Any Florida experts? - DPChallenge Forums

02/22/2010 10:31:39 AM · #1

We are taking the family to West Palm Beach / Stuart for a few days. I plan on visiting family and have some ideas of what to do.

But some of it has a "been there, done that" feeling â�¦
We probably have a day or two where I'd like to plan a family outing that isn't Disney.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

FourPointX

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

02/22/2010 10:36:54 AM · #2

the kennedy space center is about 1.5 hours north of there.

ft. lauderdale/miami beaches are 1-2 hours south.

1.5 hours south is the miami metrozoo, worth the drive imho.

in west palm there is a small drive through safari and petting zoo.

depending on the kids' ages, universal is a much better bet pricewise and "thrill-ride" wise. but that may be lumped into your "no disney" thoughts, it is an amusement park.

spring training is in bloom now nothing like the intimacy of a spring training game there are maybe 4-5 teams within an hour's drive of WPB.

ETA: Lion Country Safari is the drive through safari in WPB

Message edited by author 2010-02-22 10:38:20.

02/22/2010 10:40:59 AM · #3

Thank you! =)
Funny - my mom will be joining us in WPB and she was showing me photos of from about 30 years ago of me holding a toddler? lion at Lion Country Safari â�¦Â so we'll definitely be refliving that.

Originally posted by jmulvihill:

ETA: Lion Country Safari is the drive through safari in WPB

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

02/22/2010 10:42:07 AM · #4

Since this is a photo web-site, I'll definitely try to post some juxtaposition of the old vs new / generational photo thing from Lion country safari soon after!

Ja-9

Nikon D750

02/22/2010 11:02:07 AM · #5

Tammster and

JuliBoc live in West Palm Beach area and they know of a boat load of places to go..I joined Tammy and Julianne on a trip to the Orchid Society (well worth the visit)...I love going to the Flagler Museum right in West Palm Beach and just walking around with tripod and camera on Worth Ave is really, really cool...lots of back allies/courtyard that you can walk around and shoot away and great people to talk to...

and another place to consider if the Bok Towers in Lake Wales (about 1.5 hours away)...beautiful gardens and neat place to visit...they have a little cafe that is wonderful....lots of choices for lunch or a snack. And a really nice garden/gift shop. This is a recent discovery for me. Take time to tour the home...I still haven't but it's looks to really be worth it...it was so busy last time we opted out for a later date...

when are you coming???

Tammster

Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

02/22/2010 12:27:11 PM · #6

I can give you LOTS of ideas! Check out my blog which is basically my documentation of the photo-a-week side challenge; my theme being "Palm Beach County".

I agree about Lion Country Safari but it depends on the group & what you enjoy doing. Please feel free to email or PM me with any specific questions.

alanfreed

Nikon Z9

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

02/22/2010 01:27:53 PM · #7

Can't go wrong with a breakfast at John G's :)

Olyuzi

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH

02/22/2010 02:22:56 PM · #8

A few ideas:
The Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens in WPB
Everglades Airboat tours. There are many of them so just google.
Butterfly World in Ft Lauderdale. (many species of exotic butterflies plus Macaws and hummingbirds.)

FourPointX

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

02/22/2010 02:27:03 PM · #9

Originally posted by Olyuzi:

Butterfly World in Ft Lauderdale. (many species of exotic butterflies plus Macaws and hummingbirds.)

I live ten minutes away and have never been. Worth the trip I guess?

Nikon D800

02/22/2010 02:51:32 PM · #10

No offense to the other suggestions here, but for some excitement, hit up the Everglades Nat'l Park!

It might be a hike (2hrs?), but if you wake up early you can definitely make a day trip out of it. There are tours, trails, museums, and wildlife galore... I think it would be more memorable for the family to see the gators and the diversity that the park offers...

Wilderness > Zoo

Good luck!

Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH

02/22/2010 03:08:24 PM · #11

Originally posted by AP:

Olyuzi

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

02/22/2010 03:27:27 PM · #12

Here's something really cool to do. Are you familiar with Clyde Butcher's Big Swamp photography? He gives Everglades swamp tours every Saturday.
Clyde Butcher dot com
Better bring lots of bug repellent and anti-snake-venom kit :)

Originally posted by tate:

Hmmm â�¦ sounds interesting.
someone did mention an Everglades airboat tour â�¦ so I was lookign into that.
Any suggestions on specifics in the everglades? It looks like the everglades is a pretty vast area. Travelling with little kids everything is slower so it's harder to fit too much in â�¦

Originally posted by AP:
No offense to the other suggestions here, but for some excitement, hit up the Everglades Nat'l Park!

It might be a hike (2hrs?), but if you wake up early you can definitely make a day trip out of it. There are tours, trails, museums, and wildlife galore... I think it would be more memorable for the family to see the gators and the diversity that the park offers...

Wilderness > Zoo

Good luck!

Olyuzi

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH

02/22/2010 03:33:37 PM · #13

Yep, it's a very cool place to go with lots to see. If you're going with the aim of photography bear in mind no tripods or monopods are allowed. Plus, the weekends can be very busy. I prefer middle of the week visits for peace and quiet and to be able to concentrate more on photography. Admission is a about $18. Btw, Tradewinds park is just across the street (uh, highway, that is) and has some very good photo ops too. Lots of farm animals and some nice scenery.

Another good visit for similar would be Flamingo Gardens a bit more south in Ft Lauderdale. Tripods/monopods are allowed.

Originally posted by jmulvihill:

Originally posted by Olyuzi:

Butterfly World in Ft Lauderdale. (many species of exotic butterflies plus Macaws and hummingbirds.)

