Fun Things To Do in West Palm Beach

For me, West Palm Beach felt like the Beverly Hills of the East Coast. The destination is characterized by manicured palm trees, gorgeous sunset and ocean views, and refined architecture. There are plenty of fun things to do in West Palm Beach - it’s home to the rich and famous after all!

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Hello, my friends. I hope you're having a wonderful week and to my U S jet setters. Hi hope you're having a very happy Thanksgiving week. As most of you may know, Thanksgiving is a time where, or a holiday where Americans reflect on what they're thankful for and they express their gratitude for the blessings in their life. And I just want to begin this podcast episode by expressing how much gratitude I feel for you all to listen to my podcast and to support my journey as a travel content creator. 

Blogger podcaster and luxury travel advisor. I am honored to be able to serve you in this way. And I just am so appreciative of all of the kind comments and encouragement and support. That you've given me over the years. [00:01:00] So thank you this week. I am very thankful for you. And so moving to our content of the week, we are focusing on west Palm beach. And since this is coming out in the month of November, 

West Palm beach is a great place to visit in the winter months. And including this month right now. So if you're looking to go somewhere a little bit warmer still and not super cold west Palm beach is a great option. And I absolutely loved my visit here. It felt like the Beverly Hills of the east coast. 

This destination is characterized by manicured Palm trees, gorgeous sunsets and ocean views and refined architecture. There are plenty of fun things to do in west Palm beach. I mean, it is home to the rich and famous after all. So. Let's jump in to some of the things that [00:02:00] I would recommend for your trip. 

The first is strolling through the SIS, the society of four arts gardens. It was one of my favorite things to do while in west Palm beach, it is pristine and it's beautifully maintained. I was shocked that it is free to visit. If I lived in west Palm beach, I would come visit these gardens every day. 

It's open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily. And the society of four arts gardens has actually been open to visitors of west Palm beach since 1938. The gardens contain renowned sculptures, magnificent florals, pawns fountains, and a diverse variety of plant species. The gardens are separated into themed spaces, including the Chinese garden. 

Fragrant Moonlight garden, Palm garden. [00:03:00] From bromeliad garden, jungle garden, Spanish facade, garden, formal garden, tropical garden and Madonna garden. Self guided walking tours are available and wifi is complimentary food and drink may be enjoyed and picnicking on the furniture is loud. Which again, if I live near here, I would definitely take full advantage of that because it is so tranquil and peaceful. 

Next is to go bar hopping on Clematis street in and in downtown. Located in the historical heart of downtown Clematis street is known for its colorful boutiques art galleries, nightclubs, live music and restaurants. If you're looking for a place to explore into the evening, it's a great choice. As it's lively both day and night. 

You can enjoy Asian inspired cuisine or casual, fine dining, then go out for a night of dancing to live or [00:04:00] DJ music. 

Next I would highly recommend spending a day relaxing at the beach west Palm beach has some absolutely beautiful beaches. So a beach and or a pool day is a must. Now there are quite a few options, but I have three. Recommendations actually for so the first is the breakers. Now the breakers is quite possibly the most exclusive luxurious resort in west Palm beach. 

In fact, I tried to go have cocktails there one And at the time, because there was a big event in the city, they were only allowing guests onto the property. So you could not get in. So try to get a room. I tried to get a room too, and they were fully booked. So, but it is absolutely worth the visit. 

It was founded in 1896 by Henry M Flagler, who I actually will mention again [00:05:00] in this post or this podcast And today the Italian Renaissance style resort is actually recognized as one of America's most iconic resorts. The 140 acre ocean front property contains 10 dining options, a private beach club, four pools, six Whirlpool spas, 25 poolside bungalows and on-site water sports. 

Other onsite amenities include two 18 hole golf courses, 10 hard, true tennis courts. Uh, Forbes five star spa, an indoor outdoor oceanfront fitness center. 13 signature boutiques and an Alfresco shopping Plaza. Admission to the beach club at the breakers allows access to the expansive main pool. The infinity style adults only pool. 

The zero entry, active pool for families and the infinity style south pool, which is home to the private bungalows. This [00:06:00] also allows you access to the five Whirlpool spas and the private beach, thus making the breakers a great option for a beach or pool day. And you can also, if you're more of a pool person, you can get a bungalow which is available for daytime rental. 

