Phipps Ocean Park

2145 S. Ocean Blvd

(561) 832-0731

Tours are given weekday mornings.

Free.

A beautiful beach, some picnic tables, and grills, plus a Palm Beach County landmark in the Little Red Schoolhouse. Dating from 1886, it was the first schoolhouse in what was then Dade County.

Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens

253 Barcelona Rd.

(561) 832-5328.

Wed.-Sun. 11-4 (call ahead; schedule is not always observed) or by appointment. This monument to the late American sculptor Ann Weaver Norton, second wife of Norton Museum founder Ralph H. Norton, consists of charming 3-acre grounds displaying seven granite figures and six brick megaliths. The plantings were designed by Norton, an environmentalist, to attract native bird life.

John D. Macarthur Beach State Park

Almost 2 miles of beach, good fishing and shelling, and one of the finest examples of subtropical coastal habitat remaining in southeast Florida can be found here. Guided walk is available to a mangrove estuary along the upper reaches of Lake Worth.

William T. Kirby Nature Center

Open Wednesday-Monday from 9 to 5and features exhibits on the coastal environment.

10900 Rte. A1A, North Palm Beach

(561) 624-6950

Lion Country Safari

Southern Blvd. West

(561) 793-1084

Van rentals available

Daily 9:30-5:30 last vehicle in by 4:30.

Drive (with car windows closed; no convertibles or pets) on 8 miles of paved roads through a 500-acre cageless zoo where 1,300 wild animals roam. Lions, elephants, white rhinoceroses, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, chimpanzees, and ostriches are among those in residence. Special exhibits include the Kalahari Bushvelt, designed after a South African plateau and containing water buffalo and Nilgai (the largest type of Asian antelope), and the Gir Forest, modeled after a game forest in India and showcasing a pride of lions.  Excellent CD narration of each area.  Borrow and return the CD at admission center.    Following the safari, spend the day at the Lion Country Park.  Rides, food, animal exhibits, and a ptting zoo.  Enjoy a ride on the Safari Queen cruise.  A full day of fun for the whole family.

Norton Museum Of Art

1451 S. Olive Ave.

(561) 832-5194.

Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. 1-5

Constructed in 1941 by steel magnate Ralph H. Norton, this museum boasts an extensive permanent collection of 19th- and 20th-century American and European paintings with special emphasis on 19th-century French Impressionists. There are also Chinese bronze and jade sculptures, a sublime outdoor patio with sculptures on display in a tropical garden, and a library housing more than 3,000 art books and periodicals. Nine galleries showcase traveling exhibits as well as art from the permanent collection.

Palm Beach Zoo At Dreher Park

1301 Summit Blvd.

(561) 533-0887 or (561) 547-9453.

Daily 9-5 (until 7 on spring and summer weekends).

This excellent zoo is a 23-acre complex with more than 500 animals representing more than 100 species, including Florida panthers, red kangaroos, and Bengal tigers. Tropics of America, has six acres of tropical rain forest plus Mayan ruins, an Amazon river village, and an aviary. Also of note are a nature trail, an Australian Outback exhibit, and a children's zoo.

Loggerhead Park Marine Life Center

1200 U.S. 1 (entrance on west side of park), Juno Beach, 627-8280. Donation welcome. Tues.-Sat. 10-4, Sun. noon-3.

Established by Eleanor N. Fletcher, "the turtle lady of Juno Beach," the center just south of Jupiter focuses on the natural history of sea turtles. Also on view are displays of coastal natural history, sharks, whales, and shells.

Lake Worth Municipal Park

Rte. A1A at end of Lake Worth Bridge

(561) 533-7367.

Pool. Daily 9-5.

This recreation area on the Atlantic Ocean has a beach, Olympic-size swimming pool, fishing pier, picnic areas, shuffleboard, restaurants, and shops.

Arthur R. Marshall-Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

10119 Lee Rd., off U.S. 441 between Boynton Beach Blvd. (Rte. 804) and Atlantic Ave. (Rte. 806), west of Boynton Beach

(561) 734-8303

Daily 6 AM-sunset; visitor center weekdays 9-4, weekends 9-4:30

Entrance fees apply.

