Wonderful West Palm Beach

Rosemary Square or The Square is an exciting Mediterranean-themed retail and entertainment center. This is the place for great shopping, dining, entertainment, and live music experiences. You can also spend some time people-watching. In the open-air Plaza local bands perform in the evenings on weekends.

For a real shopping and dining experience head for Downtown West Palm Beach. There are many kinds of entertainment venues to choose from like bars, live music events, and clubs. You can experience music festivals and outdoor movie nights.

Clematis Street is the lively main street in downtown West Palm Beach.

The Palm Beach Zoo stretches for more than 23 acres. It is set in a tropical garden that imitates the natural habitats of the animals. There are over 700 animals, an aquarium, and a replica of a swamp. Some of the attractions here include a reptile house, a tiger exhibit, and a koala and wallaby area. Children can enjoy an interactive play fountain and an old-fashioned carousel. Visitors can ride around the zoo on a safari train.

The Norton Museum of Art was founded in 1941 and is known to be one of the major cultural sites in Florida. Visitors enjoy international art with Chinese and European art collections. You can see artwork from the 19th and 20th centuries. There are paintings and sculptures from leading American artists. There are also rotating exhibits all year long as well as lectures, guided tours, and art programs.

The Flagler Museum was built in 1902 and is the former home of Henry Flagler the co-founder of Standard Oil. It is a National Historic Landmark. This is a large museum with two floors. It has impressive decorations. There are artworks from the most talented artists in the West Palm Beach area. Visitors can see the touches of French and Spanish decorative styles, particularly in the central courtyard.

Mounts Botanical Garden is known for being the oldest and largest garden in West Palm Beach that is open to the public. Here you can find more than two thousand plants from six continents. There are herb gardens, citrus gardens, fruit gardens, and palm gardens among others. Altogether there are over twenty different gardens.

Rapids Water Park is where you can have a lot of fun and cool off when it gets too hot. There is a wave pool where waves can reach up to six feet in height and for relaxing a lazy river. The park features 35 different water slide attractions and even toddler pools.

Grassy Waters Nature Preserve includes lush wetlands. There are tours to educate visitors about this incredible ecosystem. If you prefer you can hike around the trails over the wetlands offering amazing views and a look at local plants and wildlife. There is a visitor’s center and educational programs available.

The Ann Weaver Norton Sculpture Garden is located in the former home of the famous sculptor Ann Weaver Norton. It features more than 100 of her artworks. It is one of the most historic and well-known attractions. She created these sculptures from 1905 to 1982. Her artwork can be seen in the gardens and in the artist’s studio. There is educational signage about each of the sculptures and art programs are offered for both adults and children.

McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary is a working wildlife sanctuary. It gives homes to hundreds of injured and homeless animals in South Florida. Visitors can take a guided tour and see how the facility works. You can get up close to the animals and help in their care like bathing or feeding. Guilds provide a learning experience. All the proceeds from the tours go to taking care of the animals.

The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is the place to go for culture and entertainment. It has showcased some of the best performances from famous acts and some of the biggest names in the U.S. have performed here.

The South Florida Center and Aquarium has an 8,000-gallon saltwater tank featuring marine life and exotic species from the region. To educate visitors there is an interactive approach where they can get up close to aquatic life. There are also freshwater tanks and a planetarium featuring films about life under the sea. There is an exhibit hall with interactive installations for visitors to enjoy. An Everglade exhibit informs about the impressive and complex ecosystem of the Everglades.

At Manatee Lagoon you can enjoy giant gentle manatees. These gentle creatures swim about and are known to roll over in the water so people can pat their bellies. At the Discovery Center, there are imaginative hands-on exhibits, observation areas, a manatee webcam, and an outdoor deck.

Okeeheelee Park stretches for 900 acres and has two lakes offering visitors boating, fishing, and water skiing. If you’re not into water sports you can choose from a 27-hole golf course, basketball courts, tennis courts, and baseball fields. There are walking and biking trails and a BMX biking area. At the north end of the park is the Okeeheelee Nature Center with a butterfly garden and viewing platforms for bird watching.

Peanut Island offers more than 80 acres of lush tropical parkland. It is just off West Palm Beach. It got its name because the island resembles a peanut. There are sandy beaches and tropical waters to swim in. Snorkeling is a popular activity and if you wish you can camp out here with a permit.

The Panther Ridge Conservation Center is just outside of West Palm Beach. It is like going on an African safari. Panthers roam freely in large, open habitats. It is a refuge for big cats who have been injured and they're nursed back to health and for endangered animals. You'll find a mix of tigers, rare black panthers, jaguars, mountain lions, cheetahs, and smaller cats like ocelots. Guided tours are available.

Not far from Panther Ridge is the Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee. Here you'll find 1,000 animals in a cageless environment. With an audio guide, you can view a wide variety of species up close. The majestic lions are behind a fence.

Safari World the theme park area has fun rides, water slides, and a petting zoo, and you can feed giraffes.