Palm Beach, known for its swanky sun, sugar-sand beaches and lush greenery, is also full of old-fashioned glam, laid-back charm and hidden treasures. Sure, there are plenty of those classic South Floridian trimmings: big dreamy mansions, award-winning golf courses, swimming pools and stone crabs. You’ll also uncover surprisingly unique cultural destinations including an old cinema house, global culinary delights and of course, the Gold Coast’s majestic natural beauty.
(Photo credit: Discover The Palm Beaches Florida)
Below are our “best of” hits for experiencing this small city’s big ambitions.
Foodies: Around the World, Palm Beach Style
Situated in a cool, airy, whitewashed room with warm wood seating, the creative small plates at Buccan offer dishes like a hot dog panini and wood-fired spicy pork tacos. Across town in Palm Beach Gardens, the casual-rustic, farm-to-table Cooper Restaurant celebrates locally sourced ingredients and makes nods to small-batch distillers and craft brewers. For healthy bites in a rustic-chic setting, Farmer’s Table in Boca Raton serves bowls of ancient grains, vegetable flatbreads and veggie burgers.
Feel like French cuisine? Stop in at the highly-touted Pistache, which spins its own take on traditional fare including moules frites and steak tartare, while its outdoor patio is perfect for wine sipping.
And for oceanside dining, Brandon’s, at the beachy-chic Tideline, is a dynamite spot for locally sourced seafood like cedar-roasted Atlantic salmon, while the accompanying Mizu, a sushi and sake bar, aims to quell any craving for fresh Gulf fish (ocean dragon roll, anyone?).
Mouthwatering specialty sushi and sake at Mizu.
History & Culture: Gilded Age Mansions, Golden Age Cinema and Polo
Long known as the major attraction in Palm Beach, tour the well-traversed Flagler Museum for a glimpse at what life was like in a gilded-age mansion with 55 rooms (yes, you read that correctly). Flagler, one of the founders of Standard Oil, spared no expense with elaborate architecture, original 19th-century furnishings and even a hidden staircase. Of course, you can’t get much more quintessential Palm Beach than polo. Watch a match at the prestigious International Polo Club, where some of the world’s great players compete (the season runs from January to April).
The majestic Whitehall Grand Ballroom at the Flagler Museum. (Photo © Flagler Museum)
Tour the historical nuclear fallout shelter, The Kennedy Bunker on Peanut Island built during the early 1960’s Cuban Missile Crisis to protect the President in case of a nuclear emergency. There’s also a nearby county park with tours offered by the Palm Beach Maritime Museum. For a peek into serious oceanic life, the family-friendly Loggerhead Marina Life Center is home to giant rescued sea turtles.
Active + Wellness: Tee Times, Spas and A Stroll in the Wetlands
With seventeen of the top twenty-five golf courses in Florida, you can expect some world-class greens at your fingertips. Pick up an exclusive passport from the Palm Beach Convention Bureau. Catering to all skill levels, play three rounds on three unique courses for $88. Elsewhere, the manicured Okeeheelee Golf Course offers vista views of Clear Lake, while luxe 5-star resort-style golf can be found at either the Boca Raton Resort and Club or the beautiful, Audubon International-certified Osprey Point.
Sunset over the Boca Raton Resort Golf Club. (Photo credit: Discover The Palm Beaches Florida)
Spaaaa-h! Need a few hours escape from your iPhone? We recommend some good ol’ fashioned relaxation. Channel your inner calm at Tideline Spa with a revitalizing menu of massages, a deluxe Resurfacing HydraFacial, or an Ocean Jasmine Glow to enhance circulation.
After you’ve been pampered, partake in some water activities – various charter companies offering fishing, parasailing and tubing. Alternatively, a visit to the highly accessible 50-acre Wakodahatchee Wetlands gives you a first-class ticket to Florida’s vast ecosystem and 140 species of burgeoning wildlife including wading birds, bitterns and waterfowl.
Where to stay: Kimpton Tideline Ocean Resort and Spa, a breezy, contemporary gem in this picturesque stretch of the Atlantic.
