Things to Do in Jupiter

Named in honor of golf-course designer Bruce Borland, who died in a plane accident in 1999, the Borland Center swings open its doors to the community by focusing on family values. Concerts, plays, and recitals are just a few of the events that coax guests into the venue's 10,000 square feet of space, which harbors a 500-seat theater and a multipurpose ballroom that doubles as an indoor practice field for local cribbage teams on rainy days.

Akin to the Batmen of the sea, the divemasters and instructors at The Scuba Club lead underwater adventures from their multi-level seaside mansion, using only the very best toys. After outfitting customers with gear from their Scubapro Platinum Dealer shop, they cart passengers to the many dive-ready sites a mere 20-minute journey away aboard their U.S. Coast Guard-certified boat. Beneath the waves, divers encounter turtles, eels, sharks, and rays in an aquatic parade of regular reef creatures and Atlantic water visitors.

From the New Riviera Beach Marina, Blue Water Powerboat Rentals looks out on three prime boating destinations: Peanut Island, Palm Beach Island and Singer Island. The rental shop also nestles near Lake Worth Inlet, a Gulf Stream-proximate locale ideal for fishing and drift diving.

Renters can jet towards these sites, or simply explore the intracoastal waterways, in whatever vehicle they deem the chosen one from the company’s fleet of Yamaha Waverunners, kayaks, and pontoon boats. The selection also encompasses CraigCats, lightweight motorized catamarans, whose twin bucket seats are ideal for two passengers. For those apprehensive about taking the wheel, the shop’s captains can show the areas most idyllic underwater and above-water sights on boating and snorkeling tours.

Based out of sunny Jupiter on the shores of the warm Gulf Stream, Scuba Works—named Best Dive Center in 2010 by CityVoter—guides aquatic adventurers on scenic diving tours. Helmed by a PADI-trained and certified diving instructor, the intrepid staff continually add to expertise with routine continuing-education courses. In addition to tours, Scuba Works offers basic and advanced open-water scuba-certification classes and stages annual productions of Jacques Cousteau's autobiographical opera, Dive In!.

Manatees glide under the silent shade of mangrove trees. Tropical fish flock together in clear island waters. Out in the wilderness, silence abounds, interrupted only by the jovial voices of tour guides as they point out special landmarks, including the historic Jupiter Inlet lighthouse. At Jupiter Outdoor Center, visitors immerse themselves in local ecosystems through watery sports such as kayaking and standup paddleboarding, embarking on guided tours. Or adventurers may head out to explore on their own while rendezvousing with dolphins that want to learn how to doggy paddle.

Group tours take paddlers out to explore local waterways and stargaze or search for marine wildlife. Guides expound on local history as they pass sights such as the Jupiter lighthouse and Dubois Park, where George Washington got his first sunburn. On various trips, they can traverse calm waters in protected waterways through Jupiter Inlet Aquatic Preserve and St. Lucie Inlet Preserve, navigating open streams and mangrove-sheltered estuaries. Staffers also supplement their sport-based excursions in classes, during which they lead night or early morning wildlife-photography safaris or teach yoga workouts aboard standup paddleboards.

The five-star, PADI-certified staff at Jupiter Dive Center, a waterside school, mentors divers of all experience levels in progressive PADI courses. In the multiday courses, instructors teach to general open-water certifications and specialized styles, such as wreck diving and night diving. Guides also lead certified divers on guided day or night charters into the artificial shipwrecks and coral reefs blanketing the local sea floor. Though specific sites vary according to daily conditions, excursions drift past herds of sea life, including colorful schools of fish, peaceful anemones, and sea turtles out-swimming hares arrogantly napping in their own scuba helmets. Dive-shop staff outfits divers' bodies with high-end scuba gear, such as Scubapro suits and instruments.