High quality Florida attractions from Jill Podehl: One winter some years back, officials at Florida Power & Light’s facility just north of West Palm Beach began noticing that manatees were congregating around the facility’s warm-water outflow, and the idea for Manatee Lagoon was born. Today, Manatee Lagoon is one of the best places to visit in Florida to see these gentle 1,500- to 2,000-pound creatures. Manatees love people. If they see you on a dock, they’ll swim right up and have even been known to roll over in the water, so people can pat their bellies. On the endangered list for many years, they’re now making a comeback, and today some 6,000 manatees are known to inhabit the waters around the state, more than almost any other place in the world. As a result, there’s even talk of removing them from the endangered species list. Manatee Lagoon’s Discovery Center features imaginative hands-on exhibits, observation areas, a manatee webcam, and an outdoor deck at which the manatees congregate, especially in winter. The star of the show is Mia, whose travels and interactions with other sea cows you can track. Discover additional details on Jill Podehl West Palm Beach.
It’s almost a crime to visit Miami without a trip to Zoo Miami, especially if you’re traveling with family. The stunning location holds over 500 different animal species over 3,000 individual animals, all housed in natural-style environments that maintain a healthy habitat for them all. Better yet, Zoo Miami does not use cages. The zoo, which opened in 1948, separates animals safely using moats, keeping them apart from animals they don’t mix with and visitors. This makes the animals all the happier, and they’re a wonder to see. Zoo Miami offers a lot of educational programs for people of all ages. Activities include rides, giraffe feedings, water play spots, tram tours and monorails, etc. There are 750 acres of land to explore; after all, this is Florida’s biggest zoo!
Encompassing mangrove forests, salt marshes, a coastal dune island, coastal tropical hardwood rockland hammocks and endangered pine habitats, this 440 acre Deering Estate at Cutler property has it all. Also home to the Richard cottages c1900 which served as a hotel, the Deering Estate hosts other historical buildings of importance dating from 1896 to 1922 and an Indian burial ground circa 1500. Visitors are welcome to stroll through the stunning grounds, explore the houses or simply relax and soak up the surroundings. But to truly enjoy a vacation you also need a nice place to stay.
Do you want to enjoy the blue sky and the warm sun ? Miami is a fabulous location to relax. What can you do in Miami? Little Havana, the Cuban district of Miami, isn’t known for its wealth of tourist attractions but more for its distinctive cultural scene. Restaurants and specialty food shops line the streets, and Latin music drifts through the air. Locals socialize in the open spaces. Murals grace the walls of buildings, showing important Cuban figures and scenes of daily life. Calle Ocho is the main thoroughfare running through the district and home to much of the activity, but Little Havana spreads well beyond, into the surrounding streets and avenues. For people-watching, the area offers a great deal of entertainment. And of course, this is the place to come for Cuban cuisine. The Calle Ocho Festival, held in March, is a celebration of Cuban culture and the largest of its kind in the world. Over the years this street festival has expanded to include more Latin American cultures and is now a great way to experience Latin American music and Caribbean cuisine.
Jill Podehl Florida destinations right now: Coral Gables, one of the nation’s first planned developments, was built almost entirely out of the coral limestone quarried there. The quarry itself was turned into Venetian Pool, an exotic swimming hole with romantic stone bridges and waterfalls. Gracious Spanish colonial-style homes line twisty streets vegetated lushly and sequestered aesthetically from the big-city world.
Zoo Miami is home to more than 500 different animal species, and over 3,000 individual animals of all kinds call this fun Florida spot their home. The zoo is popular for its extremely natural environments that allow the animals to be safely separated from visitors without using things like cages or closed compartments, so the animals are happier and you get to see them in a natural manner. Not far from the downtown area, the zoo hosts plenty of programs and events to keep people of all ages entertained. Certain animals can be ridden and children will tremendously enjoy events like the giraffe feeding. Since it’s such a big zoo, you’ll be able to stay occupied all day long, and that’s why it’s one of the top 10 definite must do things in the city. Discover additional details at Jill Podehl.
The great outdoors offers its own myriad of fun possibilities. Get out on the water to experience Greater Miami from a different perspective aboard an airboat tour in the Everglades or on a Millionaire’s Row cruise through Biscayne Bay aboard the Island Queen. Or, you can simply rent a paddleboard or kayak and experience the unique aquatic ecosystems up close. As such, it’s hard to pick the best places in Miami for guests. There’s simply so much to do and enjoy! It’s a tough list, but we’ve put together a selection of some of the very greatest of the greatest that the city has to offer.
