Local's pickRed Reef Park
A 67-acre oceanfront park with a shallow man-made reef 20 yards offshore — the best beginner snorkeling in Boca Raton. Lifeguards, showers, grills and direct access to Gumbo Limbo across the road.
Six beaches, each good at something different. Pick by what you actually want out of the day — reef snorkeling, deep shade, quiet sand or lunch at the end of the street.
The short answer
Red Reef Park is the best beach in Boca Raton for snorkeling, Spanish River Park for shade and picnics, and South Beach Park for a quick swim near downtown. Delray Municipal Beach is the closest beach with restaurants and rentals on the sand.
Local's pickA 67-acre oceanfront park with a shallow man-made reef 20 yards offshore — the best beginner snorkeling in Boca Raton. Lifeguards, showers, grills and direct access to Gumbo Limbo across the road.
Local's pickBoca's biggest beach park: 95 acres of Australian pine shade, picnic pavilions, a 40-foot observation tower and tunnels running under A1A to nearly a mile of quiet sand. The best pick for a full day with a group.

A compact, lifeguarded stretch of sand just north of the Boca Inlet with a raised pavilion overlooking the ocean. Easy in-and-out for a short swim or a sunrise walk.

Two miles of wide public sand directly at the end of Atlantic Avenue, with metered parking, chair and umbrella rentals and dozens of restaurants within a five-minute walk.

A well-kept, lifeguarded Boynton beach with a boardwalk, dune walkovers and one of the calmer swim areas in the county on a north wind.