Visitors Guide to Delray Beach, Florida

Located just south of Palm Beach and less than an hour drive away from Miami, the resort city of Delray Beach, with its over two miles of sandy beaches, offers visitors many attractions and activities to do while on holiday on the east coast.

Once named "Most Fun Small Town in the USA" by Rand McNally and USA Today, Delray Beach counts a historic downtown, gorgeous gardens and parks, world-class tennis centers, golf courses, galleries, and unique boutiques.

What to do in Delray Beach

Delray Beach's main attractions are obviously its beaches. With its two miles of public beachfront where visitors can rent all the equipment necessary to relax, such as chairs and cabanas after having fun playing volleyball, swimming, shelling, building sandcastles, or just chillin' under the sun.

Scuba diving and snorkeling in the clear warm Atlantic waters are also two of the most popular activities to do. The beaches and parks tourists can enjoy are Delray Beach Municipal Beach, Anchor Park, and Atlantic Dunes Park.

Delray Beach isn't just sand. Sports fans will find many activities to do, starting from golfing.

The Delray Beach Golf Club opened in 1926 with its nine-hole course designed by Donald Ross. It is located off of Atlantic Avenue, just three miles west of the historic Downtown Delray Beach area.

This gem is a meticulously manicured championship track featuring a restaurant, instructors for beginners, and a catering service for special events.

Delray Beach also hosts several tennis facilities like the Delray Beach Tennis Center with its 14 clay courts and 6 hard courts, an 8,200 seat stadium, an upstairs pavilion and conference room, and a pro shop with a locker room, racquet stringing, and merchandise. The club also has a second location, the Delray Swim & Tennis Club, which features 24 clay courts and a clubhouse, a pro shop with merchandise, and locker rooms.

While enjoying their beach holiday at Delray Beach, tourists can also visit the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. The museum houses 5,000 Japanese art objects and artifacts, including a 500-piece collection of tea ceremony pieces, more than 200 textile items, and fine art masterpieces.

It has 200 acres of expansive Japanese gardens with strolling paths, resting areas, a bonsai collection, small lakes teeming with koi and other wildlife, nature trails, pine forests and park, and picnic areas.

Other popular attractions in Delray Beach are :

• The Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, dedicated to African-American history and heritage. Exhibits are ranging from photographic galleries of founding families to contemporary shows.
• The Pineapple Grove Arts District, located just off of Atlantic Avenue on NE 2nd Avenue. This artistic area with colorful murals hosts galleries, shops, restaurants, Arts Garage, Chamber of Commerce, the Hyatt Place Hotel, and Artists Alley.
• The Sandoway Discovery Center, a nature center where visitors of all ages can learn about South Florida's fragile marine and freshwater environments thanks to its educational exhibits and programs. It also features native plants, live animals, and an extensive collection of shells from around the world.

Shopping in Delray Beach

Shopping in downtown Delray Beach, with its brick sidewalks, historic architecture, antique shops, gift shops, boutiques, art galleries, offers visitors a unique shopping experience.

Everyone can find something to buy here, from swimming/snorkeling gear to dresses for brides and bridal.

Lovers of fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits must visit Bedner's Farm Fresh Market at 381 NE 3rd Ave Delray Beach, FL 33444.

Accommodation and dining in Delray Beach

Delray offers visitors many accommodation options and a wide choice of restaurants and cocktail bars where to eat exquisite food and have fun till late at night.

Among the accommodation options there are:

• Delray Breakers On The Ocean, a boutique hotel located on two acres with a private white sandy beach, offers oceanfront suites and ocean view apartments equipped with kitchen, pool, mini-golf, and other amenities.
• Colony Hotel & Cabaña Club, located on Atlantic Avenue in the heart of Delray's historical centers, can counts on 70 guestrooms, all with vintage tropical furniture, fabrics, and colors carefully renovated with a focus on historical aspects without forgetting essential amenities such as 250 feet of private beach, and a heated salt-water pool.
• Hyatt Place Delray Beach, located within one mile of the Gold Coast, offers its guests all the amenities they might need, including a rooftop pool & Jacuzzi, fitness center, and e-room business center.

Delray Beach also offers a wide variety of dining options, oyster bars, exclusive dining locations on the beachfront, live music bars, international restaurants offering Irish, Chinese, Italian, and Middle Eastern cuisine.

How to get to Delray Beach

The nearest airport to Delray Beach is West Palm Beach/Palm Beach (PBI), but travelers can also land at Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL) or Miami International Airport (MIA).

Travelers can then rent a car or get a taxi and do an about 40 minutes drive from Fort Lauderdale. From Miami International Airport, they can get a bus or a train to Delray Beach if they don't want to rent a car.

Buses and Amtrak trains from other cities, like Kissimmee, are available to reach the town, while shuttles will take visitors from the train station to downtown.

Delray Beach weather

Delray Beach has a tropical climate, with hot and humid summers. High summertime temperatures range from 87-93 °F with low temperatures around 75-78 °F.

Winters are warm and dry with high temperatures in the range of 74-83 °F and low temperatures 57-65 °F.

Hurricane season officially runs from June through November, with much higher chances to have one approaching the eastern coast from mid-August through the end of September.