Tips For A Fun-Filled Day Out On The Boca Raton Beaches

By Jony Mozen


The thing that draws tourists to this particular patch of the Sunshine State's east coast is the two-mile stretch of pristine beach sand. Boca Raton is Florida's Malibu for lavish spenders, combining upscale shopping with stylish homes offering expansive oceanfront views. The dunes stretch endlessly in both directions, with nothing ahead except the horizon, the sea birds and the shimmering waters of the Atlantic.

It's called Boca, and it's just a 40-mile hop from Miami. Those arriving by plane are just 20 minutes away at the airports on either side in Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. It's the nearest getaway from these big cities where people can kick back and enjoy the serene beauty with no crowds or buildings, and snooze on the beaches while soaking in the sun.

There's no better place on the east coast for a nice and safe family vacation or even just a day out on the beach with the kids. The city has a family-friendly reputation as one of the safest and cleanest communities to live in and work in the U. S. There are lifeguards keeping an eye on things at the beaches from morning to evening all year round, which is a good thing because the blue skies and year-round sunshine make it hard for people to stay away from the beaches.

The best part is that three city parks open out on to the beaches. This allows people to combine a day trip to the beach with a family picnic for the kids, complete with playgrounds, restrooms, grills and picnic tables. Red Reef Park with its man-made reef a bare ten feet from shore is an ideal place to let kids frolic in the water and learn how to swim and explore a whole new world below the water's surface.

The 39-acre grounds of Red Reef Park are a treasure trove, and that's in addition to the one-mile beach it faces. The biggest draw in the park is the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Children will never want to leave the place, considering that it has a butterfly garden, an aquarium with sharks that gets very lively at feeding time, and an ark's worth of native creatures ranging from manatees to brown pelicans.

Both Red Reef and South Beach parks also have a designated area for surfers. The county-managed South Inlet Park Beach is the best choice for sports and recreational activities. Apart from pier fishing, it offers facilities for volleyball, jet skiing, windsurfing, kayaking, sailboarding and canoeing, among other things.

If that's not enough, hop over to the Delray Municipal Beach. It's ideal for a fun-filled day of beachfront recreation and games. Visitors here can surf, swim, snorkel, sail and go windsurfing. There are separate areas for everything from kite flying to paddleball and Frisbees.

People who think of golf as their religion will bump into heaven at the oceanfront golf course. Art lovers will similarly be enthralled by the offerings of the Museum of Art, and nature enthusiasts will start thinking of the Daggerwing Nature Center as their new home. Families may also want to pencil in some time for Sugar Sand Park with its children's museum, science emporium and carousel.




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