(Video provided by Palm Beach County Parks & Recreation)

Get up close and personal with these wild, wonderful adventures

With its beaches, hammocks and meadows, Palm Beach County is home to animals great and small. Here are just some of the amazing places you can take your family for an up-close animal encounter, recommended by our friends at Discover The Palm Beaches. 

  1. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (west of Boynton Beach): Nearly 144,000 acres of protected land is home to 257 species of birds, 23 types of mammals and 60 species of reptiles and amphibians.
  2. Busch Wildlife Sanctuary (Jupiter): Rescued animals of all types are cared for at this naturally designed site. Here you can see alligators, bald eagles and panthers, to name a few.
  3. Gumbo Limbo Nature Center (Boca Raton): Families can enjoy wandering the boardwalk and exploring the tanks while learning about local wildlife, like butterflies, sea turtles and more.
  4. Manatee Lagoon (West Palm Beach): Manatees are slow-moving, gentle marine mammals attracted to warm waters. You can watch manatees, and their calves, swim – and then learn all about this delicate creature at the FPL Eco-Discovery Center.

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Top 4 ways to encourage downtime

No time is the wrong time for down time. Encouraging children to choose when they want to relax, and do something they love, is essential – so they can pause from their busy schedules and open their hearts to new experiences.

When it comes to downtime:

  1. Pick any time of the day to play and relax.
  2. Let your child decide how long the downtime lasts.
  3. Make it as simple or as complex as the child desires. (They can build a robot out of recycled materials, play with cars or stuffed animals, or just lie in the grass and listen to music.)
  4. Model down time as a parent. (You deserve it too!)

For more things to do – and not do – in Palm Beach County, sign up or log in to EveryParent below.

Need a little excitement? We've got that!

The Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department offers tons of opportunities to explore a variety of traditional activities, such as hiking, biking, jogging and more. But families also can try lesser-known, more adventurous activities in our local parks, like:

  • Archery at Okeeheelee Nature Center west of West Palm Beach
  • Kayaking at Riverbend Park in Jupiter
  • BMX biking at Loggers’ Run BMX Jump Course west of Boca Raton
  • Skateboarding at the West Boynton Skate Park
  • Horseback riding at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach
  • Radio-controlled fun at the West Delray Regional Park

For more out-of-the box adventures in Palm Beach County, sign up or log in to EveryParent below.

 

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