Florida Family Getaways - 2008 - (Page 4) shorts ON THE ROAD By Jennifer Michaels Florida Natural’s Grove House A visit to the Sunshine State wouldn’t be complete without a taste of Florida’s Natural brand orange juice. The company’s Lake Wales grove in Central Florida offers a private glimpse of its juice-making and provides a history lesson for the kids in the guise of a fun stop. Take a break from highway driving and relax on a front-porch rocker as you test the native citrus juices at the Grove House. The cracker-style visitor center houses a theater, where guests watch a 14-minute how-to video about making o.j. – from choosing the right orange to cleaning and packaging. The history of Lake Wales is also highlighted for visitors. In the museum, mementos and artifacts help trace the history of Florida’s Natural juices. For the younger set, there’s a buttonpushing machine that demonstrates the peeling process. And, of course, all kids like to push buttons (no pun intended)! Gift items like lemon trees, orange trees, Florida’s Natural T-shirts, orange-scented candles and candy delicacies are all on hand so you won’t go home empty-handed. These make great souvenirs for teachers and friends back home. Dinosaurs Roar into Miami See rare dinosaur fossils from China at the Miami Science Museum’s exhibition The Dinosaurs of China. The show is a collection of some of the world’s finest and rarest dinosaur fossils, including 52 actual dinosaur fossils and 14 mounted skeletons. The highlight of the show is the 85-foot long fossilized skeleton of Mamenchisaurus jingyanensis, one of the longest-necked dinosaurs to have ever lived. The exhibition, which runs through the summer of 2008, also includes feathered dinosaur fossils that show how birds are descended from dinosaurs. Dinosaur fossils from China are some of the best preserved, most diverse, and most scientifically important in the world. It was in the 1990s in China’s Liaoning province that scientists found dinosaurs covered in clearly distinguishable feathers. “The fossils from Liaoning Province on display at the Miami Science Museum are exquisitely detailed and contain soft-tissue structures almost never preserved in dinosaurs,” says Dr. Matthew Lamanna of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and scientific advisor to the exhibition. Information at www.miamisci.org. If you go: Florida’s Natural Brand Grove House 20160 US Highway 27, Lake Wales, 863-679-4110, 800-237-7805 x4110 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday 10 a.m.- 2: p.m. Saturday (Seasonal). Closed Sunday. Closed Memorial Day through end of September www.floridasnatural.com 4 VISITFLORIDA.com/family http://www.floridasnatural.com http://www.miamisci.org http://VISITFLORIDA.com/family
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