6 Things to Know Before You Visit Palm Beach, Florida

Palm Beach, Florida, is one of the world’s best travel destinations. The island of Palm Beach is known as being a glitzy paradise for the rich and famous. Palm Beach has historical landmarks, stunning mansions, and scenic water views. The town is on a barrier island in Palm Beach County, separated from nearby cities like West Palm Beach.

There are dozens of billionaires that are residents of Palm Beach, and throughout history, it’s been home to U.S. Presidents and politicians, moguls, and celebrities.

If you’re thinking about planning a visit, following are six things to know before you go.

1. Driving in Palm Beach

If you’re flying into the Palm Beach area, you may want to rent a car to get around town. Public transportation is limited. If you are going to drive in Palm Beach, there’s a lot of scenery to take in. Just be mindful of the many other drivers on the roadways. Most are likely to be tourists, so they’re not familiar with the area as well, increasing the risk of accidents occurring.

Palm Beach is only 16 miles long, and to the west, it’s bordered by the Intracoastal waterway. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean.

2. Bike the Lake Trail



One of the popular things to do in Palm Beach is biking the Lake Trail, which is 5.5 miles, running parallel to the Intracoastal Waterway.

There are views of Palm Beach estates to the east and then the skyline of West Palm to the west.

There’s a massive kapok tree along the way and coral towers on both sides of the passage where North Lake Trail comes together with Country Club Road.

3. Shopping Worth Avenue



Worth Avenue is one of the must-sees of Palm Beach.

Worth Avenue is known around the world as a beautiful area for shopping and dining. The Mediterranean architecture is a draw on its own, even if your budget only allows for window shopping.

Worth Avenue was one of the first places on Palm Beach Island that was developed. It was established in 1913, and it was originally a residential street until the 1940s. Along with shopping and dining, you can take a historic walking tour, enjoy the art galleries, or stop in and have a cocktail at the many eateries and lounges.

4. When To Visit

The summer months can be swelteringly hot in Palm Beach, which is why the high season tends to start at the end of fall when the crowds are still small. It goes through the winter, but if you wait until the holiday season to go, there will be crowds, and you’ll pay a premium.

Hurricane season for Florida is in the fall, so this is something to be mindful of as you plan your trip as well.

5. Where to Stay

One of the most well-known and luxurious hotels in Palm Beach is the Breakers. The historic hotel is designed in the Renaissance Revival style. Henry Flagler originally opened the hotel in 1896 as a way to accommodate travelers on the Florida East Coast Railway.

In 1973, the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Breakers is currently an AAA five-diamond rated resort and has been since 1996.

The Colony is another historic hotel that also happens to be incredibly colorful. The Colony Palm Beach has just 89 rooms, and you’re within steps of Worth Avenue and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Chesterfield is a more moderately priced option that’s still elegant. This hotel is also historic, and it’s surrounded by palm-lined streets, near Worth Avenue.

6. Other Things to Do



Some of the many other can’t miss options in Palm Beach include:

a) Have breakfast at Green’s pharmacy. The lunch county is where President John F. Kennedy would have breakfast when he was in town, and the menu and overall atmosphere remain pretty much the same.

b) The polo season runs from January through the end of April, so consider going to the International Polo Club Palm Beach. There’s a champagne brunch every da Sunday during the season.

c) If you want to grab a sandwich to take to the beach, head to the family-owned Amici Market.

d) You can take a boat or water taxi to Peanut Island, where there’s an 80-acre county park. This is where you’ll find the Palm Beach Maritime Museum. It was at one point a Coast Guard station and the presidential bunker for President Kennedy.

Finally, if you love animals, go to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, which is a non-profit that helps rescue endangered sea turtles.

Photo Courtesy: Each photograph in this article has been borrowed from wikipedia.org under the creative commons license. Each photograph has been linked to its host page on wikipedia.org.

Continue Reading...

Top 5 Theme Parks of Orlando

A trip to Florida is not complete without a thorough experience of its vibrant theme parks. After all, they call Orlando, the theme park capital of the world for a reason! Be it adrenaline-fuelled rides, a tempting watery experience, a delicious tryst with speed, an amazing multi dimensional world, animals, tropical experience, education through lots of fun and so much more, I don’t think any place can match the theme park experience of Orlando.

As the summer holidays are here, the theme parks of Orlando make for a fantastic family getaway. If you are planning a trip to Sunny Florida, here are my choice of top 5 theme parks from Orlando. Hopefully, this will help you plan on where you should spend your hard-earned money for a special Orlando holiday.

1) Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure



If you are a Harry Potter lover, this theme park is for you. The Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure is home to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Amazing Adventures of Spider Man, Marvel Super Hero Island and many more such mini worlds where you can interact with your favorite characters. You could wander through the world of Hogwarts, ride past dinosaurs, get wet in Toon Lagoon, fly over your super heroes and experience the epic adventures of the Lost Continent.  The newest rides that are worth indulging in are the Dragon Challenge, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and the Flight of the HippoGriff. Just keep an eye out for deals on Universal Studios resort tickets to make the most out of this amazing theme park.

