Author: anapellegrini
Florida is home to so many beautiful beaches, but one of the most stunning I have seen is Peanut Island. This park in Palm Beach, Florida is only accessible by watercraft and provides an island escape without having to leave the country. This is the perfect day trip for anyone on the east coast of Florida. Whether you want to relax on the beach, paddle a kayak, or go snorkeling, Peanut Island Florida is one of the best places to visit. In this guide, I will share everything you need to know before spending a day here. Things to Do on Peanut Island, Florida Peanut Island truly has activities for everyone from exploring the history to swimming around. I have seen young and old have a blast here and even dogs too. Before I explain all about how to spend a day here, I will walk through all the different activities possible for a day at Peanut Island. 1. Peanut Island Snorkeling If you are looking for a good place to go snorkeling, Peanut Island is one of the best spots in Florida! You can snorkel all around it, but most people agree that the southeast tip is where you want to snorkel. This is just to the east of the dock from the shuttle boat and you will see the lagoon where the water is shallow (about 10 feet deep max) and easy to snorkel in. The best time to snorkel at Peanut Island is between the hour before and after high tide. You will want to wear a float vest and be a decent swimmer, as there are strong currents at times, especially near the pier. The views are worth it though, with lots of coral, crabs, sea urchins, tropical fish, and even sea turtles and manatees! If you are a confident snorkeler, you can easily bring your own equipment and snorkel yourself. However, places like Get Wet Water Sports offer snorkel tours of Peanut Island if you prefer a guide. They also have snorkel gear rentals for only $30 per day if you forgot yours at home. 2. Kayaking and Paddleboarding To and Around the Island Another popular activity to experience at Peanut Island is paddling! I frequently see so many kayaks and paddleboards around the island when I visit. You can bring or rent your own kayak or paddleboard and simply paddle from Riviera Beach Marina in fifteen minutes or less. Once you get there, you can paddle right onto the beach for free and relax in the sun. There are also bathrooms, showers, and picnic tables if you want to bring lunch. In addition to paddling to the island, it’s also worth paddling around the perimeter and seeing the unique views of the shore. 3. Relaxing on Peanut Island My favorite thing to do on Peanut Island is relax on the beach and then take a leisurely walk around the island. You can even bring dogs and Kiwi loves spending the day with us on the dog-friendly beaches here! The flora and fauna are just breathtaking and it feels like you are a world away from civilization. My favorite area to relax is the east side of the island, just north of the snorkelers. The west side is a bit more industrial and the north side is known for having lots of boat parties. I highly recommend taking a walk around the island’s 1.25-mile walking path. It’s very scenic and ideal for seeing the unique aspects of the island. I have found some cool picture-taking spots on the southwest part as well, near the campground. Make sure to bring plenty of towels, sunscreen, water, and snacks so you can enjoy the day here. You can even bring some noodles if you want to float in the beautiful water! Keep in mind, alcohol is not allowed unless you have a campground and there is nowhere to buy food or drinks on Peanut Island. 4. Camping on Peanut Island If you can’t fathom only spending the day at Peanut Island, you can also stay the night and camp here! There are seventeen campsites for tent camping! You will need to make a reservation up to ninety days in advance and pay the $28 per night camping fee. Sleeping is permitted in tents only and you must have a reservation to camp there. You can stay up to three nights and use the indoor showers, picnic grills, and tables. I have yet to do this but I know people who have and they say it’s amazing camping on this gorgeous island. You just have to make sure to pack well, since it requires a boat ride to get back to the mainland! Where is Peanut Island? If you are wondering where Peanut Island Park is, it’s located at the mouth of Lake Worth Inlet between Riviera Beach and Palm Beach Shores. Most people park at the Riviera Beach Marina Village to get there. It’s a fifteen-minute drive north of Downtown West Palm Beach and a half-hour drive south of Jupiter. How to Get to Peanut Island Since Peanut Island is in fact an island, it is only accessible by Boat or watercraft. Many people take their own boats and park in the northern part of the island. In fact, the Peanut Island Sandbar is a popular spot on Sunday Funday. However, those without their own boat can easily visit as well. The Peanut Island Shuttle Boat leaves from the Riviera Beach Marina every twenty-five minutes between 10 Am and 5 PM. It is only a ten-minute boat ride to the island, so you will be there before you know it! The shuttle boat costs $16 per adult, $8 per child and dogs are free. You can make a reservation ahead of time, but most days it is not necessary. Campers are required to make a reservation and can rent equipment from the boat if needed. In addition to taking a boat to the island, you could rent a kayak or paddleboard as mentioned
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From splashy international art fairs and thrilling performing arts theaters to a dynamic museum and gallery scene, Greater Miami & Miami Beach is a world-class destination for arts and culture that will inspire and captivate you with its spirited energy and contemporary vision. Every year in early December, the international Art Basel Miami Beach art fair draws thousands of artists and collectors to our shores. The week surrounding it – Miami Art Week – is filled with satellite fairs, art shows and other events that showcase local artists. All year long, the destination’s dynamic gallery scene encompasses mainstream, thought-provoking and emerging artists. Galleries abound in areas including the Miami Design District, Allapattah, Little Haiti, Downtown Miami and South Beach. In the Wynwood Arts District, a kaleidoscope of works by groundbreaking artists can be seen throughout the neighborhood and at Wynwood Walls, an outdoor museum dedicated to street art. In Downtown Miami, the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is a must-visit for its impressive collection of contemporary art of the Americas, as well as for its breathtaking architecture by Herzog & de Meuron, with Biscayne Bay as its backdrop. Greater Miami & Miami Beach is also a dynamic destination for the performing arts. The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Miami hosts touring Broadway shows as well as performances by its resident companies: Miami City Ballet, Florida Grand Opera and the New World Symphony. The New World Symphony also performs at the New World Center, its cutting-edge space in South Beach designed by Frank Gehry. With all of this culture set in our subtropical natural beauty, it’s easy to think of the destination itself as an art gallery and performance space. Greater Miami & Miami Beach’s science and history museums open up new worlds for exploration. At the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Downtown Miami, you can visit the planetarium and check out the 500,000-gallon aquarium. Just across Biscayne Boulevard, the Freedom Tower is the place to learn about Miami’s Cuban diaspora. The historic building is also home to the Museum of Art and Design (MOAD) at Miami Dade College. Continue your exploration of Miami’s rich Caribbean and Latin American culture in neighborhoods including Little Havana and Little Haiti, as well as its fascinating Black history in Historic Overtown. No matter which activities you include in your itinerary, you’ll find that Miami’s arts and culture scene is filled with an international flavor and vibrant energy that shines brighter than ever.
