Things to Do in Florida

Voyage the waterways of Fort Lauderdale's New River on the Jungle Queen Riverboat and stop at a Native American village and experience a stunning tropical island environment complete with extraordinay plants and birds and tussling alligators. For more than 50 years, visitors have traveled on this dignified riverboat to be entertained by the crew and sights of Fort Lauderdale. The Jungle Queen Riverboat Company owns several boats and offers two distinct tours.

The Sightseeing Cruise lasts about 3 hours, and will take you up the New River, including a stopover at the "Jungle Queen Indian Village." The Bar-B-Que and Shrimp Dinner Cruise lasts roughly 4 hours, and also includes a trip up the New River. There is an island stopover for an all-you-can-eat shrimp and ribs dinner and a live variety show amid tropical foliage.

The Miami Seaquarium is a 38 acre (15 hectare) marine park that excels in preserving, protecting and educating visitors about aquatic creatures. There are dozens of shows and exhibits including a tropical reef; the Shark Channel, with feeding presentations; and Discovery Bay, a natural mangrove habitat that serves as a refuge for rehabilitating rescued sea turtles.

Check out the Pacific white-sided dolphins or the West Indian manatees being nursed back to health. Frequent shows include dazzling performances from the Seaquarium’s finest residents, including a massive killer whale, dolphins, and sea lions. Dolphin Harbor is an especially fun venue for watching marine mammals play and show off; it also offers the popular Dolphin Encounter, which allows visitors to touch and swim with dolphins in the Flipper Lagoon.

A marshy expanse of humid swamps, the majority of the 1.5 million acres that make up the Florida Everglades are inaccessible wilderness. With a visit to Sawgrass Recreation Park, however, guests are able to ride on a high-speed airboat and navigate the same marshes where Seminole Indians once roamed and endangered animals still call home.

Located only 30 minutes outside the urban streets of downtown Ft. Lauderdale, the Sawgrass Recreation Park not only provides thrilling rides over the glassy waters of the Everglades, but also gives visitors the chance to spot alligators living in the wild and other marshland animals such as slithery pythons, black leopards, and the endangered Florida panther.

Morning hours are best during the summer months as afternoons in the Everglades are prone to wind and thunderstorms, although those looking for a unique thrill can take part in the night time alligator viewing sessions which depart into the marshes various nights per week.

There are very few places in the world where you can spend quality time watching manatees, one of the most unusual marine mammals. With their large fin-like tails, they are though to be the inspiration for mythological mermaids. And Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge along Florida’s Gulf Coast is arguably the best spot in the world to see them. This 46-acre refuge was created to protect the manatees that congregate here in large numbers during the winter months. The unique location is home to a network of underground springs that coalesce into the headwaters of the Crystal River. A collection of nine islands offers vital resting areas for these slow moving animals, which can get hurt or stressed by motorboats.

Coconut Grove is a bayside village in Miami, recognized as the oldest modern continuously inhabited neighborhood in the city. Originally settled in the 1800s, Coconut Grove is sometimes referred to as “Bohemia on the Bay.” Complete with a pedestrian-friendly village center where visitors can wander galleries, go shopping or enjoy lunch at a quaint sidewalk café. There are some recognizable chain restaurants and open-air malls but also college bars, as students from nearby Florida International University and the University of Miami flock to the area, especially as the sun goes down. Known locally as “the Grove,” its bay-front location also showcases a number of various parks.

Village West, a noted sub-area, is the modern-day historic home of Bahamian and African-American descendants of Coconut Grove’s earliest settlers. There is evidence that settlers from the Bahamas came via Key West in order to work at the Peacock Inn.

Fort Lauderdale Riverwalk is located in the historic downtown district by the New River. Experience Florida's most beautiful mile, showcasing rich tropical landscape and winding walkways linking downtown Fort Lauderdale's best attractions on the Riverwalk. Take a river bus along the canals and see elaborate homes and yachts if it suits your fancy.

The Riverwalk is composed of a park and a collection of shops, restaurants, clubs bars, and a movie theatre. It also includes important Fort Lauderdale attractions, such as the Broward Center for Performing Arts, the Museum of Discovery and Science, the Florida Grand Opera, Old Fort Lauderdale. The Riverwalk is a lovely place to go for stroll, grab a bite to eat, enjoy outdoor entertainment, or revel in Fort Lauderdale’s exciting nightlife.

Known as a trendy arts district, Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood is one of best inner-city escapes to be had while visiting the Magic City. With more than 70 arts galleries, a slew of hip coffee shops and dozens of niche museums and artistic collections, walking through “the Wyn” will give you a good understanding of why this little alcove is called Miami’s heart and soul.

Also famous for its Wynwood Walls, the streets of the Wyn are lined with murals created by some of Miami’s famous artists. It’s a source of pride for the neighborhood, as it successfully blends work from the up-and-coming artists with that of those who are already established in the field. And when night falls, the area comes alive with fun-seekers out to grab a bite to eat at one of the many hip eateries and bars. A trip to the Wynwood neighborhood is a sure-fire way to see what makes Miami magical.

Miami boasts an excellent zoo, thanks in part to a subtropical climate that allows for large swathes of natural habitat. Inside Zoo Miami (formerly Miami Metrozoo), more than 200 species roam the cageless surrounds; don’t worry, the animals are kept at bay by cleverly designed moats.

Residents at Zoo Miami include elephants, koalas, colobus monkeys, and black rhinoceroses. You’ll also see a pair of Komodo dragons and Bengal tigers, including a gorgeous white tiger. Over at the Tropical America exhibit, you can see anacondas, giant river otters, jaguars, and sting ray touch tanks. You can even feed giraffes at The Samburu Giraffe Feeding Station. Younger kids, especially, will find much to enjoy at Zoo Miami. There’s a first-class petting zoo and play area, and the zoo offers several programs designed to entertain and educate. For an overview of the park, hop on the Zoofari Monorail.

Miami is often called the Magic City, and if it truly is, this opulent Italian Renaissance-style villa, the housing equivalent to a Fabergé egg, is its most fairy-tale residence. Built for industrialist James Deering in 1916, Vizcaya Palace brims with 15th to 19th century furniture, tapestries, paintings and decorative arts.

The poetic seaside grounds, which front Biscayne Bay, are full of splendid gardens (including a secret garden), beautiful fountains, sculptures, elegant pools, a charming Florentine gazebo, canals running everywhere and lots of trails. The landscape and architecture were influenced by Veneto and Tuscan Italian Renaissance models and designed in the Mediterranean Revival architecture style. Nearly 200,000 people visit Vizcaya each year including some of the world's leading dignitaries such as President Reagan, Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth of England and King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain.

Housed in a gorgeous former hotel built in 1887 in the Spanish Renaissance style, the exterior of the Lightner Museum is reason enough to visit. The real treats though are the various antiquities located on the inside of this three story museum.

The first floor houses a Victorian village, with shop fronts offering Victorian era wares. Take a look at the Victorian Science and Industry Room and its eclectic array of artifacts including model steam engines, stuffed birds, a small Egyptian mummy, and a shrunken head. The second floor contains samples of cut glass, Victorian art glass and stained glass work. The third floor, housed in the ball room's upper balcony, exhibits paintings, sculpture, and furniture from the time period. Overall, the museum's careful attention to details and rustic recreation of the time period make it a fun place to visit.