Palm Beach County public schools celebrate their spring break March 17-24, giving students and their families the chance to enjoy South Florida before the heat of summer.
Here’s a roundup of ideas for spring breakers:
Spring Children’s Fair. Enjoy a day of rides, games, food, free arts & crafts, entertainment, face painting and more on Tuesday, March 21, at Patch Reef Park, 2000 W. Yamato Road, Boca Raton. Park entry is free, and food and drinks will be available for purchase. Ride tickets are $5 per ride or $20 for an all-day bracelet for the 10 a.m.-3 p.m. event. patchreefpark.org
Hit the beach. Head east to find sun, surf and sand. Numerous fishing piers up and down the coast give beachgoers great access to saltwater fishing and gorgeous views of the sunrise. Or go for the island life on Peanut Island Park, visitors can fish, snorkel, swim or camp overnight at the campground.
Pick some berries. Strawberries are in season, and families can pick their own at Bedner’s Farm in Boynton Beach and The Girls Strawberry U-Pick in Delray Beach.
Visit a children’s museum. Families have plenty of museum options, including Boca Raton Children’s Museum and the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum in Boynton Beach. Go further south for the Museum of Discovery & Science in Fort Lauderdale. These museums offer child-friendly exhibits, hands-on play and special classes for kids.
Ride the carousel. Go round and round for fun on the Florida-themed carousel at Downtown in the Gardens, which features a great blue heron, Florida panther, roseate spoonbill and other state-specific rides. Unusual animals also grace the carousel at Pompano Citi Centre in Pompano Beach, which includes five Florida-inspired creatures. The carousel at Sugar Sand Park in Boca Raton has 30 horses and two chariots and is open daily. The Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm Beach also has a carousel.
Get close to nature. At Daggerwing Nature Center in Boca Raton, you can view live animals and interactive state-of-the-art exhibits or take a walk on the nature trails. Families can also visit Okeeheelee Nature Center in West Palm Beach and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton. Or go for manatee watching at the new FPL EcoDiscovery Center in West Palm Beach, shark feedings at the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach or sea turtle education at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach.
Walk the gardens. Experience Japanese culture and beauty at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, and or explore Florida’s wildlife and habitat at Flamingo Gardens in Davie.
Go to a baseball game. Jupiter hosts spring training baseball games at Roger Dean Stadium throughout March. See the Miami Marlins battle the Washington Nationals or the Houston Astros, and the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Marlins or the New York Mets.
Wild Animals. Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, with its drive-through safari and kid-friendly water play area, is a favorite for families; the Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm Beach also has wild animals and water play, plus a Wildlife Carousel and Safari Train to entertain the kids.
Sugar Sand Park. The 132-acre Sugar Sand Park in Boca Raton has a children’s science center, carousel, performing arts theater and nature trails, plus a full calendar of spring break programming for youth. sugarsandpark.org
Water Parks. Palm Beach County’s water parks are scheduled to reopen on March 18. Calypso Bay Waterpark and Coconut Cove Waterpark both feature river rides, two four-story high water slides and children’s water playgrounds. The Westgate Splashpark in West Palm Beach also reopens March 18, and the John Prince Park Splashpark in Lake Worth is open year round.