One of my favorite things about Miami is the Art Deco style. Certain parts of the city feel like you are stepping back in time with the colorful, funky architecture. On my recent visit, I wanted to see as much of this district as possible, so we decided to do our own Miami Art Deco Tour! A lot of companies have paid Miami Art Deco tours you can take, but I think it’s easy and more fun to go on your own. I made this guide for you to use on your trip to Miami and ensure you see all the sights. We took an Uber from our hotel, The Confidante, to 15th Street and Collins to start our tour. Start With A Snack on Collins If you are starting your Miami Art Deco Tour in the morning like we did, then you might want some breakfast! If not, you can skip this part, or grab a coffee for the walk. On this visit, we went to Andrix Cafe, an Italian spot with pastries, breakfast sandwiches and coffee and tea. Subscribe to The Florida Travel Girl! Get updates on the latest posts and more from The Florida Travel Girl straight to your inbox.SUBSCRIBEI consent to receiving emails and personalized ads. Another favorite of mine is Taquiza, which has amazing tacos and some tasty drinks, but it doesn’t open until noon now. If you want to start it off in a very Miami way, you can eat at Havana 1957. This Cuban restaurant is a sit down though, so it might be a while. With our tasty croissant sandwiches finished and iced coffees in hand, we were ready for the sights! I recommend walking down Collins Ave (AKA Florida A1A) to start. The first site you will see is Hoffman’s Cafeteria. It is unfortunately now a Señor Frogs, but this building has been there since World War II was was used as a mess hall for pilots training in Miami Beach. Hotel Sightings on Ocean Drive Next walk two blocks down and head towards the beach to Ocean Drive. Here you’ll find a strip of legendary hotels. This includes the funky looking Cavalier hotel, the stately Cardozo hotel and the iconic Carlyle and Leslie hotels. All of these were built between 1936 and 1939 and have stood the test of time, as well as many hurricanes! The architecture is pretty impressive and I can only imagine how fun it would be to stay in one! If you walk down a little farther, you can find Lummus Park, which is probably the most popular beach in Miami. I don’t recommend this one for a public beach, but it is fun for people watching! If you keep walking down, you can find the Cleavlander, which is a famous nightlife spot. We actually went here for a pool party a few years ago and had a fun time listening to a DJ battle there! They were charging $15 just for a Corona though, so enter at your own risk! There’s a few more retro hotels to see, like the Boulevard, Starlite and Colony as well. Miami Art Deco District on Collins Ave You’ll want to cross back over to Collins on 10th Ave to see the Essex House. This was a hotel designed by Henry Hohauser in 1948 and is said to be one of his best designs. His other works include both the Cardozo and the Colony mentioned above, and I think this is definitely the most unique. A couple blocks later, there is the Hotel of South Beach, which has a lot of similarities to Essex House. This opened in 1939 as the Tiffany Hotel and was said to be the peak of luxury. Right around here is where Collins turns into more of a shopping area. You can either stop and check out some stores or cross over to Washington Ave for more sights! Washington Ave Sights On the corner of 5th and A1A is the most unique building I saw, designed by Taylor and Mathis. It’s now a lobster restaurant, but it was built in the 1990’s and it shows. This building seems likes it’s trying to fit into the Art Deco style, but had a distinct nineties feel. I still found it to be a fun and colorful sight! This is kind of the end of this unofficial Miami Art Deco Tour, because the style gets more modern from here, but there still is some cool stuff to see. The Jewish Museum of Florida is a block down and a popular spot to learn about Florida Jewish history. There’s free admission on Saturday and you can spend an hour learning about the immigration experience of many Jewish people to the state. If you like art, there’s are a bunch of galleries to check out around here. The Williams McCall gallery is one of the most popular. You may need to make an appoint to visit, but it features some of the finest art in Miami Beach. Lunch Time in South Beach If you are feeling hungry, there are a lot of great lunch options here. We actually went down to South Point and than came back here for bowls from My Ceviche. This is a surprisingly affordable food stand that sells rice bowls, burritos, tacos and salads topped with fresh fish! It was so delicious and a very refreshing lunch. Joe’s Stone Crab is another popular spot in this area, although it’s a pretty fancy restaurant that doesn’t open until 6 PM. However, they do have a takeaway spot that opens at 11 AM. You can try and get one of the few tables here, or take it to the nearby park for a picnic! If you aren’t feeling seafood during your Miami Art Deco Tour, there’s Pure Vida nearby. They have açaí bowls, salads and sandwiches. Lastly, there’s Primo Pizza, if you can’t resist a slice of New York style pizza! South Pointe Beach and Park Pier This last part is