Next we have, oh, Palm beach, resort and spa. Now, technically this hotel or this resort is in south Palm beach, not west Palm beach, but they're very close to each other. And this particular property is actually the only independent property in Palm beach to earn the coveted Forbes travel guide five star recognition. So it is also a beautiful hotel to visit. Now. I was able to go to this particular 

And I did see the beaches and the pool myself, and it was beautiful. It was very popular at the time. So definitely get your book, your. Reservation your cabanas. Ahead of [00:07:00] time, but it's well worth it. So, oh, Palm beach resort is actually one of 10. Forbes travel or it's one in 10 in Florida to earn the triple a five diamond award. 

So award-winning obviously now, while private cabanas are available for resort guests only, you also can go to the Palm beach or Palm beach for cocktails and a meal, overlooking the beach without being a guest. So a cabana rental includes bottled water service, personalized magazine selection, and towel service. 

Then, if you get an upgraded option, you can, it can include cold pressed juices, seasonal fruit easels with painting tools, champagne service, and more. You can also request a margarita cart to make cabana side Margarita's. Now, if you don't care to have the personalized service or the [00:08:00] cabana, and you just want to go straight to the beach. 

You can go to Del Ray beach is one of the most accessible beaches in the vicinity and it has underwater rock reefs, which is great for snorkeling. Another popular choice is peanut island and it's popular for snorkeling and sunbathing. It's actually a man made island and it today it's frequented by boaters who like to dock on the islands, shallow waters. And you can just hang out there for a little while. Peanut island was originally made in 1918 and is actually the site of president John F Kennedy's underground. 

Cold war bunker. That bunker is still there today and it was allowing tours. However, it's currently. Indefinitely closed for restorations. So I'm not sure when that's going to open back up again, but the island itself is open for sunbathing and snorkeling. [00:09:00]

Next I w after you've worked up an appetite, I would definitely swing by the warehouse district to try some delicious foods. The warehouse district is home to a best in class food hall. In addition to creative offices, real retailers and local brewery and distillery. So it's the perfect place to spend an afternoon, have a meal. 

I enjoy a tasting and a tour and maybe do some retail therapy. The food hall is called grand view public market. And it's a Haven for nine chef inspired eateries within a 13,000 square foot building. That is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Nearby is the steam horse brewing co and the steel tie spirits company. If you want to 

Tours and tastings. Next up, we have visiting the Henry Morrison Flagler museum. So I told you about Flagler earlier and now we're coming back. [00:10:00] So this was another one of my favorite places to visit. Y'all know how I love Royal residences, especially in Europe. So I would consider this to be like a us version of a Royal residence. 

Flagler museum is known as white hall and white hall was Henry Flagler's gilded age estate with 75 rooms. It's a 100,000 square foot mansion that was completed in 1902. And today it's a national historic landmark. Self guided tours are $26 per adult. And if you enjoy period homes and Royal residents, you'll absolutely love visiting this museum. 

Now another must wall in west Palm beach is to go luxury shopping. I personally am not a big shopper while I'm on vacation. I tend to like to do more like cultural experiences and things like that. But. [00:11:00] There's such good luxury shopping here that even if you just window shop . You gotta go around to these areas because. 

Some of these shopping plazas are just so beautiful. They're chic they're well-maintained. They've got beautiful landscaping and architecture. So let's go through a few of the best shopping areas. The first is worth avenue. Worth avenue is a historic shopping area that was founded in 1938. And it feels very much like rodeo drive in Beverly Hills. 

So worth avenue is it was inspired by European sophistication and it's home to the most exclusive and oldest club in Palm beach called the Everglades Which was built in 1918 by Addison Mizner Meisner. I'm not sure exactly how to pronounce that. Now worth avenue today is home to [00:12:00] 250 high end shops, including Cardiay Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and company, Gucci, Chanel Valentino's and more. 

The oldest store cassette Lee's has been in business since 1923. And after some shopping or window shopping, you should definitely stick around to enjoy some courtyard dining Alfresco, because there are so many little vias. Tucked away in, in this shopping area. And it's just lovely. Alright, next up, we have Rosemary square now in contrast to the historic worth avenue, Rosemary square, which is also just known as the 

Is one of the newest neighborhoods in west Palm beach and it features retail restaurants and inspired living and workspaces. So it's an indoor outdoor mall and it features refined mission, revival, architecture, and POM lined common areas. If you visit at [00:13:00] dusk, you'll definitely want to see the wishing tree because at that time it's all lit up and it's changing colors. 

It's an art installation that resembles an ancient 26 foot Banyan tree with 100,000 individually programmable full color spectrum LEDs that are embedded into 10,000 leaves. It's really fun to watch. And definitely end the night with some handcrafted gourmet. Gluten-free dairy-free ice cream from Angie's Epicurean pop-up, which is just next to the wishing tree. 

