Neighborhood guide
The short answer
West Palm Beach is the county's urban anchor: Clematis Street and Rosemary Square for dining, the Norton Museum of Art for world-class collections, and the Kravis Center for touring Broadway. Brightline connects it to Boca in under 30 minutes.
Local's pickFlorida's largest waterfront music and art festival, taking over the West Palm Beach downtown waterfront over four days each spring with two stages of national acts and fireworks. Buy the multi-day pass and take the Brightline in.
Local's pickAn intimate wine bar with a deep by-the-glass list, charcuterie and a low-lit room that stays conversational — the antidote to a loud night on Clematis.
A compact, shaded 23-acre zoo in Dreher Park with jaguars, Malayan tigers, koalas and a fountain playground that saves the afternoon with young kids. Small enough to finish in half a day without complaints.
Hands-on science exhibits, a 10,000-gallon fish aquarium, a planetarium and an outdoor mini-golf course built around the solar system. The default rainy-day answer in the county.
Palm Beach County's 19,000-capacity outdoor concert venue and the stop for national arena tours all summer. Lawn tickets are cheap, parking is not — carpool and leave early to beat the single-exit traffic.
A 1987 Clematis Street institution and the county's longest-running alternative music club, with touring indie bands, DJ nights and a courtyard bar. Late, loud and cash-friendly.
A 17-day January fair at the Expo Center with rides, livestock barns, headline concerts and an absurd amount of fried food. Weekday afternoons are far quieter than weekend nights.
One of the top five boat shows in the United States, filling the downtown West Palm waterfront each March with everything from centre consoles to 200-foot superyachts. Worth a ticket even if you are only looking.
Spring training home of the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals, with February and March games plus Florida State League baseball into the summer. Berm tickets are cheap and shaded by late afternoon.
The largest croquet facility in the world, with ten acres of lawn in West Palm Beach, public lessons on Saturday mornings and a restaurant overlooking the courts. Whites are traditional but not required for beginners.
A 1,700-acre county park with a water-ski lake, BMX track, nature center, golf course and miles of paved trail. Free to enter and big enough that it never feels full.
A poker room, simulcast racing and a surprisingly good restaurant, open late seven days a week just off Belvedere Road. The main indoor late-night option in the county.
West Palm's walkable open-air district of shops, restaurants and public art, anchored by a lawn with regular free events and a cinema. Easiest downtown parking in the city.
An outlet center on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard with around 100 stores, a Whole Foods and a food hall. The practical stop on a rainy day heading north.
A mile of dealers, decorators and design showrooms along South Dixie Highway, the best browsing in the county for furniture, mid-century pieces and estate finds. Most shops close Sundays.
Palm Beach County's flagship art museum, expanded by Norman Foster, with American, European, Chinese and contemporary collections and free admission on Fridays and Saturdays.
A 23-square-mile wetland that supplies West Palm Beach's drinking water, with free boardwalks, guided canoe trips and a nature center. Quiet on weekday mornings and full of wading birds.
The county's largest performing arts complex: touring Broadway, the Palm Beach Symphony, comedy and dance across three theaters, 30 minutes north of Boca by Brightline.