THINGS TO DO IN JUPITER – Kids Christmas Outdoors
Take the family for a scenic bicycle ride or stroll along Riverwalk, Jupiter’s waterfront walkway.
Mangrove Bay, Jupiter Yacht Club & Marina, the Best Western Hotel and the Plaza Down Under on the Riverwalk – take your pick where to enter and exit.
Enjoy views of the marina and Intracoastal Waterway while sipping a cup of coffee, dining outdoors, or shopping at the small retail shops. Or check out the concerts and other public events held along the waterway.
A few steps north of the Indiantown Road Bridge is Harbourside Place, an indoor/outdoor entertainment center with retail, an amphitheater, restaurants, public boat docks and public parking.
Keep your eyes open for marine and upland wildlife such as manatees, stingrays, a variety of fish and birds, such as ospreys and an occasional American Bald Eagle.
Access to Riverwalk is free!
Check out the Jupiter Live Camera showing the Jupiter Inlet.
Sea life, beaches, swimming — a boat ride on the sparkling waters of the Jupiter Inlet is a kid’s day in paradise.
Once you steer out from the easy access dock at Jupiter Boat Rental, you’ll cruise by the historic Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. Then, float by the impressive, historic homes on Jupiter Island where Tiger Woods and many other athletes live.
If you feel like jumping into the water and cooling off, there’s sandbars and sandy beaches along your way north.
Tell the kids to keep their eyes peeled for blue herons, sea turtles, egrets — dolphins too.
Need a break?
Beach the boat and take the short hike to Peck’s Lake on the intracoastal side of the barrier island. Just 150 feet
through the dunes is a pristine 5 mile long oceanfront beach. There are no buildings, roads or cars on this unspoiled beach. Only access is by boat.
On the ride home, give the kids a snack and dock at some of the waterside restaurants.
Kids can check out the critters and plants in the Loxahatchee River, Florida’s first National Wild and Scenic River.
With over 6,000 gallons for fresh and saltwater aquariums, visitors to the River Center can expect to see some interesting creatures that call the Loxahatchee River home.
Stop by the touch tank to meet some critters up close. There are several interactive exhibits to engage everyone.
The River Center also offers family, adult and school programs.
The River Center is located in Burt Reynolds Park on US 1, just north of Indiantown Road.
Imagine being a kid living in the “House on the Hill” in DuBois Park.
Harry and Susan DuBois, the original residents, had three sons and one daughter. All four children were born in the home, built in 1898.
They fished, farmed, salvaged and also ran a fishing camp and later a restaurant on DuBois Park property.
The house was built on an ancient Native American shell midden. That’s a heap of clam, oyster, mussel or other shells. Ancient trade beads and pottery were discovered there — believed to have been brought by explorer Ponce De Leon.
Interesting fact:
Harry DuBois was a beekeeper. He had 600 hives on the property.
During World War I, sugar was unavailable and honey sold for thirty-five cents per gallon. In one year, Harry shipped over 90,000 pounds of honey to northern markets.
Get the kids away from the computer screen and outdoors pedaling one of JOC’s tandem/single/children’s bicycles through the shaded, wide-open paths at Riverbend Park.
Keep your eyes peeled for deer, birds, otters and more.
Or paddle a kayak under the shade of towering cypress trees along the Wild and Scenic Loxahatchee River.
Check out the Local Leader in Outdoor Activities: Contact Jupiter Outdoor Center at jupiteroutdoorcenter.com
