Abacoa Neighborhood walks, Jupiter

Abacoa, a master-planned community in Jupiter, has lovely sidewalks lined with trees, where you pass fountains, parks, and colorful townhouses and cottages with front porches. Most master-planned communities in Florida are gated, leaving nowhere nice for people to walk. But Abacoa is not, and it is great for walking! In the early morning or late afternoon, there is plenty of shade since the townhouses are tall and there are sidewalks on both sides of the road- this is the only time of day you will want to walk because South Florida is hot! When you walk, don't stop, because there are mosquitoes early and late in the day.

Starting in the south of Abacoa, east of Central Blvd, you will be at Osceola Woods neighborhood, where you can admire the circular decorative reliefs, resembling wax seals, on the side of the buildings. There are fountains in the woods here and palm-lined streets. Next, you come to The Sophia Apartments, which has a winding path beside the creek, as well as a long park with a Southern-style gazebo. Cross the bridge over the creek on Promenade Way, heading east, and you will see gopher tortoises peeking out of holes! Explore Cambridge neighborhood- it has adorable Victorian-style homes (some with oval-shaped window doors) and Colonial-style houses with white picket fences, and Cambridge Playground. The streets beside the forest are the nicest since you can see the tall pine trees, thatch palms, and blue-green palmettos catching the light. There is a circle of benches by the forest at 124 Newcastle Drive that are sweet to walk past. Head North across Frederick Small Rd and you come to Valencia, an upscale neighborhood with large Mediterranean-style homes and deluxe landscaping. The southeast end of Valencia neighborhood has a breezy tree-lined pond with fountains, and a bridge on Barcelona Drive that passes over it. This is a nice place to walk. Somerset is next, with cute condos and townhomes painted in pale Caribbean yellows and blues, and coconut trees by the pool and playground. Across Dakota Drive, you will find Canterbury Place neighborhood, with homes painted in popping colors of orange, pink, and royal palm green, that look so good with the tropical greenery. The roof dormers are cute, like doll houses. A pond with fountains circles the neighborhood. It's nice to walk the path along the pond at 107 Arklow Ave. The bridge with white ironwork railing at 116 Bandon Lane is also cute, and offers a lovely breeze. You have now reached the northern end of Abacoa.
To the west of Central Blvd, there are more Abacoa neighborhoods though they are more barren and less interesting. These used to be strawberry fields rather than forest, so they don't have a forest backdrop like the neighborhoods east of Central Blvd. They also have few ponds or water features. Starting in the south, you can walk from Abacoa Town Center, where you can get a coffee at Crux Coffee Roasters, to Charleston Court, a neighborhood of tall townhouses with Caribbean-style shutters and balconies, and impressive rows of royal palms plus a fountain at 4270 Main Street. Next you come to Tuscany neighborhood, with pleasant houses under small oak trees. Walk east along Jeaga Drive past the middle school to Mallory Creek neighborhood, which has a really cool pond at 1400 Jeaga Drive lined with royal palms and crossed by stone bridges. This area has no shade, but I like the pale Caribbean townhomes with silver roofs. Walk north on Mallory Blvd and Community Drive to see more Caribbean-style houses and palms trees. 
Other neighborhoods that it's best to drive to, since you have to cross busy main roads to get to them are: New Haven neighborhood, which has Colonial-style and sweet Victorian-style houses, New Haven Playground, and a heavy cover of oak trees. And Botanica, a memorable spot with a lake with high fountain at Thatch Palm Circle, a walking path through the forest under the power lines, a wildlife area with wooden boardwalk on Botanica Drive, a park with a clocktower at Royal Palm Circle where kids love to play imaginative games, and colorful houses with many architectural styles. Botanica has a shopping center called Sea Plum Town Center, with nice outdoor seating at Starbucks, a pale Caribbean tower, and beautiful royal palms. The backdrop of black ironwood tree forest makes Botanica special. 
Interspersed between the Abacoa neighborhoods are areas of forest preserve, called Abacoa Greenway, where gopher tortoises roam protected. These have fine white sugar sand trails and forest of palmetto, palms, and tall pines. There are animals and also red ants, so this walk is more adventurous than the sidewalk!
Abacoa is three miles inland from Juno Beach, which also has a fantastic walk along Ocean Drive.
Similar to Abacoa is Celebration in Orlando, another master-planned, walkable town with cute houses.