Palm Beach
Palm Beach in Florida is a popular tourist destination that is easily accessed through Palm Beach International Airport. It offers a wide variety of attractions and entertainment venues that keep tourists coming back year after year.
For those that adore flowers, Palm Beach has the American Orchid Society Visitors Center and Botanical Garden nearby. This 3.5 acre garden specializes in orchids and contains two 4,000 square foot greenhouses. One of these greenhouses is for public display and features orchid displays that change periodically as well as a 14 foot waterfall.
The Mounts Botanical Garden is also located in West Palm Beach. This garden is the largest and oldest public garden in all of Palm Beach County and contains 2,000 species of plants representing six different continents. Many of the plants represent Florida and include citrus trees, herbs, exotic trees, and palms.
The Lion County Safari is another feature in Palm Beach. This drive-through safari park was founded in 1967 and is said to be the first zoo without cages to be built in the United States. Visitors enter the park in their own vehicles and drive slowly down the paved road in order to view the animals in the park.
Supplied with an audiotape or CD, they listen to a recorded tour of the area. Animals that visitors may encounter include rhinoceros, giraffes, zebras, lions, and African elephants. Until 2005, the lions were allowed to roam freely within the park. Since many visitors ignored warnings to remain in their vehicles, however, they were ultimately barricaded away from the vehicles.
Visitors with an interest in the fine arts will enjoy a visit to the Kravis Center for Performing Arts in Palm Beach. Here, they can enjoy musicians, comedians, and more. The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach also offers over 5,000 works that focus primarily on American, European, Chinese, and Contemporary art. Photography is also on display at the museum.
Those that enjoy shopping must also visit Downtown at the Gardens. This new open-air shopping center is open to pedestrians only. It features a 16-screen Cobb Theater and a Whole Foods Market as well as a number of restaurants and retailers. It also features exceptional landscaping and beautiful art fountains and sculptures.
Palm Beach, Florida is a beautiful area offering a number of cultural opportunities as well as exciting chances to see wild animals in a close up environment. Filled with lovely flowers and located near to an international airport, it is an easy beach vacation location for all that are interested in seeing it firsthand.
