Palm Beach County Florida - The Best Of Everything. Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Welcoming the HMS Bounty to the Palm Beaches

Welcome to The Palm Beaches, Florida – or as I like to call it, Paradise Headquarters. I grew up here in The Palm Beaches, and in my thirty- (ahem) years, I’ve always been amazed at how much there is to see and do right in my own backyard. I love the beach, of course, but that’s just the beginning to the array of activities waiting to be discovered.

Take our cultural scene, which is a thriving collection of art exhibits, performing art venues, museums, historical landmarks and terrific community concerts and music festivals. Cultural and heritage-based experiences are as prominent as our 47 miles of sand and surf. The Norton Museum of Art, the Flagler Museum, were frequent family field trips when I was a kid. The Boca Raton Museum of Art and the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens are just a couple of other gems throughout our menu of cultural experiences. The new Palm Beach County History Museum is also a wonderful place to discover the area’s rich and multi-faceted history. Admission is free.

Speaking of history, I recently joined the crew of the Hakuna Matata catamaran as part of a welcoming flotilla during the arrival of the HMS Bounty when it sailed into the Palm Beaches on a beautiful November morning. I have to say, getting up early on a Saturday morning was not my first choice. But wow, was it worth it.

Appearing right out of another time in history, the tall ship sailed into the Lake Worth Inlet, and is now being hosted by the Palm Beach Maritime Museum. Wintering in the Port of Palm Beach, the Bounty will be with us until April 2010. The tall ship is an exact replica of the original HMS Bounty and was commissioned by MGM Studios for the 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty.

I watched the majestic arrival of the tall ship as it approached Peanut Island, where the Bounty is now docked courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard. From the deck of the Hakuna Matata, I could see the edges of Singer Island to the north.

My parents met each other on the beach at Singer Island back in the 1950s, when malt shakes and poodle skirts were in fashion. Now-a-days, you can still enjoy a malt shake while sitting on the seawall, but there are a few more options to make your day at the beach better than ever. Up and down the coastline on Singer Island, courtesy of VisitPalmBeach.com, you can go parasailing, rent wave runners, and charter a fishing excursion and a whole lot more.

Another option – take a whole day to explore Peanut Island. In the early 60s, during John F. Kennedy’s presidency, Palm Beach was the home of the “Winter White House”. Now-a-days, the Palm Beach Maritime Museum overseas President Kennedy’s old security bunker, which is located on Peanut Island.

Peanut Island is packed with fun-in-the sun good times. Picnic tables, snorkeling, camping, boating; it’s a haven for eco-adventure seekers and quality family fun. As of November 28, the Maritime Museum is inviting everyone to tour the Bounty every Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Wednesday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Adult tours of the tall ship cost $9 per person. Students are only $5 with proper I.D.

So, pack your flip flops, grab a snorkel and mask – don’t forget the sunscreen – and check out Peanut Island for the day. Tour the HMS Bounty and stand where Marlon Brando stood on the deck as he was chastised by Captain Bligh; spend a little time reliving history in the Kennedy Bunker; and bring the family for a day of picnicking and snorkeling. It’s all in one spot, on Peanut Island.

For more information on the Palm Beach Maritime Museum and touring the HMS Bounty, visit pbmm.org.