disney.co.uk/disney-junior.
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Blizzard Beach
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Take Cover
If inclement weather threatens, head to the Coronado Springs Resort (disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/coronado-springs-resort). It has many dining options, including Pepper Market, which offers buffet-style breakfast and lunch, and the quick-service restaurant Café Rix, which serves delicious salads, paninis, and freshly baked goods.
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Typhoon Lagoon
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Take Cover
Getting wet is the whole point of a water park, but an escape can be found at Disney Springs®. It has shops, restaurants, an extensive LEGO® Imagination Center, an indoor theme park, and a massive movie theater.
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Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
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Letting Off Steam
Kids will have fun climbing and sliding at Creekside Meadow and at the Bay Lake in the beach area.
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Downtown Disney®
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Letting Off Steam
Take a quick trip on the Disney bus system to the Typhoon Lagoon.
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Universal Studios Florida®
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Letting Off Steam
Enjoy a round of sci-fi and horror film-themed golf at CityWalk’s® Hollywood Drive-in Golf™ course.
Shopping
Everything movie- and cartoon- related can be found at Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone®, in stores such as The Barney® Store, E.T.’s Toy Closet & Photo Spot®, and Universal’s Cartoon Store, while stores such as the Simpsons’™ Kwik-E-Mart have customized goodies. There are also acres of shopping in CityWalk®.
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Universal’s Islands of Adventure®
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Take Cover
Blue Man Group, the colorful show at Universal CityWalk®, offers guests a remarkable evening of outrageous humor, dance, and theater.
Shopping
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ has fun stuff, from Chocolate Frogs™ at Honeydukes™ to screaming yo-yos at Zonko’s™ Joke Shop. Kids will also enjoy the shops at Toon Lagoon®, Marvel Super Hero Island®, Seuss Landing™, and Jurassic Park®.
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Digital
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SeaWorld®, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove®
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Letting Off Steam
Shamu’s Happy Harbor® is a great place for kids to burn off energy, with plenty of shady spots for parents.
Shopping
Across the parks, visit Emporium for hats, Coconut Bay Traders for souvenirs, and Fins for plush toys.
Find Out More
Digital
Watch Shamu and the SeaWorld® penguins on webcams at www.tinyurl.com/7t2umlf.
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The Orlando Eye
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Letting Off Steam
For gravity-defying rides, Starflyer mega-swings, and go-karts, visit Magical Midway (7001 International Dr, 32819; 407 370 5353, www.magicalmidway.com), located less than two miles (3 km) from The Orlando Eye. There are arcade games and low-key rides as well, such as merry-go-rounds and bumper boats, which the kids will love.
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Crayola Experience
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Letting Off Steam
There are two children’s play areas in the Florida Mall – one near Macy’s, and the other next to American Girl. You can also find several stores that sell children's games and toys, such as Build-A-Bear Workshop (407 438 8882; www.buildabear.com).
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International Drive
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Letting Off Steam
Head to Fun Spot Action Park (5700 Fun Spot Way, 32819; 407 363 3867; www.funspot.tutengraphics.com) for go-karts, bumper cars, Ferris wheels, and tilt-a-whirls. Or try the 14-slide water park at the Coco Key Resort (7400 International Dr, 32819; 407 351 2626; www.cocokeyorlando.com).
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Gatorland
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Letting Off Steam
Get wet under oddly shaped animal jets, a bucket tree for younger kids, and shooting bird-shaped fountains in Gator Gully Splash Park (on site).
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Orlando Science Center
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Letting Off Steam
Kids can tire themselves out harvesting plastic oranges and loading crates by hand in the juice factory in KidsTown. Lake Eola Park, 3 miles (5 km) south, offers lots of running space, a jogging lane around the lake, and boating.
Next Stop…
Head for the Orlando Museum of Art in Loch Haven Park, close to the Orlando Science Center, to see ancient Aztec pottery share space with contemporary American art, along with African handicrafts and fascinating touring exhibitions.
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Loch Haven Park
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Letting Off Steam
Cool off at the College Park Pool (2411 Elizabeth Ave, 32804; 407 246 2764), located just a few minutes away from Loch Haven Park.
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Downtown Orlando
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Letting Off Steam
Dubsdread (www.historicaldubsdread.com) welcomes kids aged 17 and under to play golf.