Best Things to Do in Jupiter, Florida

Jupiter's best public experiences are built around the inlet, the beaches, the Loxahatchee River, a set of County and Town parks, a working 1860 lighthouse, and a steady calendar of theatre, baseball and Town events. None of it is a secret, and none of it depends on knowing a local. What it does depend on is checking the official source for conditions, hours and rules on the day you go, which is why every entry below links to one.

Use the contents list to jump to the kind of outing you want: the lighthouse and history, a beach day, the dog beach, the river or a paddle, nature and wildlife, a waterfront walk, or a game, a show or a Town event. For restaurants and bars, see our separate eat, drink and hang out guide.

Lighthouse and history

The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse was first lit on July 10, 1860, and it is still an active aid to navigation. The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, run by the Loxahatchee River Historical Society at 500 Captain Armour's Way, offers climbing tours, a museum in the restored World War II naval housing building, and guided programs. Hours, ticket prices, climbing requirements such as the minimum height for children, and closures for weather or daily safety limits are on that page and change, so read it before you drive over.

The tower stands inside the Bureau of Land Management's Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area, a 120-acre site at the meeting of the Loxahatchee River and the Indian River Lagoon, with a hardened trail and boardwalk through coastal habitats and a shoreline beach. The BLM lists it open dawn to dusk; access to specific areas can be restricted for restoration or events, and that page is where to check.

Across the inlet, the DuBois Pioneer Home, built in 1898 on a prehistoric shell mound inside DuBois Park, is listed with the mound on the National Register of Historic Places. The County schedules tours of the house; the park is open daily.

Dog beach: the exact corridor

Not every Jupiter beach allows dogs. The Town's Dogs on the Beach page and the County's Jupiter Dog Beach page define a designated 2.5-mile corridor from dune crossover marker #26, north of Ocean Cay Park at 2188 Marcinski Road, to marker #57 at the Carlin Park property line.

• Dogs may be off leash within the corridor, under voice control and supervised, and leashed between the car and the sand.
• Dogs are not permitted in lifeguarded swimming areas, except ADA service animals.
• Owners clean up after their dogs. Friends of Jupiter Beach provides bags at the crossovers.
• Beaches in Jupiter Inlet Colony and Juno Beach belong to those towns and run on their own rules.

Rules, access points and closures can change. The Town's Beaches page lists the crossovers and who maintains each, and the County's beach conditions page is the day-of check.

River or paddle: Riverbend, the Waterway Trail and public launches

Two different rivers show up under one name. The federally designated Wild and Scenic reach of the Loxahatchee is a specific section of the Northwest Fork, upstream from the Town's waterfront. The lower river through Jupiter is tidal, shared with boat traffic, and joins the Intracoastal and the inlet. Plan for the one you are actually paddling.

Riverbend Park**, 9060 Indiantown Road, is a 644-acre County park on the Northwest Fork with hiking, biking, equestrian and paddling trails. Its rules page matters: no pets other than ADA service animals, no motorized vehicles on the trails, and tents or canopies only with prior approval. The County notes that the canoe trails are navigable in normal to high water and close in drought, so check the park page and the water level before you load the kayak.

**The Jupiter Waterway Trail** is the Town's network of paddling routes connecting the river, the Intracoastal and the inlet, with a downloadable launch-site map. Public launches the Town lists include Burt Reynolds Park on U.S. 1, Sawfish Bay Park on Alternate A1A, and Waterway Park on Indiantown Road. Boat ramps, trailer permits and ramp rules are on the Town's Boating and Ramps page.

What this section won't do is tell you the water will be calm, the tide will cooperate, a rental will be available or wildlife will show up. Tides, wind, boat wakes and currents near the inlet are real, and every launch page above is the place to check conditions and rules first.

Nature and wildlife

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary** is a wildlife hospital and nature center at 17855 Rocky Pines Road, in the Jupiter Farms area of unincorporated Palm Beach County. Its grounds hold trails and habitats for animals that cannot be released, and its visit page carries current hours, programs, what to bring and admission information, all of which change.

**The River Center**, on the east side of Burt Reynolds Park, is the Loxahatchee River District's environmental education center, with exhibits and aquariums about the river and its watershed. Programs and open hours are on its page.

Jupiter Ridge Natural Area**, 1800 South U.S. 1, is a County natural area of more than 270 acres of scrub, flatwoods, marsh and mangrove with three short trails and an observation platform over the tidal channels, open sunrise to sunset.

Sea turtles nest on Jupiter's beaches from March 1 through October 31, the season Palm Beach County and the Town use. Marked nests are off limits. The FWC's sea turtle lighting guidance explains the principles for beachfront light; which rules apply to a particular property is set by location and by the Town, County and state, not by this page. Seeing a nest or a hatchling is never guaranteed.

Waterfront walk: the Riverwalk, in its current state

The Town's Riverwalk is a multi-phase public corridor along the eastern shore of the Intracoastal, south of the inlet. The Town says it will provide approximately 2.5 miles of public access upon completion. Sections are open and in use; others are still planned, so do not count on one continuous path from a restaurant to a park.

The Town's Riverwalk map and points of interest and public access pages show the entry points and parking, which include Jupiter Ridge Natural Area at the south end, the Plaza Down Under beneath the Indiantown Road bridge, and Harbourside Place. Our Riverwalk guide walks the open sections, and the Harbourside Place guide covers the entertainment district beside it.

Stadium, theatre and current public events

Schedules change every season, so this section links rather than lists:

• Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium** in Abacoa hosts Major League spring training and minor-league baseball. The current schedule, tickets and parking are on the stadium's site.
• Maltz Jupiter Theatre**, the Town's regional theatre, publishes its season, single tickets and calendar on its site.
• Carlin Park After Dark** is the County's free live-music series at the Seabreeze Amphitheater in Carlin Park. Dates are posted by the County each season.
• Town of Jupiter special events** and the Town calendar list community events and how to register.

Before you go

One place for the links you will actually use on the day:

• Beach conditions and flags: the County's beach conditions page and its about our beaches guide to guard hours and flag colors.
• Beach access and dog rules: the Town's Beaches and Dogs on the Beach pages.
• Lighthouse visits: the hours, tickets and notices page.
• Riverbend and the water: the Riverbend page, the Waterway Trail and the Town's ramps page.
• Schedules: Roger Dean, the Maltz, Carlin Park After Dark and the Town calendar.
• Weather, closures and storms: the Town's storm hub and Notify Me alerts, plus each venue's own page for closures.

Nearby, clearly labeled

These are outside the Town of Jupiter. We give no travel times; each is in a different municipality with its own rules and its own page.

• Blowing Rocks Preserve**, Hobe Sound, on Jupiter Island in Martin County. A Nature Conservancy preserve with a limestone shoreline and short trails. Hours, parking limits and closures are on its page.
• Loggerhead Marinelife Center**, Juno Beach. A sea turtle hospital and education center with exhibits and guided tours, on its own schedule.
• Jonathan Dickinson State Park**, Hobe Sound, Martin County. The largest state park in southeast Florida, with trails, paddling on the river and ranger programs. Fees and hours are on the state parks site.

For more Jupiter, read what living in Jupiter is really like, the local guide and our hidden gems.