Take away the mosquitoes and sunburns, and Carlin Park might just be a bit like heaven.

From one of the prettiest beaches, to the outdoor amphitheater where music and theatre come alive, to a breakfast spot that’s a favorite of locals and visitors, the 120-acre park has something for, well, just about everybody.

Joan Hutchinson has been working for Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation for nearly 20 years. She isn’t supposed to have a favorite park but Carlin Park has a special place.She’s helped organize dozens of activities there, from the hugely popular Safe Harbor Celebrity Dog Wash rock concerts to the annual Shakespeare Festival, in its 22nd year at the park, but the events she likes the best?

“The successful ones,” she laughs. “It’s a balancing act to attract business to the park without doing harm to the environment. We can handle the people. But can we handle the cars?” Trolley services have been the answer to that dilemma, Hutchinson says.

And business is picking up, she says, with more people and organizations hosting events in Palm Beach County. The upcoming Palm Beach World Offshore Championship, a powerboat race that will be held in the waters from Carlin Park to the Juno Beach Pier in October, will bring in an estimated $4 million to Palm Beach County and attract about 10,000 spectators.

But you don’t need to wait for a big event to enjoy Carlin Park.

Here are five reasons to visit this weekend:

The amphitheater: A little culture by the beach

Seabreeze Amphitheater, one of three amphitheaters in Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation’s family, hosts about 10 major events each year (country star Kix Brooks recently performed there), and Melissa Turner, a recreation specialist who handles planning events, would like to double that.

“We like to help first-time event organizers plan their events. They get personal attention and we’ve had lots of experience,” Turner said. “The park is here for the residents and it makes us happy to help people plan safe, successful events.”

One of the most popular events is the annual Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival which premiered at the park as Shakespeare by the Sea in 1990. For the first 17 years, the PBSF staff built their own stage on the grass. There was no power source (they brought in generators), and no dressing rooms.

But in 2009, the new $1.2 million amphitheater opened, with 5,400 square feet of space, which included power, dressing rooms, offices, costume storage, a bathroom and even a green room where actors could wait before they go onstage. Its official capacity is about 2,000 but the verdant lawn seems to stretch on forever.

This month, the Shakespeare Festival will feature Twelfth Night. Performances are at 8 p.m. through Sunday and July 19-22. (See Hap Erstein’s theater column in today’s TGIF for more info.)

Duke’s Lazy Loggerhead Café: Breakfast on the beach

This popular cafe doesn’t care if you’re in a beach cover-up and flipflops. That’s status quo at this eatery located just steps off the sand. A favorite of locals and tourists, the menu is simple yet savory. You can get a basic breakfast of coffee, eggs, hashbrowns, juice and toast or a fluffy stack of banana pancakes for under $10. For lunch, their fresh fish sandwiches are favorites, but you can also get a good All-American Angus beef burger served with chunky steak fries.

The walls are decorated with original oils of beach scenes painted by local artists, and the service is fast, familiar and friendly. It even tied with Lake Worth stalwart John G’s for best beach breakfast in Palm Beach County in Zagat’s 2004 issue.

The beach: Of course!

When folks say something’s ‘a day at the beach,’ this is what they mean: 3,000 feet of guarded beach frontage flat enough for a stroll; craggy, seaworn rocks that attract a bevy of sea birds and marinelife; 50 shades of blue waves garnished with pale seafoam.

You might even find a real piece of treasure, too, washed up from one of the ships that sank offshore in the 1700s.

Think you can’t enjoy the beach because you’re in a wheelchair? The lifeguards have a beach-surf wheelchair. Another bonus: At the south end of Carlin Park, dogs are allowed — the only place in Palm Beach County where you and your dog can enjoy the beach together. The Fido-friendly section stretches 2 ½ miles from crossover #59 south to crossover #25, near the Juno Beach pier. Dogs are not allowed in lifeguarded areas of Carlin Park, but they are allowed, on leash, throughout the park.

The Jupiter Civic Center: Romance by the beach

Its name is a bit misleading, but that hasn’t hurt its popularity.

Not officially part of Carlin Park (though it’s so close most think it is), the town of Jupiter owns the site, which is booked solid every weekend with weddings and reunions, birthday parties and graduations.

The single-story Depression-era building built in the ’30s once housed a restaurant, the Ocean Side Bar & Grill, that didn’t have walls but did have a fireplace. It failed. Talks about turning the property into a restaurant in 2009 were quashed by protests from residents. No one wanted to replace the unique, beachside venue with another food factory.

In fact, it’s charming. The crashing waves and the rustle of seagrape just outside add romance to the rustic structure. And with reasonable rental rates, $250 for weekdays and $375 for weekends, it can be hard to get a booking. The city began accepting reservations for 2013 at the beginning of July. One caveat: To lease the facility, renters must own or be sponsored by a Jupiter business.

Sports of all kinds: Exercise on the beach

It’s almost a mini Olympics. Whether it’s a watersport or one played on terra firma, Carlin Park has what you need to play, even if all you need is water. More than 200 people showed up for Palm Beach County Rescue’s Ocean Mile Swim at Carlin Park in Jupiter July 7.

Its three playgrounds are separated by age groups. Softball fields, tennis courts, running trails, 20 exercise stations, sand volleyball and bocce ball courts are meticulously maintained by the maintenance staff.

After the game, you can have a picnic beneath the shade of one of the shelters.

Got something bigger in mind? Consider reserving one of the three pavilions.

So, looking for a lot to do outdoors this summer? It’s hard to argue that Carlin Park doesn’t have it all.