2) Magic Kingdom Park



One of the earliest of Walt Disney’s theme parks, the Magic Kingdom is the place where you can come in close contact with your favorite characters from Donald to Goofy and from Jack Sparrow to Cinderella. But, that’s not it, this is the place for diversity in joy. From the fantasyland of Cinderella castle to interactive haunted mansion, from the classic Jungle Cruise to the stage shows of Mickey’s Philhar Magic and from the slow ride of Peter Pan’s flight to the thrilling faster rides of the Barnstormer and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Magic Kingdom is bound to delight children of all ages.

3) Aquatica Orlando



Aquatica Orlando is an aquarium, zoo, water park and amusement park all rolled into one. From the incredible Dolphin Plunge to the Omaka Rocka water slide and from the wave pools of Cutback Cove and Big Surf Shores to the wacky Tassie’s Twister rides, the Aquatica Orlando is 84,000 acres of pure fun. Whether you are relaxing on the white sandy beach, enjoying the luxurious cabanas or giving yourself an adrenaline rush through rapids, half-pipes and bullet-fast water chutes, this is a special theme park to experience in Orlando. 

4) Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park



If you want a rich and educational wildlife experience that is so much more than a zoo, then Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the place to go. With more than 2,000 animals across 300 species, Animal Kingdom takes you on an adventure with exotic animals across 6 different themes that include a wild Africa trek, fascinating jungle trails, night time experiences, broadway-style musicals and so much more.

5) Legoland Florida



While most of the theme parks are designed for slightly older kids, LEGOLAND is perfect for those families with kids who fall in the the 2 and 12 year age group. This interactive theme park offers more than 50 rides, shows and attractions that include a Water Park and newly opened toy line based Heartland city. Do make sure that you indulge yourself in some shopping here and carry some LEGO magic back home with you. The largest LEGOLAND park in the world will surely keep the young kids entranced all throughout.

Note: The photographs in this article have been borrowed from wikipedia.org under the Creative Commons license. Each photograph has been linked to its host page on wikipedia.

Continue Reading...

An Orlando Theme Park Experience

Orlando, in sunny Florida is popularly referred to as the theme park capital of the world. These theme parks offer a lot of interesting sights and activities that appeal to all kinds of travelers. Whether you are a family with kids, teenagers, school kids or young couples, these theme parks have enough oomph in them to keep you interested and sometimes make your jaws go wide open.


Walt Disney world, Universal Orlando, Discovery Cove, SeaWorld Orlando, Wet n Wild Orlando, Kennedy Space Center, Gator Land and WonderWorks are some of the top attractions here. A lot of these are water based theme parks to go with Orlando’s warm and sunny weather.


At Walt Disney world, one can indulge in a myriad of joyful experiences at its theme parks and water parks. At Magic Kingdom, one can delight in classical attractions, enchanting fireworks, musical parades and beloved Disney characters across 6 whimsical lands. At Epcot, one can see technological innovations and the culture and cuisine of 11 countries. At Disney’s Hollywood studios, movie magic comes to life, awash in the glitz and glamor of Hollywood’s golden age. And all these include intergalactic adventures, plummeting elevator rides, rollicking roller coasters and more that one can book at new Disney tickets. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park is one of the largest animal theme parks in the world and is home to more than 1,700 animals across 250 species. If water fun is on the agenda, then Disney Typhoon Lagoon Water Park offers the perfect getaway with its exhilarating waterslides, children’s play area, giant wave pool and more. At Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park, one can delight in exciting waterslides, family-style raft rides and a one acre wave pool.


If you are looking at Universal Orlando, then you can be a part of Harry Potter’s wizarding world at Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, experience cutting edge rides, shows and interactive attractions at the Islands of Adventure and great family water rides at Wet n Wild. These water rides include sand castle, soakers, water jets, cannons, waterfalls, hydra capsule, extreme tube ride, bubba tub, vertical slide and much more.

For snorkeling, marine adventure and more water based fun, Discovery Cove, Aquatica and SeaWorld Orlando offer a lot of options that are similar to Universals’ Wet n Wild and Disney’s water theme parks. For those space and astronomy geeks, the Kennedy Space Center offers great getaway avenues and if you want to get close to Florida’s famous alligators then Gator Land is the place to visit

Whatever your interest may be, Orlando’s theme parks will have something for you and your family. It is no wonder that that they are some of the best in the world. Go on and let yourself loose at these theme parks with your family.

Courtesy: All the photos in this post have been borrowed from wikipedia.org under the Creative Commons License. Each photograph has been linked to its respective photo page on wikipedia. 

Continue Reading...