The refuge, established in 1951, is the last remnant of land in the northern Everglades in South Florida. It was acquired in an effort to protect migratory birds, endangered species and the remaining 147,368 acres of northern Everglades habitat. Celebrate Florida's National Wildlife Refuges. Discover the uniqueness of the Florida Everglades as you participate in a variety of programs offered free of charge. Be sure to bring a camera and binoculars to explore the nature trails or canoe trail. Look closely for anhingas, fulvous whistling ducks, smooth-billed anis, egrets, herons, alligators and turtles. Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is full of surprises.

Morikami Museum And Japanese Gardens

4000 Morikami Park Rd

(561) 495-0233.

Park and museum Fee charged except free Sun. 10-noon. Park daily sunrise-sunset; museum Tues.-Sun. 10-5; café Tues.-Sun. 10-5.

At this 200-acre cultural and recreational facility, there is a beautiful Japanese imperial-style villa with a display that recalls the Yamato Colony, an agricultural community of Japanese settlers who came to Florida in 1905. Gardens include the only known collection of bonsai Florida plants. There are also programs and exhibits in a lakeside museum and theater, as well as a nature trail, picnic pavilions, a library and audiovisual center, and a snack bar. Café serves light Asian fare.

Boca Raton Museum of Art

Mizner Park, Boca Raton

Designed by Fort Lauderdale architect Donald Singer, the museum is on a sliver of land at the north end of Mizner Park. It is a two-story, 44,000-square-foot facility.

In 1999, two children passed a paper cup around Mizner Park, collecting $4 in change toward a proposed new museum. They proudly presented their gift to the Museum which at that time was in crowded, temporary quarters and able to only display 3 percent of its extensive collection. From that important beginning, it took only three years to raise  $13.3 million in cash and pledges, which was over and above the project's original $10 million goal. The result is a stunning museum complex.  The building has an outdoor sculpture garden, an auditorium, children's education center, and library.

American Orchid Society

(561)  487-6552.

Once housed in a Palm Beach mansion, the Orchid Society recently opened at its new headquarters on the grounds of the Morikami Museum

Featured are hundreds of breeds of orchids, the most common of which is the traditional prom corsage orchid, and the decorative dendrobium, a long stalk ranging from 4-18 inches with multiple flowers.

Christopher's Christmas Shoppe

North Palm Beach

(561) 848-4500

Visit the elaborate indoor/outdoor holiday displays, caroling by local choirs, surprise visits by Santa Claus for youngsters. A 13,000-square-foot building features quaint year-round Christmas Shoppe. Travel back in time with genuine antique Christmas ornaments and decorations.

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center

1801 N. Ocean Blvd.

(561) 338-1473

Donation welcome; turtle tours extra (tickets must be obtained in advance). Mon.-Sat. 9-4, Sun. noon-4; turtle tours late May-mid-July, Mon.-Thurs. 9 PM-midnight.

Children enjoy are the four huge saltwater sea tanks containing an abundance of sealife -- from coral to stingrays. A long boardwalk winds through dense forest to a 50-ft tower you can climb to overlook the tree canopy. In the spring and early summer, staff members lead nighttime turtle walks to see nesting females come ashore and lay their eggs.

Herbert Hoover Dike

115 East Main Street, Pahokee, Florida

(561) 924-5579

Named after the late president, it was built after the devastating hurricane of 1928 when various man-made dikes failed to control the high waters of Lake Okeechobee. The Dike is surrounded by the beautiful Lake Okeechobee, the second largest lake in the United States, with 730 sq. miles of shoreline. Picnic area and campground available.

