What comes to mind when you think of traveling to Jupiter, Florida? Probably beaches! Located on Florida's Treasure Coast, Jupiter offers a year-round temperate climate, breathtaking scenery, and many outdoor recreation opportunities.
Visitors can spend the day shopping in nearby Palm Beach or trek through the swamps for a day of bird watching and up-close and personal turtle and alligator sightings. Located in Palm Beach County, Florida, Jupiter was originally incorporated in 1925. The town's unique name is the result of a big misunderstanding. Originally named after the Hobe Indian tribe, an early mapmaker mistook the Spanish spelling of Jobe for Jove.? Future mapmakers compounded the mistake, understanding Jove to be the Latin version of Jupiter, the Roman god of sun light, weather, and the sky, and the name Jupiter stuck.
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Today Jupiter is generally known for its most notable landmark, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, originally built in 1860. Made of brick painted a striking red, the lighthouse is frequently used as the symbol of Jupiter. In addition to its popular lighthouse, Jupiter is also known as home to spring training facilities for the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals. Sporting events are also frequently held at the Palm Beach International Raceway. The town is also the site of the Burt Reynolds and friends Museum, which houses the Florida Film and Theater Institute, and offers tours of hundreds of Burt Reynolds artifacts and memorabilia.
What tourists and locals alike value most about Jupiter, Florida is its outdoor recreation opportunities. Bicycling, fishing, kayaking, and surfing all entice residents and visitors to the area's beaches and state parks. Blowing Rocks Preserve, located along the Hobe Sound, features limestone beach side formations that often spout saltwater geysers as waves hit the beach. Rare local flora also abounds at this passive preserve. Canoe and kayaking adventures can be undertaken from Canoe Outfitters of Florida, located in Riverbend Park, which offers one-way canoe rentals down the scenic Loxahatchee River with return transportation. Outdoor enthusiasts can also set out from the Jupiter Outdoor Center, which offers bicycling, kayaking, and birding adventures. Another treat is a visit to the Marinelife Center of Juno Beach, which boasts one of the world's most active sea turtle nesting sites. The Center offers education and aquarium exhibits open to the public as part of its mission to research and rehabilitated protected and endangered sea turtle species.
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