Southeast Florida attractions

Families can spend the day combing the shore for sunken treasure, marveling at amazing wonders of science and technology or exploring the shadowed corridors of historic red-brick forts—it's all in a day's fun in one of the many Southeast Florida attractions. In addition to the friendly locals, visitors will be met by a number of unusual geological phenomena in the area, including Blowing Rock Preserve on Jupiter Island, the site of Florida's largest outcropping of Anastasia limestone. At high tide, surging waves erupt through the blowholes in the rugged gray stone, sending plumes of water high into the air. Upon hearing the tales of the millions of dollars in gold, silver, gems and artifacts which have been discovered in the shallow waters off Hutchinson Island, children are sure to set off in search of treasure along the barrier island, which runs parallel to Martin County's coast. The many southeast florida beaches are sure to fascinate the whole family.

To the south lies a true gem of Florida's Gold Coast — Palm Beach County. Long heralded as a playground for the rich and famous, Palm Beach County is also surprisingly replete with family-oriented activities. In northern Palm Beach County, Jupiter's historic triangle provides families with a peek into the area's history. The historic complex is comprised of the Florida History Center and Museum, a Florida cracker-style building featuring the "History Shaped by Nature" exhibit; the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, the county's oldest structure; and the DuBois Pioneer Home, the county's oldest home and repository for historical artifacts. At Knollwood Groves in Lake Worth, families can explore native Seminole Indian culture at Hallpatee Seminole Village, or enjoy alligator wrestling shows, airboat rides and guided Everglades tours. Take a wagon tour through 30 acres of orange groves and watch the citrus fruit become Florida's famous "liquid gold" at the grove's on-site juice-processing plant.

With more than 300 miles of navigable inland waterways and 40,000 resident yachts, it's no wonder Greater Fort Lauderdale is known as the "Venice of America." Although once known primarily as a mecca for college students on spring break, Fort Lauderdale has become a dynamic family-oriented vacation destination. Families can enjoy water taxi rides to various entertainment venues or stroll along the meandering Riverwalk to many downtown cultural sites. West of Fort Lauderdale on the Big Cypress Reservation is Billie Swamp Safari.
The Seminole Tribe's official Everglades attraction includes swamp buggy tours, airboat rides, exotic animals, alligator shows and Seminole arts and crafts.

Shopping opportunities range from Sawgrass Mills, the world's largest discount outlet mall, to the 2,000-vendor, 75-acre Swap Shop. Kids will love the Swap Shop's giant carousel, while everyone will enjoy the free daily entertainment, including a real circus complete with elephants and a man on the flying trapeze.

Across the bay, a perpetually revolving shark statue greets visitors at the entrance of Key Biscayne, reminding them to stop by the Miami Seaquarium and meet a host of fascinating sea creatures. Taking center stage during daily shows are Lolita, a 10,000-pound killer whale and the world-famous dolphin, Flipper, with frisky sea lions grabbing the spotlight at every chance. Offering six daily shows, the facility also features tropical aquariums full of manatees, morays, sea turtles and reef fish, as well as what is billed as the "world's largest man-made shark channel."

Some of Miami's most popular nature parks and attractions stretch southward from the suburbs to the far reaches of southern Dade County. The 83-acre Fairchild Tropical Garden is the largest tropical botanical garden in the continental U.S. and features a rare plant house, rain forest and sunken gardens. Nearby, Parrot Jungle is a natural, subtropical garden of exotic trees and plants and home to a delightful flock of trained parrots, macaws and cockatiels that perform daily. Opened more than 50 years ago, the park boasts over 1,100 birds and 1,000 plant species. In a unique twist, visitors to Monkey Jungle observe the antics of more than 500 free-roaming primates representing 50 species from the vantage of caged walkways through the rain forest habitat. The 290-acre, state-of-the-art Metrozoo in western Dade County is home to lions and tigers and bears — and some 900 other wild animals. Special zoo features include a wildlife show and a behind-the-scenes tram tour through the working and breeding areas of the impressive facility.