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Jill Podehl Florida destinations today: You’re just outside West Palm Beach, but it feels like you’re deep in the heart of Africa. At Panther Ridge Conservation Center, some of the world’s big cats wander freely in large, open habitats replicating parts of Africa. The brainchild of Judy Berens, who still runs it, Panther Ridge began back in the 90s, when people started bringing her big cats they no longer wanted or could care for. It wasn’t long before she found herself caring for several big cats, so she began searching for land where she could create a refuge for injured or endangered animals and nurse them back to health. Today, a mix of tigers, rare black panthers, jaguars, mountain lions, cheetahs, and smaller cats such as ocelots roam Panther Ridge, and you can watch Judy enter their cages and cuddle with them. Guided tours are available, including a fun twilight tour, a keeper experience, as well as a thrilling opportunity to interact with one of the park’s elusive leopards. Read extra details at Jill Podehl.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens are set upon the former estate of James Deering. Situated on Biscayne Bay in Miami’s Coconut Grove, the villa and larger grounds once took up 180 acres of land. Now, the expanse of the attraction contains 50 acres of stunning gardens and well-kept grounds. Deering was a conservationist of the renowned Deering McCormick-International Harvester fortune. He set up the estate to conserve tropical and mangrove environments, and its main building was completed in 1916. When he passed away, his nieces inherited the estate, and they began to sell parts of the state to pay for the high upkeep costs necessary for the property. Some of the lands were also donated.

Encompassing mangrove forests, salt marshes, a coastal dune island, coastal tropical hardwood rockland hammocks and endangered pine habitats, this 440 acre Deering Estate at Cutler property has it all. Also home to the Richard cottages c1900 which served as a hotel, the Deering Estate hosts other historical buildings of importance dating from 1896 to 1922 and an Indian burial ground circa 1500. Visitors are welcome to stroll through the stunning grounds, explore the houses or simply relax and soak up the surroundings. But to truly enjoy a vacation you also need a nice place to stay.

Do you want to enjoy the blue sky and the warm sun ? Miami is a fabulous place to relax. What can you see in Miami? Little Havana, the Cuban district of Miami, isn’t known for its wealth of tourist attractions but more for its distinctive cultural scene. Restaurants and specialty food shops line the streets, and Latin music drifts through the air. Locals socialize in the open spaces. Murals grace the walls of buildings, showing important Cuban figures and scenes of daily life. Calle Ocho is the main thoroughfare running through the district and home to much of the activity, but Little Havana spreads well beyond, into the surrounding streets and avenues. For people-watching, the area offers a great deal of entertainment. And of course, this is the place to come for Cuban cuisine. The Calle Ocho Festival, held in March, is a celebration of Cuban culture and the largest of its kind in the world. Over the years this street festival has expanded to include more Latin American cultures and is now a great way to experience Latin American music and Caribbean cuisine.

Best rated Florida travel destinations by Jill Podehl: At its southern extremes, the Miami area turns agricultural and natural in Homestead, tropical fruit capital and home to a grand new auto-racing speedway. Homestead is also gateway to two extraordinary national parks. Biscayne National Park introduces a world accessible by boat, a world best seen through a snorkel mask. A 40-mile road takes you through Everglades National Park and its subtle beauty, to Flamingo, where a modest lodge and scores of water and land adventure await. East of town, along Tamiami Trail, lies another Everglades access. Nearby, the Miccosukee Indian tribe attracts visitors with a modern casino and a cultural attraction that includes airboat rides to old-style clan camps.

You probably have already heard of South Beach, or “SoBe”, since it’s often considered one of the best, hottest places to go in the city of Miami, Florida. It’s a famous beach that’s packed with visitors most of the time, with its guests often including the famous or wealthy. Adding to its bright and cheery aesthetic are structures and buildings in an art deco style that, against the beachfront flanked by palm trees, make exploring SoBe a great way to spend your time this week or any week. In the mornings, you can enjoy the sun beneath umbrellas or swim out in the cool waters of the tropics, or even participate in some water sports. Read extra details at Jill Podehl West Palm Beach.

If art is your thing, the Wynwood Arts District is a perfect spot to explore the eye-opening world of street art. Find it at Wynwood Walls – an outdoor museum dedicated to the artform – and throughout this hip neighborhood. Or, pay a visit to the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) to peruse its collection of contemporary art of the Americas, housed in a stunning building overlooking Biscayne Bay in Downtown Miami that was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron. Right next door, you can see amazing sights at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, which houses both an aquarium and a planetarium. Delicious food, stunning natural environments, incredible art collections and museums, and fascinating historic monuments all come together to create an amazing city with a lot to share.