Southeast Florida
Florida’s Gold Coast features numerous small towns and communities offering a variety of extraordinary pursuits to passers-by.Unique sporting events await visitors to Palm Beach County. Join in a game of croquet, but be forewarned — locals take this game very seriously. Of the 250 clubs around the country, 16 are located in Palm Beach County. Spend a Sunday watching a polo match at one of several area polo grounds. Called "the sport of kings," royalty and celebrities alike flock to the matches played from December through April.
For a truly off-the-beaten-path experience, head out to the Callery-Judge Grove, a 4,000-acre citrus grove featured on the "Palm Beach County Growing Tour." Showcasing 17 different varieties of citrus and a newly opened packinghouse that is more than two acres under one roof, the Callery-Judge Grove is the only commercial packing operation currently open to the general public. Visitors learn about the citrus industry from fruit production to packaging.
In Coconut Creek, families will encounter Butterfly World, one of the most unusual zoos in the world. Wonder through aviaries where thousands of brilliantly colored butterflies fly freely, explore a tropical rain forest and hanging garden and marvel at the hummingbird exhibit. Visitors can also learn the secrets of "butterfly gardening" — attracting certain species with specific plants and flowers.
Venturing away from the popular beaches and downtown areas of Greater Fort Lauderdale, visitors will find several unique towns set firmly in local traditions.
Just west of Fort Lauderdale, travelers can stop in the "western" town of Davie, where every structure must be built to a western theme and even the McDonald’s has hitching posts and a "ride-thru" for resident cowboys on horseback. The 5,000-seat Davie Rodeo Arena sports local cowboy action every Thursday night, and the Jackpot Rodeo is the real McCoy, complete with steer-wrestling, calf-roping and bull-riding. Davie is also the place to come for horseback riding, with miles of trails for exploring and stables with both English- and Western-style riding.
Shoppers who venture off the beaten path are rewarded by the discovery of Antique Row in Dania, just south of the airport. Treasures of yesterday can be found in a one-block area featuring more than 150 shops. For antiquities of a different sort, stop by the Graves Museum of Archaeology, where Peruvian miniature ceramics, masks from tribal Africa, pre-Columbian figurines and Greek vases round out the museum’s extensive collection.
In the western reaches of Broward County, Seminole Indian traditions are alive and well and being preserved at several distinctive parks. At Sawgrass Recreation Park, in the Everglades, visitors can witness daily life in an 18th-century Indian village and taste authentic Indian dishes at the park’s cafe. Off Alligator Alley, 23 miles west of Fort Lauderdale, Billie Swamp Safari offers a host of adventures, including an eco-tour by swamp buggy, folklore storytelling around the campfire and an overnight stay in a thatched Chickee hut.
Run by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the park also features guided hiking tours, reptile and alligator exhibits and sunset canoe rides. And at the Seminole Indian Bingo and Casino in Hollywood, visitors can win up to $200,000 in high-stakes bingo games, or try their luck at poker games and video pull-tab machines.
