City: Palm Beach, FL

Category: Spectator Sports

Description: Where you else can you drive to a major league hockey game with the top down, or the sunroof open? Where else can you take your jacket off when you leave the arena at the end of a game, rather than put it on? Although the Florida Panthers came into being in 1993, it still seems like a novelty for many fans—especially those who grew up in the northerly climes—to be able to do these things, and to walk out of the arena into a winter night that’s 60 degrees and clear, with swirls of stars overhead, instead of into snow and ice.The Panthers play in BankAtlantic Center, off the Sawgrass Expressway in the western-Broward County town of Sunrise. It’s about a half-hour from southern Palm Beach County, and easily accessible off this wide, smoothly flowing highway. The arena is a modern, airy place with 20,000 seats. As of this writing, the Panthers haven’t been in the playoffs for 10 years (even when they’ve had winning teams). As a result, even though they have a dedicated core of fans, there are generally some tickets available even on the day of the game. And the arena has a very exciting atmosphere, with cowbell-clanging fans who are very vocal in their support of the Cats. The arena is also very family-friendly, with special kids’ fun zones and a lot of contests and activities to keep the younger set very involved. There are always a lot of fun things going on here, in fact, for adults, as well, including on-ice musical chairs, trivia contests, free prizes, etc. And the game of hockey itself is fast, intense, and colorful. The puck flies toward the goalie at upwards of 90 miles an hour, the hits are bone-jarring, and the skills of the players as they backpedal on skates or weave through opposing defenders while still controlling a puck are breath-taking.