Palm Beach Gardens, FL Outdoor Activities

For a decade, LunaFest has raised awareness about breast cancer and connected women across the U.S. by screening short films made by, for, and about women. Each year, the nine selected films range in genre from comedy to drama and explore themes such as body image, childbirth, and gender identity. The profits from each LunaFest screening benefit the Breast Cancer Fund and other local nonprofits nationwide. To date, the festival has featured more than 92 filmmakers and raised nearly $1.2 million dollars for charity.

Lauded as the 18th best course in Florida by GolfLink, Madison Green Golf Club's 18-hole layout pairs the rugged feel of a Scottish links-style course with the dazzling palm trees and waterways of South Florida. Water hazards come into play on all but one hole throughout the round, challenging golfers with multiple forced-carries and attracting aviary guests including great blue herons, sandhill cranes, and thirsty weather balloons. In the absence of the thick heather grasses of Scotland, Madison Green ensnares errant orbs with 12 acres of brambly pine barrens, 250 oaks, and 500 palm trees. Golfers navigate the pristine par 72 in carts equipped with Visage Touchscreen GPS technology, which presents flyovers of each hole in 3-D images and tells golfers their exact yardage from upcoming targets, hazards, and charging linebackers.

The Club's 7,000-square-foot clubhouse provides convenient amenities including men's and women's locker and steam rooms, a well-stocked pro shop, and a full-service bar and grill. Clubbers can fine-tune their game at the driving range, where grass hitting areas mirror course conditions and low-handicap earthworms generously proffer swing advice.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 7,106 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 73.6 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 144 from the farthest tees
• Six tee options

Palm Beach Segway Tours' experienced and witty guides lead motorized conga lines through Palm Beach and the historic downtown of West Palm Beach. Wind cascades over helmeted noggins as mansions, yachts, and museums scroll by, set against a tropical backdrop of beaches and sea creatures. Intrepid tourists may also rent 49 c.c. retro gas scooters, the same vessels that Italian explorers piloted when they discovered America in 1958.

Sculpted on a 28-acre estuary between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean, Jupiter Dunes Golf Club presents a short par 3 course that features prominent water hazards that come into play on 12 holes. Coastal trade winds routinely knock approach shots off course on their way onto small paspalum greens, a challenge only mitigated by careful shot selection or digging wind-free fairway tunnels. Even with these obstacles, the course's truncated length lets beginners make an enjoyable foray into the game, and more experienced players can work on short game acumen.

Jupiter Dunes’ resident golf pro Jeff Leishman strives to make golf a pleasant pursuit for all players, including juniors. Jeff creates an instructional regimen that best fits each player, helping adults to lower their handicaps during lessons and showing juniors how to make a golf-cart booby trap at summer camps for kids aged 6–14.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 54 course
• Total length of 1,962 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 65 from the back tees
• Course slope of 100 from the back tees

Move Your Feet Sports' hour-long lessons teach all ages and abilities to serve and volley like professional bowlers who used to be tennis title holders. Classes for beginners, intermediate players, and advanced players ($25 each) are available at all three facilities. The staff of experienced instructors pump each hour-long lesson full of heart-pounding cardio moves, skill-building exercises, and techniques to crush competition like monster trucks crush hot-dog carts. Look under the Groupon tab on Move Your Feet Sports' registration page to see class options.

Groups of tourists walk past the current dwelling places of some of the area’s notable residents, such as Addison Cairns Mizner, Paul Ilyinsky, and Henry Morrison Flagler. Unlike the case with traditional celebrity-sighting tours, however, all of these men died decades ago. Their spooky hauntings frame the path of Ghosts of Palm Beach’s walking tours, during which knowledgeable guides share local folklore and paranormal encounters. Stops can include everything from Palm Beach Town Hall to high-fashion shops such as Gucci, Chanel, and Saks Fifth Avenue, where the ghosts still try to buy handbags for a dollar and two bits.