Historical Society of Palm Beach County

400 North Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, (561) 832-4164

Located in downtown West Palm Beach, the Historical Society is primarily an archive and research facility. It is dedicated toward collecting and preserving all materials, especially primary source materials, pertaining to the history of Florida and in particular Palm Beach County. The Society's collection is diverse, including letters, diaries and journals, periodicals, photographs, scrapbooks, postcards, maps and one of Florida's largest collection of architectural drawings. There is a winter lecture series. Stop in, visit and see Florida in the past. Hours 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Tuesday- Friday. Membership available.

Hoffman's Chocolate Shoppe & Gardens

5190 Lake Worth Road

Greenacres

(561) 967-2213

For generations, the Hoffman family has been creating melt-in-your-mouth chocolate masterpieces using only the finest ingredients. Each year more than 150,000 visitors are received at the Hoffman's Bavarian-style Tudor factory to watch the creations being made and to tantalize their senses with more than 80 varieties of confections. Located just in the back of our chocolate factory are the lush tropical gardens through which visitors stroll alongside colorful foliage, stopping to view the waterfall, fish pond, and a G-scale train village with 500 feet of track, while enjoying a chocolate treat. From Thanksgiving through the New Year, Hoffman's transforms the gardens into a Winter Wonderland with over 200,000 lights and brilliant displays. Visitors from near and far arrive at Hoffman's to view and enjoy this free event.

Jupiter Lighthouse

U.S. Highway 1 and Highway A1A, Jupiter, (561) 747-8380

The oldest existing structure in Palm Beach County and one of the most photographed structures in South Florida. Open Sunday - Wednesday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Last tour begins 3:15 p.m.) weather permitting. It is a strenuous climb. Visitors must be in good health and at least 48 inches tall. For your safety, please wear shoes fastened in the back.

Kravis Center for the Performing Arts

701 Okeechobee Blvd.  West Palm Beach, FL

(561) 832-7469

West Palm Beach’s premier concert theater.  The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts houses three theaters:  Dreyfoos Hall, Gosman Amphitheater, and Rinker Playhouse.  The facilities include the Eunice and Julian Cohen pavilion, which houses a public restaurant, a meeting and banquet area, and a five floor parking garage. 

Last Galleon

Jupiter, (561) 747-7700

The only facility in the U.S. where the public is invited to watch the archeological process on artifacts being recovered from what is believed to be the oldest Spanish Galleon found in Florida waters. Please call in advance.

Roger Dean Stadium

4751 Main Street

Abacoa, FL (Jupiter)

(561) 775-1818

The $28 million Spring Training Complex/Stadium was specially designed to hold two baseball teams at one time.  Spring Training is held at this state of the art facility in February and March for the Florida Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals.  The Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals are at home in the stadium from April-August. 

Loxahatchee Everglades Tour

Boca Raton

(561) 482-0313

Enjoy air boat tours, and see Florida the way it used to be. Loxahatchee Everglades Tours are open to the public.. Guided tours are available every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A one-hour environmental tour is available for reservations of parties 15 or more.

Manatee Queen

Behind The Crab House, Jupiter Island, (561) 744-2191

Sightseeing Tours 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. daily. Sunset cruise 5-6:30 p.m. Enjoy the evening along the Intracoastal Waterway.

Mariah Sailing Catamaran

Located at the North Palm Beach Marina, east of U.S. Highway 1, east of the North Palm Beach Country Club.

(561) 844-3297 Reservations

(561) 329-4122 Cellular

Mariah is a 49-passenger sailing catamaran offering 3 1/2 hour sailing adventures on the Atlantic Ocean and the protected waters of the Lake Worth Lagoon. Scheduled sails: Thursday 10 a.m.; Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.; Sunday 1 p.m.; Private group charters anytime. Snorkeling trips available.

Marinelife Center of Juno Beach

14200 U.S. Highway 1 at Loggerhead Park, Juno Beach, (561) 627-8280, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday; and noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday. No admission charge. Donations Appreciated.

Visit endangered sea turtles in a rehabilitation facility. Aquariums & marine life exhibits help visitors understand the fragile environment.

Mounts Botanical Gardens

531 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach

(561) 233-1749

Tour a collection of tropical and subtropical plants, including fruits, citrus, rose garden, hibiscus, herb garden, xeriscape, a rain forest and more. 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday.

