27 Aug 7 of Our Favorite Adventures in Palm Beach County, FL
Micah and I lived in South Florida for 4 years, and we’ve visited the area more times than we can count. We even had a destination wedding and got married in Palm Beach County, in Delray Beach, FL, to be exact. After moving to Florida, our home base was on the southern edge of the county. Over the years, we’ve explored just about every corner of the county. So, we thought it would be fun to put together a list of our favorite adventures in Palm Beach County.
It’s hard to narrow down our top adventures in the area—there is just so much to see and do. But after much deliberation, we decided that the following nine adventures in Palm Beach County topped our list. Read on to learn more about full moon kayaking, art after dark, beaches, sea turtle rehabilitation centers, blowing rocks, fun neighborhoods to explore, a Japanese museum and garden, and dining on the Intracoastal waterway.
SUP or Kayak During a Full Moon
Around 30 minutes north of Palm Beach, you can go on a fun evening adventure with Jupiter Outdoor Center. Several times a year, JOC offers full moon kayaking and SUP excursions. Paddlers set out on a two-hour adventure just before sunset and paddle along the Jupiter Inlet. During our kayak session, the water was calm, and the scenery was gorgeous. We got to explore the inlet and see the lighthouse, wildlife, and bridges. We loved watching the sun dip below the horizon before seeing the full moon in all its glory.
If a full moon tour isn’t on the schedule, there are plenty of other paddling options to check out, as well. Jupiter Outdoor Center also offers “Sunset and Stargazing Tours”, “Mangrove Mystery Tours”, rentals, and more.
Art After Dark at the Norton Museum of Art
One of our favorite museums in South Florida is the Norton Museum of Art, and we especially loved exploring the galleries during the Art After Dark events. Art After Dark is a free weekly series where the museum is open late into the evening on Fridays. The museum is home to a wide range of exhibits and collections including a concentration of American, European, and Chinese pieces, as well as contemporary photography and art.
In addition to wandering around the museum at Art After Dark, visitors can attend talks, listen to live music, participate in art activities, watch performances or films, and grab a drink or food from the museum’s restaurant and bar.
Hiking at Blowing Rocks Preserve
For a dose of nature and history, head to Blowing Rocks Preserve which is also located around 30 minutes north of Palm Beach. The landscape at the preserve is made up of Anastasia limestone shoreline. The restored preserve is one mile long and looks like the barrier islands in South Florida did around 100 years ago. During high tide or after storms, the waves break on the rocky shoreline and can force the seawater to shoot up in sprays around 50 feet high. When we visited the park, there weren’t any recent storms, but we still managed to see an abundance of rock spray during high tide—it was beautiful and so different from the rest of the beaches in South Florida.
While exploring the park, you will find three nature trails with informational signs along the way, a beach for snorkeling, swimming, and diving, an abundance of plants and animals, and exhibits at the Hawley Education Center. Spending a few hours at the preserve is a great way to slow down and soak up gorgeous and unique nature.
Visit the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
Another one of our favorite museums in South Florida is the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. The museum is located in Delray Beach, about 30 minutes south of Palm Beach. There is a museum on site that showcases Japanese art and artifact exhibitions, and there are six separate gardens outside to walk around. The grounds are beautiful and make for a wonderful spot to go for a relaxing stroll.
In addition to the museum and gardens, the Morikami has a restaurant called the Cornell Café, and they hold a variety of events such as the Lantern Festival and Sushi and Stroll evenings. They also offer classes to hone your skills in Ikebana flower arrangement, ink painting, calligraphy and sushi making. The wide variety of landscapes, events, exhibits, and workshops, make this a spot worth visiting again and again.
Learn about Sea Turtle Rehabilitation and Watch a Hatchling Release
For a truly unique experience, head to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center or the Loggerhead Marinelife Center to learn all about Florida’s native sea turtles. Both facilities offer a variety of unique experiences where you can learn all about adorable sea turtles. Tour the rehabilitation facilities or go on an excursion to the beach for guided turtle walks or hatchling releases.
We’ve been lucky enough to see sea turtles nesting on the sand during late night beach walks but joining a hatchling release experience was an adventure on another level. Visitors will learn all about the journey of sea turtle hatchlings and how difficult it can be for them to survive. The hatchling release programs help the struggling turtles get a leg up on survival and visitors can watch the turtles be released into the ocean.
We had such a great time joining a hatchling release—getting an up-close look at some of the sea turtles and then watching them scamper into the ocean made for an uplifting night and an amazing experience. This was definitely one of our all-time favorite adventures in Florida.
Dock and Dine at a Restaurant on the Intracoastal Waterway
One of our favorite memories of Florida is the evenings spent dining at a restaurant on the intracoastal waterway. The intracoastal is an inland waterway that runs north and south—all the way from Boston to the southern tip of Florida. Portions of the waterway are lined with houses, restaurants, and marinas, and you can often boat right up to restaurants on the banks of the waterway.
A few of our favorite intracoastal restaurants are Two Georges, Banana Boat, Old Key Lime House, Guanabanas, and Deck 84. There’s nothing quite like relaxing next to the water on a warm Florida night, especially if there’s live music involved, which there often is!
Swim, Snorkel, and Relax at the Beach
Last but not least, you can’t have a list of activities in Florida without mentioning a few beaches! There’s an abundance of beaches to pick from in Palm Beach County, all the way from the north part of the county to the south.
Some of our favorite beaches include Delray Beach, Gulfstream Park, Red Reef Park, John D. Macarthur Beach State Park, Juno Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Boynton Beach, and Palm Beach. I feel like almost every beach in the county is pretty great though, so you really can’t go wrong with any of them!
Have you ever been to Palm Beach, FL? What are your favorite adventures in Palm Beach County?
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