Now another spot to visit is the Royal point Poinciana pal Plaza. This was also somewhat historic. It was built in the late 1950s by John Volk in the signature Palm beach style. So everything about this place, screams Palm And this Plaza is another beautiful place for high-end shopping and dining. I would recommend [00:14:00] stopping by Ermez or Jimmy choo before a fine dining experience at Saint Ambrose. It is. 

Uh, beautiful area. And at the time of my visit, there were these gorgeous cherry blossom trees, blooming, and it's just a great spot. And finally there is also antique row and design district. So if you're into antiques, you'll want to stop in the design district with over 40 shops, offering a selection of 17th to 20th century, antiques arts and furnishings. 

It's named as one of the east coasts, premier antique shopping districts. So obviously it's been come to known to be known as the Antique design center of Florida. 

Next we have seen wild manatees at Manatee lagoon. Manatee lagoon is a Palm beach county educational venue. That's completely free to [00:15:00] visit. It gives people the opportunity to view manatees in their habitat in lake worth lagoon, from an observation deck. Flora T Florida Manatee season runs from November 15th to March 31st. 

I visited at the very end of March. So unfortunately I missed seeing these incredible creatures in their habitat. I went and there was not a single Manatee anywhere. So. It's still a beautiful place to visit, but definitely try to visit during peak season in the January timeframe, if possible, if you really want to see manatees. 

During Manatee season, you may see dozens of manatees at once in this lagoon. Now as you can imagine, this place is definitely popular for children, families. But if you steer clear of some of the, The 16,000 square foot center that has like hands-on exhibits and children friendly activities. Then the observation deck itself is peaceful. And it's not [00:16:00] bad. 

It's also, they also have a beautiful promenade. By the sea and that's a lovely place to take a stroll and see some sea cows. 

All right. Next, we have wandering through the mounts botanical garden. Now the mounts botanical garden is Palm beach. County's oldest and largest public garden with over 6,000 species of tropical and subtropical plants. It is a little off the beaten path. It is just behind the Palm beach international airport. So, unfortunately, I can't tell you that it's super peaceful because occasionally you will hear planes flying overhead. 

But it is still a beautiful tucked away. 16 acre tropical Oasis. And I actually saw some species of plants that I've never seen in my life before. So I think it's really worth the visit. They grow a large variety of Florida native plants, but they also do exotic and tropical fruit trees, [00:17:00] ornamentals, herbs, palms, roses, cactuses, succulents bromeliads and more. 

And mission for adults is $12. And if you are at Palm beach county resident, it's actually free on the second Saturday of every month through December, 2022. I don't know if they'll carry that on through the next two, their new year, but the websites currently states through December, 2022. All right, we have a few more. The next two are art related. We've got the Norton museum of art and it has more than 8,200 works within five departments, European, American, Chinese, contemporary, and photography. 

General admission for adults is $18. Or if you go on a Friday to art after dark, it's only $10. Public tours and augmented reality tours are available. Then there's also [00:18:00] the Anne Norton sculpture gardens. And this place is actually set at the former residents of sculptor and Weaver Norton. Who passed in 1982. 

It's now her home is now listed in the national register of historic places. And the two acre property features 250 species of tropical poems, as well as art displayed in the house, in her studio and in the gardens. There are more than 100 works of art by the artist on display, including nine monumental sculptures, eight made of brick and one made of granite. 

And admission for adults is $15. And now we can't wrap up this Roundup for west Palm beach without mentioning polo. Palm beach, locals love their Sunday polo and brunch. And I do too. I went to my first polo brunch match [00:19:00] in Charlottesville in Virginia, and I had a ball. I love it. Polo season takes place in January through April. 

And it's technically in the question centered city of Wellington. So it's not actually in Palm beach, but it's near, so it's definitely making this list. And these polo matches are hosted by the international polo club. And sometimes they have it paired with a sunrise, brunch, or a sunset buffet at the pavilion. 

Which is one of the finest polo venues in Florida. So that's what I've got on the Roundup for west Palm beach. I would love to know if you've been, what else would you add to this list? You can let me know in the comments on social or on my blog. And if you go to west Palm beach or I would love to hear about your trip. 

And if you [00:20:00] need any help planning your trip to west Palm beach. I am a luxury travel advisor, so I can definitely help you. And you can check out my custom travel planning page on my website to get more information on All right i hope you guys have a wonderful week happy thanksgiving and i will talk to you soon