Okeeheelee Nature Center

Forest Hill Boulevard

West Palm Beach

(561) 233-1400

Walk along the nature trails that wind through 100 acres of native pine flatwoods and wetlands. The center's 2.5 miles of trails include paved trails designed to be accessible to strollers and the handicapped. They feature soft surface trails leading into more remote areas of the sanctuary. The spacious visitor center offers hands-on exhibits and the gift shop offers items related to natural history

Palm Beach Polo and Country Club

South Shore Boulevard, Wellington

(561) 930-POLO.

Home to world-class polo. During the season, from January through mid-April, as many as 6,000 horses may be on the grounds. Polo riders and horses are brought in by team-owner patrons from throughout the world to participate in the oldest sport on horseback. Palm Beach Polo continues to host the U.S. Open Polo Championships. Matches are held every Sunday afternoon during season. Special matches are often held, featuring well-known celebrities.

Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club

Pierson Road, Wellington, (561) 793-JUMP

Home of Stadium Jumping, Inc. and International Equestrian events such as the Cosequin Winter Equestrian Festival. The annual stadium jumping event draws the elite during its run from January to March and is a proving ground for our United States Equestrian Team in the sport of Show Jumping and Dressage. Call for event schedules.

Palm Beach Princess

Port of Palm Beach

(561) 845-SHIP (from Jupiter to Boynton Beach)

or toll free (800) 841-7447

Offering day and evening coastal cruises, the ship travels to international waters where passengers may enjoy gaming, entertainment and a world class buffet. Sailing from the Port of Palm Beach.

Palm Beach Water Taxi

Based out of Sailfish Marina & Resort, Singer Island.

(561) 683-TAXI

Offers daily narrated Sightseeing Tours such as "Palm Beach Now & Then", and "Nature Lovers Tour" and Sunset and Moonlight Cruises.

Waterway transfer service is also available to and from downtown West Palm Beach's Clematis Street District; Palm Beach Garden's Waterway Cafe, Sailfish Marina & Resort, Singer Island; waterfront attractions, restaurants & bars; Peanut and Munyon Islands; and special events.

Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park

1301 Summit Boulevard

West Palm Beach

(561) 533-0887

Open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Call 547-WILD for special event information and summer and holiday hours.

Discover why The Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park is the number one family attraction in Palm Beach County. This intimate, 23-acre tropical zoological garden is home to more than 400 animals representing Australia, South and Central America, Asia and Florida. The zoo is committed to the preservation of several endangered species including the Komodo dragon, bengal tiger, lemur, cotton top tamarin, golden lion tamarin, Florida panther, and features the nation's first outdoor exhibit of Goeldi's monkeys. Enjoy the children's area and reptile house. Explore the Cornell Nature Trail and shaded paved walkways throughout the zoo. Enjoy refreshments at the Treehouse Cafe and search for treasures at the Zoo Gift Shop.

Rapids Water Park

6566 N. Military Trail

West Palm Beach

(561) 842-8756

Rapids Water Park is South Florida's foremost family water park with over 12 acres of attractions. Plunge down 1,600 feet of spiraling flumes, dare to ride out the storm in Tubin' Tornadoes or blast off in the new Body Blasters enclosed slides. Get totally tubular in the quarter-mile action river, wave channel, aquatic rain forest and 25,000-square foot Big Surf Wave Pool. Little ones can also make a splash in the new Splish Splash Lagoon with 5 slides, a fort, shipwreck and water shooting canons. The Rapids is open from mid March through mid October in West Palm Beach.

Sawgrass Recreational Park

Take Turnpike South to I-75.  I-75 to Hwy. 27 N. Exit.

1-800-457-0788 for directions and information

Fax (954) 389-9425

Everglades tours at Sawgrass Recreation Park show the real Florida - the "sea of grass." See the Everglades by airboat, visit an Indian village, alligator and reptile exhibit and birds of prey.

