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The Gold and Treasure Coasts

North of Miami, Florida’s sun-drenched Atlantic shoreline is blessed with miles of fine beaches as well as parks and family-friendly attractions. The Gold Coast has a huge variety of theme parks, zoos, and museums. By contrast, the Treasure Coast, north of Palm Beach, is all about nature, with wild, unspoiled beaches and pine-covered barrier islands set in pristine waters that attract sea turtles, dolphins, and manatees.

Left Spectacular drawing room at the Flagler Museum, Palm Beach Right Migratory pelicans on a perch near the beach in Fort Pierce, Hutchinson Island

Highlights

Museum of Discovery and Science

See dinosaur fossils, visit a storm center, feel space simulations, and watch IMAX® movies at this absorbing museum (see Fort Lauderdale ).

John U. Lloyd Beach State Park

Discover one of the best stretches of unspoiled sand on the Gold Coast, follow a hiking trail, or rent a kayak to explore a creek favored by manatees (see Hugh Taylor Birch State Park).

Butterfly World

Admire tropical greenhouses brimming with butterflies, and then go see the colorful parrots and scary spiders (see Butterfly World).

Flagler Museum

Check out the “palace on wheels,” tycoon Henry Flagler’s private railcar, at this fascinating museum (see Flagler Museum ).

Juno Beach: Loggerhead Marinelife Center

Watch turtle shows, take part in a turtle walk, or see how injured amphibians are treated in the Sea Turtle Hospital (see Juno Beach: Loggerhead Marinelife Center).

Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center

Learn all about Florida’s marine life, stroke a stingray, and take a walk through the mangroves of the Indian River Lagoon (see Jupiter Island).

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