1. Jonathan Dickinson State Park
City: Hobe Sound, FL
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (772) 546-2771
Address: 16450 Southeast Federal Hwy.
Description: Jonathan Dickinson State Park has long been a cherished natural resource for the people of Palm Beach County (it’s actually just across the county line in Martin County, however). People here know that, whenever the stresses of modern life get to be too much, there’s always this park with its winding paths through dense forests, the river running through it, the wildlife, and the colors, shapes, and sounds.Jonathan Dickinson is so diverse that it has 13 natural “communities,” among them sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, mangroves, and river swamps. The Loxahatchee River, Florida’s first federally designated Wild and Scenic River, runs through the park. You can travel down it in a canoe, down to the pioneer homestead of the legendary frontiersman known as Trapper Nelson. You can take a guided tour of the 1930s homestead and cabin. You can ride a bike, on paved trails and off-road scrub. Or, you can ride a horse on an equestrian trail, or walk or run on a hiking trail. There’s boating, kayaking, and canoeing. You can fish, on the riverbank or from a boat. You can wander through the wonderful exhibits at the Elsa Kimbell Environmental Education and Research Center. Camp at two full-facility campgrounds, or at a youth/group primitive campground. Rent a motorboat., or if you’d like to have someone else do the driving, you can arrange to see the Loxahatchee on a boat tour.
2. Blowing Rocks Nature Preserve
City: Hobe Sound, FL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (561) 744-6668
Address: 574 South Beach Rd.
Description: Blowing Rocks Preserve is a magnificent barrier island nature sanctuary, located on Jupiter Island, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon. The Preserve protects a variety of natural habitats, including beach dune, coastal strand, mangrove wetlands, tropical hammock, and oak hammock.Its rocky Anastasia limestone shoreline is the largest on the Atlantic coast. During extreme high tides and after winter storms, the rough seas crash into the rocks with a ferocious intensity and roar. The results are plumes of saltwater that shoot up as high as 50 feet. It’s an impressive sight for which the preserve was named. Visitors can explore a boardwalk with interpretive signs along the Indian River Lagoon. This body of water stretches for 156 miles up the coast of Florida, and is the most diverse estuary in North America—with 50 species of endangered plants and animals. They’ll also see a butterfly garden with native plants, and a beachside nature trail. The Hawley Education Center contains rotating educational and art exhibits, and a series of programs and workshops is given in the on-site classroom.Each of the seasons is different here. In winter, osprey are plentiful. In spring, beach sunflowers and butterflies bloom. And in summer, turtles come ashore to lay their eggs; their tracks are often visible in the sand.