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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 button-pushing 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.

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.

There are some scenic routes in Florida that can only be viewed by rail. What a good excuse to hop aboard the Seminole Gulf Railway, which owns and operates over 100 miles of track in Florida.

From a connection with the national rail system at Arcadia between north Naples and between Bradenton and Sarasota, Seminole Gulf is the only freight railroad in southwest Florida, hauling much of the region’s building materials, newsprint, gas, plastics, sugar, stone, recycled materials, steel and other commodities.

Families who board in Fort Myers will love traveling north and across the historic Caloosahatchee Trestle and Drawbridge. A special narration features the history and the environment of the area.

• Dollar Rent-A-Car now offers prepaid tolls for its Florida rentals. Instead of reaching for change, visitors can sign up for the Pass 24 prepaid toll service for $5.95 per day or $27.95 weekly, for all Florida toll charges. Check www.dollar.com for details.
  
• Hertz has a similar program. For a daily service fee of $2.50 (up to $10 a week) customers enrolled in Hertz’ PlatePass can get their actual Florida tolls added to their bills after they turn their car in. To find out about the offer, see www.hertz.com
• Tampa’s first and only dedicated kosher hotel kitchen opened at the Tampa Airport Marriott under the supervision of a local rabbi. Jewish families celebrate 52 Sabbaths and 13 holidays per year. Information at www.marriott.com.