I live ten minutes away and have never been. Worth the trip I guess?

Nikon D800

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G

02/22/2010 03:35:15 PM · #14

Originally posted by tate:

Any suggestions on specifics in the everglades?

Last time I went, we did a back-country canoe trip into the keys on the western portion of the park... but the time before that, I believe we took the road to the Flamingo visitor center... I think we walked the Anhinga trail (which is a boardwalk into the swamps), but aside from that, I don't really recall specifics- we just drove around and stopped wherever looked cool (which is a lot). I did not make it to any of the 'education centers' or anything, but the National Park Service maintains a high standard of quality, so I'm sure they'd be good for the family.

Sorry that's all I got!

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

02/22/2010 03:38:42 PM · #15

WOW! that looks really cool and I definitely need to meet this guy!
but I can definitely imagine my 4-year old ruining this for us but chickening out.

Originally posted by Olyuzi:

Ja-9

Nikon D750

02/22/2010 03:48:57 PM · #16

Ahhhhh

tate if you go to one of your local botanical gardens in Ohio before you come down. See the list below and get a membership you can enter most of the botanical gardens in Florida for free (not all of them, ck your listings). My membership has already paid for itself...

Ohio Gardens and Florida's Gardens

Several of the places already mentioned are reciprocal's and you can get into them for free...it has been a great investment for us...

The Orchid Socity, Bonnet House Gardens, Flamingo Gardens there are others on the list...they are worth cking out at least.

One other thing you might want to do is to talk to

MelonMusketeer he lives north of the everglades...and he is a wonderful guide...I know...he took us to a really cool place near Fort Myers, FL...he knows the area very well and all the critters in the woods...you'd have a blast...talk to him about swamp buggies/air boats...he would know "who" would be best to take you out....(and THEY carry the anti-venom kits)

_eug

Nikon D50

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

02/22/2010 04:04:42 PM · #17

Other's of note in South Florida:

Manic,

Chiqui,

Yakatme

Manic

DJI Mini 3 Pro

Kamlan 28mm F1.4 MF for APS-C

02/22/2010 04:21:10 PM · #18

The everglades are a loooong way south of WPB/Stuart, you're looking at at least 2-3 hours each way, with lots of Turnpike tolls too. A better bet would be to look into things in/near Lake Okeechobee, as I'm pretty sure they do airboat stuff there too, along with gator farms, etc.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35 f/4 ED VR

02/22/2010 04:48:49 PM · #19

Yeah, I was thinking that so I'm glad you mentioned it. With little rug-rats, a long trip is not preferred. And really, How could we go wrong with a place called Okeechobee?! =)

Originally posted by Manic:

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

03/13/2010 01:01:14 AM · #20

I live about 100 miles SW of Stuart, and 90 miles W of WPB. Okechobee used to be very laid back, but is mostly campgrounds and strip malls now. Along the edge of the lake there are still some pretty cool things to do. There should be airboating, canoeing, boat rentals ect. The 4 yr old may enjoy a bass or brim fishing trip.
Clyde Butcher has this month off, so I am not sure what he is up to. We are supposed to go into the western glades out here for a weekend in a couple of weeks with my buddy Rocky and my nephew Doug.
I passed through Okechobee a couple of weeks ago, on the way to a family wedding at Port St Lucie. The highway out that way still is pretty rural, and the drive around the lake is not bad if you stay on the backroad closest to the lake. I was not looking for airboat tour places at the time, but there should be info on the net about it.
The waterway that goes from Stuart to Lake O is pretty much native looking at the Stuart end if you have access to a boat and want to ride up that way.
Blowing Rocks, near Jupiter is pretty cool. It's a place where the ocean swells crash into rocks at the beach. Tammster has some photos in her portfolio.
There are some nice wildlife areas near WPB/Stuart. Loxahachee is the largest one. Loxahachee

Tammster is probably the best DPC'er to contact around the WPB area for tips about locations.

Message edited by author 2010-03-13 01:11:15.

mbrutus2009

Nikon D850

03/13/2010 01:10:46 AM · #21

If you go to Lake Worth STAY AWAY from "B" street. Not a good area to get lost in.Or Tamrind Ave. Both are VERY bad areas. Just to let you know! Other than that have fun and shoot lots of photos! :)

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

03/13/2010 01:14:33 AM · #22

Fun stuff
There is a lot of video on youtube. Look for Okechobee Mudfest. The next party starts Mar 19th.
If you go out there, you may want to leave sort of early. It gets a little like the big New Orleans party around dark.

Message edited by author 2010-03-13 01:29:34.

Tammster

Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

03/13/2010 07:06:30 AM · #23

Originally posted by MelonMusketeer:

Blowing Rocks, near Jupiter is pretty cool. It's a place where the ocean swells crash into rocks at the beach. Tammster has some photos in her portfolio.

Blowing Rocks is a VERY cool place to see, but not the best place to bring little kids to go swimming. My last blog post featured Blowing Rocks so you can check out the pictures.

I think I emailed you about a good beach in Jupiter for kids... Dubois Park.

I was thinking that another good place to bring kids up that way is Busch Wildlife Sanctuary.

Regarding the bad areas of town... all cities have those areas and like most places, they're pretty obvious.

When are you coming?

bohemka

Nikon D700

Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX Aspherical DG HSM for Nikon

03/13/2010 07:28:02 AM · #24

I agree with this completely:

Originally posted by alanfreed:

Can't go wrong with a breakfast at John G's :)

My folks live in Lake Worth and this place is an institution.

Tammster