South Florida Science Museum

4801 Dreher Trail North

West Palm Beach, (561) 832-1988

Admission charged.

Children under 3 are free. For more information call 832-1988.

At the South Florida Science Museum, dozens of hands-on permanent exhibits as well as special traveling exhibitions appeal to all ages. The McGlinty Aquarium features tanks with Pacific and Atlantic species as well as Mangrove & Coral Reef habitats. The Aldrin Planetarium offers star shows and spectacular laser light concerts. The Museum is open Mon. - Thurs, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Fridays from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sundays from Noon-6 p.m. On Friday nights the Telescope Observatory is open for sky viewing from dark to 10 p.m. (weather permitting.) Special traveling exhibits also.

Yesteryear Village

South Florida Fairgrounds

West Palm Beach, (561) 793-0333

First established in 1992, Yesteryear Village is now a major attraction at the South Florida Fairgrounds. In addition to being open during the 17 days of the South Florida Fair in January, the Village is host to two events during the year:  Summer Fair in May and Christmas in the Village in December. Yesteryear Village is also home to the  Bink Glisson Museum. Creative artisans and craftsman, along with historic re-enactors bring the past to life in a wholesome entertainment venue.

Attractions on the Island in Palm Beach

Henry Morrison Flagler Museum

1 Whitehall Way

(561) 655-2833

Tues.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. noon-5

The tour,  with well informed guides,  takes about an hour. The opulence of Florida's Gilded Age is still apparent at Whitehall, the palatial 73-room mansion Henry Flagler had built in 1901 for his third wife, Mary Lily Kenan. Then-famous architects John Carrère and Thomas Hastings were instructed to spare no expense in creating the finest home they could imagine. They did as they were told, and Whitehall rivals some of the fine palaces of Europe. In 1960 Flagler's granddaughter, Jean Flagler Matthews, bought the building, which had been the Whitehall Hotel from 1929 to 1959, and made it a museum. On display are many of the original furnishings, an art collection, a 1,200-pipe organ, and exhibits on the history of the Florida East Coast Railway, including Flagler's personal railroad car, the Rambler.

The Breakers

Originally built by Henry Flagler in 1895 and rebuilt by his descendants after a fire in 1925, this luxury hotel was one of the starting points of Florida tourism. It resembles an ornate Italian Renaissance palace and recently received a $100 million dollar renovation. The lobby of this five star hotel has painted arched ceilings hung with crystal chandeliers, and an ornate Florentine Dining Room which is hung with 15th-century Flemish tapestries.

Originally, Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway was designed with a stop right on the grounds of the Breakers for the convenience of affluent guests traveling from all parts of the country for a Florida holiday.

Mid-Town Beach

This small beach directly east of Worth Avenue is especially popular because it is so close to town. The only parking meters along Ocean Boulevard, (the only convenient public beach access), are found between Worth Avenue and Royal Palm Way. 400 S. Ocean Blvd. Other parking is reserved for residents of Palm Beach who are issued special parking decals.

Area Shopping

Worth Avenue

Comparable to Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive or Palm Desert's El Paseo, Palm Beach's Worth Avenue is a must for the discriminating shopper.

The Esplanade

Newly renovated, this two story shopping promenade now emulates the Mediterranean revival-style architecture made popular by Addison Mizner in the 20's. It is the perfect setting for elegant boutiques, fine dining and of course, Saks.

Downtown at Palm Beach Gardens has added acres of upscale shopping, restaurants, gourmet groceries, and entertainment to the trendy Gardens Mall area. 

City Place (561) 366-1000 Great restaurants, sidewalk cafes, old world architecture, fabulous boutiques and shops, musical fountains, live entertainment, trolley, horse drawn carriages, bicycle taxis, movie theater.  All in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach near the Convention Center.

Clematis Street (561) 833-8873  The entertainment and nightlife center of West Palm Beach.  Arrive by trolley or water taxi and enjoy restaurants, retail shops, Saturday Green market, Thursday's Clematis by Night, Sunday at the Meyer, Brown Bag Concerts, and more.