"West Palm Beach & Surroundings " a West Palm Beach Travel Page by sunlovey

The area: South Florida- Palm Beach County-
Spanning from Jupiter to the north to Boca Raton, one of the southern most cities in Palm Beach county.
(Please excuse my brevity, I'll just touch on things now and elaborate later)

Let's start with Jupiter/Palm Beach Gardens... rapidly developing as I type, check out MacArthur State Park's lovely beach, the Jupiter lighthouse, shop at the Gardens mall & experience Waterway Cafe on the Intracoastal on a Sunday night for live reggae.

And for a vast beach with a vintage feel, head over to Singer Island. Shops, snacks, beach gear rentals abound here.

Some would probably argue with me but I feel like West Palm is the center of this area- It runs along the Intracoastal waterway it shares with the ultra-posh Palm Beach (home of The Breakers Hotel, Mar A Lago, Worth Ave., breathtaking mansions, etc.)

There is the old downtown area- the main venue being Clematis street, chock full of nightclubs, bars, restaurants & some shops. During high season (Oct.-April) on Saturday mornings walk east on Clematis until you're at the library, take a left and you'll see the Green Market a bit down the road- boasting fresh fruit smoothies, locally grown veggies, teas, flowers, gourmet dog treats, lavender bunches, fresh squeezed orange juice, coffee etc. Thursday nights, right by the Library, enjoy live music & street vendors for "Clematis by Night." A nice cold beer to the music of a good reggae band is classic.

And then there is City Place, within easy walking distance from Clematis, a newer area of high-end mall type shops, nice restaurants, a comedy club, a muvico movie theater and at it's center, a historic theater which City Place was built around. Expect live music by the grand fountain most weekend nights and Sunday mornings. There is a Starbucks coffee at City Place as well as a couple of take-out type places so you can eat by the fountain if you wish.

When in West Palm, if you fancy art, be sure to check out the Norton Gallery just a couple minutes drive south of City Place. They have a great permanent collection and get really good temporary exhibits like Rodin, Chahouli, etc.

West Palm also has a nice, small zoo which is nestled amidst a wooded area. If you have the time it's worth a visit.

When in the West Palm area do make sure to cross one of the three bridges into Palm Beach for a look, a sometimes extremely pricey bite to eat or for some ultra high-end retail therapy. There are also decent beaches on the island. Visit the Breakers hotel if you can too. Palm Beach is home to the uberwealthy elite.

Heading south, there is Lake Worth, with a quaint up-and-coming downtown area that hosts a great little restaurant, Bizaare Ave. Cafe (i plan to elaborate further on a lot of the places i mention in time) and loads of decent antique shops. Lake Worth beach is popular with young people, it has a fishing pier, a bar and a little plaza with pizza and a great breakfast place called John Gs.

Lantana beach is a nice family oriented beach that shares its sand with the area Ritz Carlton. Lantana has a small downtown area with a few good restaurants and shops & a nice park along the Intracoastal waterway. Tim & I like to come to this beach because it makes for great walks along a stretch of sand where you rarely see another soul. Lantana beach has a nice little place to eat called Dune Deck. Good for breakfast, lunch & sometimes dinner with a bit of a Greek influence. This beach also has outdoor showers & a WC.

On south... to Delray Beach- this is where I think I'd stay if I were a tourist- there are a few hotels and Inn-type places on Atlantic Ave. in Delray's downtown- This street is fantastically packed with great restaurants, charming shops, bars, clubs etc. and it takes you right to a really nice beach.

Then there's Boca- ah Boca.... a wealthy area inhabited by a lot of New York transplants. With a really nice mall (Towncenter), good restaurants & the historic Boca Hotel & Resort.

This is City Place by night.... totally packed with locals and tourists, live music, good restaurants, great shopping, young and old mingle here.