The Best Day Trips from Boca Raton

Boca Raton sits in the southern corner of Palm Beach County, which makes it a perfect base for exploring the rest of South Florida. Every trip below is doable in a day with a car, and most are under 45 minutes away.

1. Delray Beach (15 minutes north)

Best for: walkable downtown, nightlife, art.

Atlantic Avenue runs a mile from I-95 to the ocean, lined with restaurants, galleries and bars. Park once and walk. Visit the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in west Delray — 16 acres of gardens, a museum and a café, and one of the most peaceful places in the county. End at the public beach at the foot of Atlantic Avenue.

2. Palm Beach Island (40 minutes north)

Best for: architecture, history, window-shopping.

Drive A1A north for the scenic route past oceanfront estates. On the island, walk Worth Avenue for its Mediterranean-revival courtyards ("vias"), tour the Flagler Museum (Henry Flagler's 1902 Gilded Age mansion, Whitehall), and bike the Lake Trail, a paved path along the Intracoastal past some of America's most expensive backyards.

3. West Palm Beach (35 minutes north)

Best for: museums, waterfront, food.

The Norton Museum of Art is the region's finest art museum. Downtown's Clematis Street and the waterfront host markets and free concerts — the Saturday West Palm Beach GreenMarket (October–April) is one of Florida's best farmers markets. Rosemary Square has shopping and dining.

4. Jupiter and Juno Beach (60 minutes north)

Best for: nature, lighthouse, sea turtles.

Climb the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse (1860) for views over the inlet. The Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach is a free sea turtle hospital. Kayak the Loxahatchee River, Florida's first federally designated Wild and Scenic River, through cypress swamp. Jupiter's dog beach is the closest to Boca that permits dogs.

5. The Everglades: Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (30 minutes west)

Best for: alligators, birding, wild Florida.

The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee NWR is the northern remnant of the Everglades. A short boardwalk through cypress swamp and the Marsh Trail levee almost guarantee alligators in winter. Bring water and bug spray; there is minimal shade. Airboat rides operate nearby.

6. Lake Okeechobee (75–90 minutes northwest)

Best for: rural Florida, fishing, big skies.

Florida's largest lake is ringed by a 110-mile levee trail. The town of Pahokee has a marina and lakefront campground. It is a world away from the coast — sugar cane fields, small diners and enormous sunsets.

7. Fort Lauderdale (35 minutes south)

Best for: beach promenade, boats, Las Olas.

Walk Las Olas Boulevard, take a water taxi along the canals ("the Venice of America"), and stroll the beachfront promenade. Bonnet House is a historic estate with gardens and resident monkeys.

Planning tips

• Traffic: I-95 is fastest outside rush hours (7–9am, 4–7pm). A1A is slower but beautiful.
• Tolls: Florida's Turnpike requires SunPass or toll-by-plate; rental cars usually include a transponder program.
• Heat: For nature trips, start early. Midday in the Everglades in summer is brutal.

Find more ideas in Things to Do and our travel pages.