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Palm Beach: Home of the rich and famous
North of Fort Lauderdale, the
coast continues with a stimulating metropolitan dynamic, but
the level of exclusivity, wealth and cultural offerings jump
up a notch. Perhaps that’s how it earned its nickname as the
Gold Coast. Or perhaps it’s the golden sands that line 47
miles of beach.
 Palm
Beach, in the center of all this, epitomizes the
social climate as a centuries-old playground of the rich and
celebrated. Ever since railroad mogul Henry Flagler brought
his railroad to town and erected fabulous hotels for his
passengers, the town has been synonymous with luxury. One of
the favorite pastimes for modern-day visitors is to simply
drive around the island and gaze at the magnificent
mansions, then head to one of its landmark restaurants to
try and spot a star or government somebody.
For a succinct picture of the wealth that wrought this
kingdom visit Whitehall, Flagler’s Gilded Age mansion and
monument to opulence. Downtown Palm Beach, along famed Worth
Avenue, is celebrated for its Mediterranean-style
architecture and fabulous shops. Theaters, museums and
galleries create an aura of high-brow culture that continues
onto the mainland at West
Palm Beach.
Once the residential area for Palm Beach’s work force, West
Palm today has developed a distinctive personality all its
own. Its downtown Clematis Street District keeps lively with
jolly clubs and restaurants, shops and street festivals.
Norton Museum of Art sets a high standard for the artistic
and for families, there’s a nice-sized zoo, a hands-on
science museum, and, on the western edge of town, Lion
Country Safari, where visitors drive through while lions,
elephants, giraffes and other African animals run free.
Inland and to the north, the region offers two other great
attractions. First, the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
protects the native animals who thrive in an Everglades
environment. A different breed thrives on the unparalleled
selection and quality of golf courses for which the Palm
Beach area is highly touted. Great resorts and clubs host
PGA pros and tournaments, and just regular folks who love to
golf year ‘round.
As you head north, Palm Beach County adopts a stronger
environmental consciousness in parts that were later
developed. Peanut Island preserves a nature sanctuary in the
middle of the Intracoastal Waterway, along with a bunker
that was built for President John F. Kennedy, whose family
owned a home on Palm Beach during the Cuban missile crisis.
John D. Macarthur Beach State Park is an example of pristine
shoreline, with a nature center and environmental programs
to keep it that way through education. In
Juno Beach,
Loggerhead Park and The Marinelife Center of Juno Beach are
committed to nesting sea turtles during the summer months
and host turtle walks and exhibits. In
Jupiter, fish at
the jetty beach park, catch a charter for deep-sea fishing,
visit an art museum, and climb the 1860 lighthouse.
Jupiter Island and
Hobe Sound become
yet more withdrawn from the metropolitan world and more
entrenched in the natural. Environment’s champions include
Blowing Rocks Preserve, Jonathan Dickinson State Park and
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, which conducts
late-night sea turtle patrol walks to look for and mark
nests.
South of Palm Beach, the beachfront stretches to encompass a
litany of upscale communities new and old including
Lake Worth, Manalapan,
Boynton Beach and
Delray Beach. Even the scuba diving in these parts
is upscale, including the "wreck" of a Mercedes-Benz. Luxury
name-brand resorts grace these privileged sands, along with
some small inn gems. Delray Beach, in particular, exudes
yesteryear charm that shows in its accommodations as well as
its downtown shopping district and new cultural loop. Its
Delray Affair festival celebrates its strong sense of
community. On its outskirts, the history of its Japanese
immigrant population is told at The Morikami Museum and
Japanese Gardens, a superbly serene oasis. A developing
orchid garden nearby provides still more sanctuary for the
soul.
This road to riches ends at
Boca Raton, a beach community with much to offer
families as well as lovers of the fine pleasures of shopping
and dining. Visit the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Coconut
Cove Water Park, Little Palm Family Theater and Children’s
Museum. Try Mizner Park shopping and Boca Raton Museum of
Art for something more grown-up. |
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