How to Enjoy Palm Beach With the Kids

If your kids hate roughing it but still like to have fun, Palm Beach might be the perfect vacation destination. There are lots of things to do here, plus several big-city cultural opportunities and some very upscale shopping.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sunglasses
• Swimming Trunks
• Swimsuits
• Insect Repellents
• Sunscreen
• Camcorders
• Camera Bags
• Cameras
• Film
• Bicycle Helmets
• Children's Bicycle Helmets
• Golf Clubs
• Tennis Racquets
• Cameras
• Swimsuits

1. See "Enjoy Palm Beach," under Related eHows, for general information on the area and a summary of activities that would be appropriate for both adults and children.

2. Ask at your hotel about activities for children. Many resorts offer programs for kids or can suggest local activities appropriate for children.

3. Visit some museums. The Palm Beach area has a number of excellent kid-friendly museums, most notably the South Florida Science Museum, which also contains the Aldren Planetarium. This is a must-see attraction and provides wonderful educational exhibits.

4. Rent bikes or in-line skates. You can get some exercise while enjoying the beautiful view by biking or skating along the Lake Trail.

5. Think animals. Visit the Palm Beach Zoo in Dreher Park, which is the most-visited attraction in Palm Beach County. See animals from around the world, including endangered Komodo dragons, Bengal tigers and Florida panthers. There is a special area for small children.

6. Take children to Playmobil FunPark in Palm Beach Gardens. Your kids will lose themselves in the theme areas and have fun exercising their imagination and then constructing really cool stuff. There are only a few Playmobil FunParks in the world, so don't miss this one!

7. Provide relief from the heat at Rapids Water Park in West Palm Beach. There are more than a dozen water slides in the park, and kids can tube down the quarter-mile river. There are special areas appropriate for smaller children.

8. Take sports fans to the Sports Immortals Museum, where you'll find rare memorabilia from every sport, from auto racing to football. Learn about the history of sports and see fabulous collectibles from sports heroes of old.

9. Check the calendar for a list of current happenings in the area. Special events and festivals are richly scheduled throughout the year and can be real kid pleasers.

Tips & Warnings

• In addition to educational exhibits, the South Florida Science Museum offers laser light concert shows, planetarium shows and a variety of organized activities for children. Expect to pay about $25 for admission to the museum and planetarium for a family of four.
• Rapids Water Park is open seven days a week, mid-March to Labor Day only, and weekends from mid-September to October 1.

[macbaloni]

on 12/9/2008 If you want to take the kids on a real adventure and be able to keep your eye on them without getting lost in a crowd take them on a private tour at McCarthys Wildlife Sanctuary. You will be able to get within inches of tigers lions and other big cats they'll see monkeys and lemurs learn about eagles and owls and be able to handle a big 15 foot albino python and other cool critters for fantastic photo ops. They will love it and so will you.

[macbaloni]

on 12/9/2008 a