Best Things to Do in West Palm Beach, Florida

West Palm Beach combines a public waterfront downtown, cultural institutions, parks and preserves, and rail stations with regional service. This guide covers how residents and new arrivals can use them on an ordinary week, organized by type of activity rather than ranked.

Hours, tickets, programming and parking change, so each section points to the official source for current details. For lower-profile places and local history, see hidden gems. For restaurants and bars, see where to eat, drink and hang out.

Art and performing arts

• Norton Museum of Art, 1450 South Dixie Highway. Founded in 1941 by Ralph Hubbard Norton and Elizabeth Calhoun Norton, its collection spans five curatorial departments: European, American, Asian, Contemporary and Photography. A Foster + Partners–designed transformation opened on February 9, 2019, adding 12,000 square feet of gallery space, classrooms, a 210-seat auditorium, and a sculpture garden and lawn. The museum lists free Saturday admission for West Palm Beach residents with ID.
• Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Boulevard. It opened in November 1992, with Dreyfoos Hall, Persson Hall, the Rinker Playhouse and the Cohen Pavilion. It presents Broadway, classical, ballet, opera, jazz and theater.
• Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis Street. A nonprofit theater company downtown that also runs education programs.
• Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, 253 Barcelona Road. The sculptor's historic home and studio with gardens of palms and cycads, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It lists Wednesday–Sunday hours from October through June.
• Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum, run by the Historical Society of Palm Beach County in the restored 1916 Courthouse at 300 North Dixie Highway.

Current programs and tickets: Norton · Kravis Center · Palm Beach Dramaworks · Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens · History Museum

The waterfront and public programming

The City's downtown waterfront faces the Lake Worth Lagoon, part of the Intracoastal Waterway, with Palm Beach island across the water. It's a lagoon edge, not an ocean beach. The public spaces include the Great Lawn at 100 North Clematis Street, the Meyer Amphitheatre at 104 Datura Street and the Lake Pavilion event venue at 101 South Flagler Drive.

Recurring City programming there includes:

• The West Palm Beach GreenMarket, the City's Saturday market in season. The 2025–26 season ran October 4 through May 30, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Clematis by Night, a concert series on the Great Lawn on Thursday evenings, which the City lists as free.
• Sunday on the Waterfront, concerts the City has held at the Meyer Amphitheatre.
• Holiday in Paradise, the City's holiday program built around Sandi, a sculpted sand tree, from early December through New Year's Eve.

Series, dates and terms change, so check the City's community events calendar and the Downtown Development Authority before you go.

Gardens, nature and learning

• Grassy Waters Preserve. The City's preserve in its western water catchment area, with a nature center at 8264 Northlake Boulevard, trails and a public program calendar. See the City's Grassy Waters pages for trail information and programs.
• Manatee Lagoon – An FPL Eco-Discovery Center, 6000 North Flagler Drive, operated by Florida Power & Light. It lists free admission and parking, and its manatee season runs November 15 to March 31. The center itself says there's no guarantee you'll see a manatee. It's open daily in season, and closed Mondays from April 1 to November 14. Check its visit page before you go.
• Mounts Botanical Garden, 531 North Military Trail, part of Palm Beach County's Cooperative Extension. Check mounts.org for hours, admission and events.
• Palm Beach Zoo, 1301 Summit Boulevard, with 23 acres of shaded paths and, it says, free parking. Tickets and hours are on its site.
• Cox Science Center and Aquarium, 4801 Dreher Trail North, formerly the South Florida Science Center. It lists year-round opening except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tickets and hours are on its site.
• Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach, 411 Clematis Street, the City's library.

Making, classes and taking part

• Armory Art Center, 811 Park Place. It offers art classes for all ages and abilities, plus exhibitions, lectures and events. Its building was built in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration in the Art Deco style, and served as a National Guard armory until 1982. It opened as an art center in July 1987. Class schedules are at armoryart.org.
• The Mandel Library's creative spaces, including Art Studio 411 and a Technology & Innovation Center with digital art and 3D printing, plus programs for children and teens.
• Museum education. The Norton's 2019 expansion added classrooms, and it runs public programs alongside its exhibitions. Check its calendar for classes, talks and workshops.
• Volunteering and programs at Grassy Waters. The City lists volunteer opportunities and a public program calendar for the preserve.

Getting out on the water

The lagoon is open to boating, paddling and fishing from many access points. Conditions and rules vary, so check current guidance from the relevant authority before you go, rather than assuming the water is calm or suitable on a given day.

• Peanut Island Park is a Palm Beach County park on the Intracoastal near the Lake Worth Inlet, in Riviera Beach, not West Palm Beach. The county lists it as reached by boat only, open sunrise to sunset for day use, with reserved camping, and notes its swimming area is currently unguarded during the week. See the county's Peanut Island page.
• Ocean beaches are across the bridges on Palm Beach island, which is mostly the separate Town of Palm Beach. Parking, access and lifeguard coverage are set by whoever runs each beach, so check the Town or the county before you go.

Regional access by rail

Brightline's downtown West Palm Beach station has service to Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and Miami to the south, and Orlando to the north. Tri-Rail's West Palm Beach station at 203 South Tamarind Avenue connects to commuter service through Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Travel time depends on the train and the day, and schedules, fares and destinations change, so check Brightline and Tri-Rail when you plan.

Nearby outings outside West Palm Beach

Some of the places most often paired with West Palm Beach sit in other jurisdictions:

• Palm Beach island. Much of it is the Town of Palm Beach, a separate municipality across the lagoon, with its own rules and parking.
• Peanut Island Park, above, is a county park in Riviera Beach.
• Other Palm Beach County parks and natural areas are listed by Palm Beach County Parks & Recreation, including their fees, hours and rules.

How to use the city in a normal month

A practical rotation looks like this:

1. A waterfront outing. A walk along the lagoon, a GreenMarket Saturday in season, or a Thursday Clematis by Night. 2. A museum or performance. A Norton exhibition, or a show at the Kravis Center or Dramaworks, booked from the venue's own calendar. 3. A garden, class or creative session. Grassy Waters, Mounts, a class at the Armory, or a library program. 4. A calendar check. Once a month, scan the City and Downtown Development Authority calendars and each venue's own listings for what's coming. 5. A rail outing. Pick a destination on the Brightline or Tri-Rail line and check that day's schedule and fares before you go.

Plan around the season

Venues and series set their own calendars. Some programs run seasonally, some take breaks, and outdoor plans depend on the weather. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. Check each organizer's current schedule rather than assuming a program runs every week.

For the rest of the city, see what it's really like living in West Palm Beach and the local guide for parking, transit and resources. For homes near any of these places, start from the West Palm Beach community page or the relocation decision guide.