Local's pickDelray Beach$$
Atlantic Avenue Bar Crawl
Two walkable miles of patios, rooftops and live music between Swinton Avenue and the ocean. Start at Pineapple Grove around 7pm and work east.
Things to Do in Boca Raton
Reef snorkeling, wetland boardwalks, museums, free concerts and a nature center that costs nothing. Start with a category, or browse everything below.
The short answer
The top things to do in Boca Raton are snorkeling the reef at Red Reef Park, visiting Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, walking the Mizner Park sculpture garden and museum, picnicking under the pines at Spanish River Park, and watching wading birds from the Wakodahatchee Wetlands boardwalk.
Everything to do in Boca Raton
Local's pick
Local's pickBoca Raton$
Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
A free coastal nature center on a barrier island hammock, with four saltwater tanks, a sea turtle rehabilitation facility and a boardwalk that climbs to a 40-foot observation tower over the mangroves. Summer turtle walks are the single most-booked family activity in Boca Raton.
Local's pickDelray Beach$$
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
Sixteen acres of six distinct Japanese gardens, a koi-filled lake, a bonsai collection and a museum of Japanese art, plus the Cornell Cafe for bento lunches. Allow three hours.
Local's pickBoca Raton$
Sugar Sand Park & Children's Science Explorium
A 132-acre municipal park with a free hands-on science museum, a carousel, a huge wooden playground and a shaded willow theater. The Explorium is the best rainy-day option in Boca for kids under 12.
Local's pickBoca Raton$
Boca Raton Inlet Jetty
The rocks at the south side of the Boca Inlet are the city's best free vantage point for watching yachts run the pass, plus reliable shore fishing at an outgoing tide.
Local's pickWest Boca$
Daggerwing Nature Center
A free county nature center in South County Regional Park with a half-mile elevated boardwalk over a cypress wetland, live exhibits and a two-story observation tower.
Local's pickBoynton Beach$
Green Cay Nature Center & Wetlands
A free 1.5-mile boardwalk over 100 acres of constructed wetlands. Go at sunrise for alligators, roseate spoonbills, otters and purple gallinules without leaving the walkway.
Local's pickJupiter$
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum
An 1860 red brick lighthouse you can climb — 105 steps to a 360-degree view over the Loxahatchee River and the inlet — plus a small waterfront history museum and nature trail.
Local's pickDowntown Boca$
Sanborn Square Green Market
A downtown Saturday morning market under the banyans at Sanborn Square: produce, bread, prepared food and live acoustic music. Free to browse, seasonal from fall through spring.
Local's pickWest Boca$
Sunset Cove Amphitheater
A lakeside county amphitheater in South County Regional Park with a free and low-cost concert series — bring a blanket, arrive early, and watch the sun drop behind the lake.
Local's pickWest Palm Beach$$
The Blind Monk
An intimate wine bar with a deep by-the-glass list, charcuterie and a low-lit room that stays conversational — the antidote to a loud night on Clematis.
Local's pickDelray Beach$
Wakodahatchee Wetlands
A three-quarter-mile boardwalk loop across 50 acres of ponds — arguably the best free bird photography spot in South Florida, with nesting wood storks and great blue herons in spring.
Mizner Park$$
Boca Raton Museum of Art
The county's leading contemporary art museum, anchoring the north end of Mizner Park with rotating exhibitions, a modern and contemporary permanent collection and an outdoor sculpture garden that is free to walk.
Mizner Park$$
Mizner Park Amphitheater
A 4,000-capacity open-air amphitheater on the Mizner Park green hosting touring concerts, the Festival of the Arts BOCA and free community nights under the stars.
Mizner Park$$
Blue Martini Boca
A Mizner Park mainstay with live bands seven nights a week, a long martini list and a patio that spills onto Plaza Real. The default first stop of a Boca night out.
Downtown Boca$
Boca Raton Children's Museum
A small, charming hands-on museum inside two restored 1912 pioneer houses, aimed squarely at kids aged 2 to 8. Ideal for a rainy morning downtown.
Boca Raton$
Boca Raton Resort Beach Club Bike Path
The El Rio Trail runs a shaded, paved six miles along the El Rio Canal from Yamato Road to Palmetto Park — the city's best flat run or family bike ride away from traffic.
Palm Beach Island$$
Flagler Museum
Whitehall, Henry Flagler's 1902 Gilded Age mansion, preserved with original interiors and his private railcar. The best single stop for understanding how Palm Beach County came to exist.
West Palm Beach$$$
Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
The county's largest performing arts complex: touring Broadway, the Palm Beach Symphony, comedy and dance across three theaters, 30 minutes north of Boca by Brightline.
Palm Beach Island$
Lake Trail, Palm Beach
A flat, car-free 5.5-mile paved path along the Intracoastal on Palm Beach Island, passing mansions, banyan tunnels and marina views. Rent bikes near the Royal Poinciana end.
West Palm Beach$$
Norton Museum of Art
Palm Beach County's flagship art museum, expanded by Norman Foster, with American, European, Chinese and contemporary collections and free admission on Fridays and Saturdays.
Delray Beach$$
Silverball Retro Arcade
A pay-one-price room of restored pinball machines and classic arcade cabinets on Atlantic Avenue. Works equally well as a rainy afternoon with kids or a late-night detour.
Boca Raton$$$
The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum
A professional Broadway-style musical house with an attached costume museum holding thousands of original Broadway garments. Dinner-and-show packages run most weekends.
Palm Beach Island$$$$
Worth Avenue
Four blocks of luxury storefronts and hidden Mediterranean vias with courtyards, fountains and climbing bougainvillea. Window-shopping and photographing the vias costs nothing.