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.
Free Things to Do in Boca Raton
Boca has a reputation for being expensive. Most of the best hours here — the reef, the boardwalks, the sunrise — cost nothing.
The short answer
Free things to do in Boca Raton include Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, the Boca Raton Museum of Art's outdoor sculpture garden, the El Rio Trail, the Boca Inlet jetty, free concerts at Mizner Park Amphitheater, and the Wakodahatchee and Green Cay wetland boardwalks.
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 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 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 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.
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$
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Gumbo Limbo Nature Center free?
- Yes. General admission is free with a suggested donation. Ticketed programs such as guided sea turtle walks are extra.
- Are there free concerts in Boca Raton?
- Yes. Mizner Park Amphitheater and Sunset Cove Amphitheater both run free outdoor concerts throughout the season.