The past two months, I have seen educational presentations at the Breakers Environmental Learning Center in Daytona Beach (13 S. Atlantic Ave.) that include Florida wildlife. August focused on bees, and the end of September featured a “cold-blooded meet-and-greet.” While these events have passed, you can stay up to date with future activities at DaytonaBeach.gov/activities. It got me thinking about other animal encounters in the Daytona area.

The Ormond Beach Environmental Discovery Center

The Ormond Beach Environmental Discovery Center at Central Park (601 Division Ave.) is a quick, free stop to see local animals, plants, and a huge beehive. They are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., for self-guided tours around the fish tanks and informational exhibits of native plants and animals. Outside and always open, they have plaques describing native plants and wildflowers. Central Park is a great place to see wildlife, especially along the wooden walkway between Division Ave. and Hand Ave., where a former Pine Trail Elementary School class placed markers identifying the birds and plants in the park.

PURe Joy Cat Café

For a less wild and more cuddly animal experience, PURe Joy Cat Café in Daytona Beach (1120 Beville Rd., Suite C) is a family-owned, local business that connects customers with feline friends.

They have both an adult cat room and a kitten room, where you can spend time with the animals while considering adoption. There’s plenty of seating to relax with a purring cat or play with them using toys. At any time during your visit, our entrance fee includes a drink and cookie, plus time to explore the cat themed gift shop. You can sign up for an hour time slot on their website, purejoycatcafe.com. You can even do yoga with the cats on Saturdays.

Port Orange Community Trust

An annual event is the Port Orange Community Trust “Family Days,” which is continuing its pet parade this year. On Sunday, Oct. 13, starting at noon, the “Halifax Veterinary Pet Parade” will make its way around the water at City Center (1000 City Center Cir., Port Orange). Participants are encouraged to dress their pets in “team spirit” gear. This event is always fun for participants and spectators. If you’d like to enter your pet, you can do so at poctrust.org.

Of course, there are always zoos and theme parks, but my kids and I enjoy the low-key animal encounters hosted by cities and local businesses. The hardest part is convincing my kids that we can’t bring home every animal we meet! I should mention again that you can adopt cats from PURe Joy, but please don’t tell my girls that.