Top 4 Orlando Attractions for Family with Kids

Florida’s Orlando, a very popular tourist destination is known as the ‘Theme Park Capital of the World’. It draws more than 51 million visitors a year and suffers an embarrassment of riches when it comes to escapist options especially for families with kids. It has lots of theme parks, attractions and amusement options that are bound to go well with your kids. I have put together a list of the top 4 attractions in Orlando for families with kids. Pick yourself a favorite and go and enjoy these places.

Discovery Cove Orlando 
This place allows you to swim with an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, wade with playful rays, snorkel over a tropical reef amongst thousands of exotic fish, hand-feed tropical birds in a free-flight aviary and relax on pristine beaches. This waterpark is the perfect choice if you want to offer a tropical underwater experience to your kids. The Discovery Cove tickets in 2014 seem to have some interesting offers.

Walt Disney World

The Walt Disney World with its Animal Kingdom Theme Park and Magic Kingdom Park offers tough competition to all of Orlando’s theme parks. The Animal Kingdom theme park is one of the largest animal theme parks in the world where one can encounter exotic animals across 6 enthralling lands: Oasis, Discovery Island, Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia and DinoLand, USA areas. While the Animal Kingdom is special, the Magic Kingdom park tries to make fairytale dreams come true for children of all ages with stunning fireworks, musical parades, space excursions, fantasyland and more.

Sea World Orlando

A tropical beach destination like Orlando is bound to have many water theme parks and in line with that, I have one more water special in my top 4 list and this time it is the Sea World Orlando. Here, one can get up close to dolphins, penguins, sharks, turtles, sea lions and the manta aquarium. And can also get a special arctic and Antarctic experience, but the special here is the Shamu express for a rushing water experience. Apart from great entertainment, the Sea World offers a great learning experience for kids.

Universal’s Islands Of Adventure

The Islands of Adventure by Universal Studios promises a once-in-a-lifetime thrill with its uniquely themed islands. In this islands, you and your family can be a part of cutting edge rides, shows and interactive attractions that bring your favorite stories, myths, cartoons, comic book heroes and children’s tales to life. The special here is the Wizarding World of Adventure where one can pass through the towering Hogwarts castle gates and explore the familiar passageways, classrooms and corridors.

Note: The photos in this post are courtesy of wikipedia.org under the creative commons license. Each photo has been linked to its source.

Continue Reading...

Why Florida holidays are still top for family getaways

When choosing the perfect trip or holiday for the upcoming year, travellers from the UK will find that Florida holidays will be a great option to consider. We reveal what you need to know about The ‘Sunshine State.’

Depending on what sights you want to see and which attractions you are looking to visit, Orlando could be the best place to stay in Florida.

From the best beaches in the US (and worldwide), to the most famous theme parks in the world, those who plan Florida holidays will find there is something for all travellers to enjoy, no matter who the family members are, what their age, or what activities they enjoy taking part in while on holiday.

There are many great beach getaways that can be chosen by travellers. From world-famous Miami Beach, the Florida Keys, Daytona Beach, and several other well-known destinations and beach travel spots travellers flock to; if you want a beach getaway for your Florida holidays 2013, there are many options to consider.

When choosing the destination, travellers have to make sure that they set out an itinerary, as these beaches are pretty spread out through the State, and will therefore require a few days to hit all of them, most likely a rental car, in order for the family to make it to as many of the beaches as possible.

Whether you stay with one, or visit a few different major beaches during your visit to Florida, travellers will find several great beaches for a great tan.

For those who want to visit the Disney theme parks, Orlando is the destination of choice. This is the perfect option for those with children, or individuals who have always wanted to visit the parks and see why they are so famous. There are several options available to visit with Disney parks, including Universal Orlando® Resort and Busch Gardens in Tampa.

So, when setting up the itinerary for Florida holidays 2012 or even 2013, travellers must make a list of the parks they want to visit, how many they are going to visit, and the days they are going to spend at each one, in order for them to get a full day's worth in each park, during their stay at this popular tourist attraction site. Villas in Florida are particularly popular as accommodation options when visiting the theme parks.

There are also many great dining locations and restaurants, many famous outlet malls for those who want to go shopping and many major cities like Miami Beach, which travellers are going to want to make a stop in while they are on their travels.

So, prior to leaving on the trip, making sure that an itinerary is set up, a budget is planned, and that a rental car is hired are top priorities - this will allow travellers to get the most out of their family trip together. Also, by planning in advance, and by booking flights and hotels in advance when taking your Florida holiday, travellers are going to find great savings, and will know they are going to find the best rooms to choose from for their stay.

Author Bio: Charlotte currently writes on behalf of Ocean Florida holidays 2013, actively blogging about Travel, Beauty, Food & Drink and covering everything from the latest fashion trends to tasty food. On her spare time she loves shopping, discovering new products & enjoys getting lost in new places as she writes away.

Continue Reading...