In a hurry? Attendees don't have to miss out. Several gardens, museums and vibrant piers are perfect for short excursions. The following attractions can be enjoyed in an hour or two.
- Between multiple gardens and an extensive collection of art and artifacts, there's a lot to see at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, but there are ways to condense the experience.
"If groups are on a tight schedule, a self-guided tour would be more relaxing," says Miyoko Carman, group tour representative at the museum. "Also, if they come in the morning, it's quieter. I come a half-hour early every morning just to walk around. It's peaceful. You get rejuvenated."
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Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Marietta Museum of Art and Whimsy in Sarasota offers free admission and a variety of paintings, sculpture and mixed-media artwork.
- Take your time, or breeze through, Pier Park, a shopping and entertainment destination in Panama City Beach. But be sure to set aside a few minutes to ride the carousel, Ferris wheel and other midway rides at Miracle Strip, which just moved to a larger location at Pier Park.
- A compact size and in-town location make West Palm Beach's Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens an easy fit on a tight itinerary, though people have been known to linger for hours, taking in the monumental works of sculptor Ann Weaver Norton, who came to the area in 1942 to teach at the Norton Gallery and School of Art, and later married its founder, Ralph Norton. The many works of art, the artist's studio and lush gardens also make the Sculpture Garden popular for group events, though the site is first and foremost a cultural institution, says Cynthia Palmieri, executive director of the gardens.
"It's a different type of experience—a wonderful break when you can see something at a pace that's not so frenetic," she says. "Yet we're about six minutes away from the convention center and five minutes from the airport. You can bring a group in on the way to the airport."
