Golf

You can't go far in Palm Beach County without finding a golf course.  Many communities are completely built around the golfing lifestyle. The options range from par 3, to exclusive private, and even championship courses that host PGA events.  There is a place to play for every skill level and price range.  The dry season that runs from November to April creates ideal weather conditions to tee it up.  With neighbors like Nicklaus, Woods, Els, McIlroy, and Norman its hard to argue that there is a better place for golf.

Surfing

No, it's not Hawaii, but Palm Beach County does get rideable waves for surfing. With the Bahamas only 60 miles offshore, most of the large ocean swells from the east do get blocked.  However, there is a swell window from the north that pushes down from storms and fronts out in the Atlantic.  Most of the waves occur from September to May and fall into the 2-6 foot range.  The good news is you can usually find waves you like within an hours drive.  One part of the county could be solid 4-6 foot and in short drive it could be 1-3 or even flat. Usually the farther north you drive the bigger it gets. Reef Road, on Palm Beach is capable of holding some of the largest waves on the east coast and has rare days of 10-15+ foot from super storms and hurricanes.

Polo

Wellington, located in central Palm Beach County is a world renowned horse community.  From the Winter Equestrian Festival at the Palm Beach International Equestrian center to the 57 miles of riding trails within the village, this is the place to be for horse lovers.  As a youth, I enjoyed going to polo games with my friends dad.  He worked the scoreboard on the gorgeous Sunday afternoons so we got hang out right behind the goal.  We got close to the action and could feel the thundering horses as they came our way. As the goals were scored we would chase down balls and then sell them after the game, what a blast!  

Offshore Fishing

Warm, clear Gulf Stream water combined with a quick drop of the continental shelf create a place where you can go fishing offshore and catch an amazing variety of species .  Some of the common favorites are sailfish, mahi, wahoo, snapper, grouper, kingfish, cobia, tuna, and swordfish.  The abundance of marine life is evident every time you go.  It is not uncommon to see flying fish, turtles, dolphin, manatees, or sharks.  If you don't have a boat or friend with a boat there are many local guides who can get you out on the water and have you reeling up fish in no time.  Our favorite boat is the Blackdog out of Jupiter. They always seem to get the pole bending and provide excellent service. There's nothing like spending a day on the water and coming home to cook up a fresh catch with friends and family!

Beaches

What would a blog about Palm Beach County, Florida be without a post on beaches?  The only problem is that there are too many great beaches along our coast to tell about all of them!  But here are a just a few for now:

Jupiter Beach aka Dog Beach - currently the only beach in Palm Beach County where dogs are allowed (even off leash AS LONG AS THEY ARE UNDER YOUR DIRECT CONTROL).  This is a fun place to take Fido for swimming, running, and playing with other dogs.  Please respect others on the beach (if your dog isn't under your control he needs to be on a leash) and pick up after your pet (baggies are even provided at the top of the walkways).  This beach allows dogs for a 2.5 mile stretch in Jupiter along A1A from #25 to #59 (just south of Marcinski Road to Jupiter Beach Resort)

Ocean Reef Park (3860 North Ocean Drive, Riviera Beach, Florida - we love this guarded beach. They have a cool little rock ledge right off shore.  During low tide you can often walk on it finding small fish and other creatures.  It is also a good place to snorkel.

DuBois Park - (19075 DuBios Road, Jupiter, Florida) - this park has it all.  It is on the Jupiter Inlet, so you can walk along the inlet and do some fishing, you can go to the beach on the south side of the inlet, or there is a cool little swimming area on the interior of the park.  The water comes in and wraps around to create a protected pool (so usually little to no waves).  There are lifeguards in some of the swimming areas.

Lion Country Safari

Lion Country Safari is a drive through safari and park located in western Palm Beach County in Loxahatchee, Florida.  When you first enter the park you are given a CD and map so you can identify the animals along the drive through safari.  Our favorites are the ostriches (which have been known to peck at our car) and the lions (they are usually sleeping, but on a rare occasion you will see them playing together).

After a leisurely drive through the safari, you come to a large lot where you can park and then enter the walk through part of the safari.  Here you can experience many up close and personal animal encounters (try feeding the lory birds or giraffes; both favorites of ours).  You can also take a paddle boat and paddle around the small lake, hop on a pontoon boat for a closer look at the animals around the lake, play mini golf, and ride an assortment of small rides (ferris wheel, flying elephants, train ride, and more).  And of course on those hot Florida days it is always nice to cool down on one of the 2 water slides or the splash park.  Other than the animal feedings, everything is included in the price of admission (but the animal feedings are well worth the extra money so be sure to have some on hand)!

Peanut Island

Peanut Island is one of my favorite spots in Palm Beach county. It is a 79 acre island located at the mouth of Lake Worth Inlet. To get here, you do have to take a short boat ride, but there are plenty of water taxis around if you don't own a boat. This wonderful place has all sorts of things you can do. From relaxing on the beach, to going on a adventurous hike around the island- there is something for your whole family on Peanut Island. It also has a small coral reef where you can snorkel and see all sorts of amazing fish and critters, pavilions and grills to have a nice barbecue, and even a campsite on the island! You will discover more and more places hidden in Peanut Island every time you go! 

Busch Wildlife

Busch Wildlife is a Jupiter gem.  This wildlife sanctuary is home to many of Florida's native animals. Some are there being rehabilitated, while others are permanent residents due to not being able to be released back into the wild for various reasons.  You can get an up close look at Florida panthers, skunks, raccoons, alligators, and even bears!  They have an animal hospital for injured wildlife, so if you "rescue" a hurt animal you can take it into the sanctuary for rehabilitation.  We've dropped off a baby yellow belly slider turtle we found in our pool that had a cracked shell.   And we know of others that have dropped off baby possums and birds they found injured in their yards.  They also have a great Junior Naturalist program that one of our daughters has been involved with for several years.  They learn hands on about the animals, participate in feedings and cleaning out environments, as well as presenting their chosen animal at their wildlife encounter daily programs.  www.buschwildlife.org

Loggerhead Marinelife Center

The Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a great local place to visit to view turtles and sea life up close.  We've been going here since our girls were little.  They still love to check in on the turtles!   There are a lot of programs offered there (including fish feedings, story time, guided tours and hikes, and of course viewing turtles and hatchlings). You can follow them on facebook as well to get updates as to when turtles are being released back in the ocean after being rehabilitated at their facility. https://www.facebook.com/loggerheadmarinelifecenter