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Things To Do in Palm Beach

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Palm Beach Attractions

No trip to Palm Beach is complete without at least a glimpse of Mar-A-Lago, the stately residence of Donald Trump. In 1985, Trump purchased the estate of cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post for a meager $8 million (for a fully furnished beachfront property of this stature, it was a relative bargain), to the great consternation of locals, who feared that he would turn the place into a casino. Instead, Trump, who resides in a portion of the palace, opened the house to the public—for a price, of course—as a tony, albeit musty and bedbug riddled country club (membership fee: $200,000). Trump continues to make his presence loudly known in Palm Beach, as do fans who, despite Secret Service presence, often stand outside with flags.

While there are currently no tours open to the public, you can glimpse the  manse as you cross the bridge from West Palm Beach into Palm Beach. You can’t miss the massive American flag and the Secret Service vehicles. and the diehard worshippers parked outside with their own flags much to the dismay of locals. It’s located at 1100 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach.

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Palm Beach Shopping

No matter what your budget, be sure to take a stroll down Worth Avenue, the “Rodeo Drive of the South” and a window-shopper’s mecca. Between South Ocean Boulevard and Cocoanut Row, there are more than 200 boutiques, shops, art galleries, and restaurants, including Gucci, Chanel, Ferragamo, Gucci, Lily Pulitzer, Versace, among others. If you want to fit in, dress as if you are going to an elegant luncheon, not the mall down the street.

Besides the boldface collection of couturiers, there are also a good number of unique, independent boutiques. For privileged feet, Stubbs & Wooton, 340 Worth Ave. (tel. 561/655-6857), sells velvet slippers that are a favorite of the loofahed locals. For rare and estate jewelry, Richter’s of Palm Beach, 224 Worth Ave. (tel. 561/655-0774), has been specializing in priceless gems since 1893. Just off Worth Avenue is Church Mouse, 378 S. County Rd. (tel. 561/659-2154), a consignment/thrift shop with antique furnishings and tableware, as well as lots of good castoff clothing and shoes from socialites who’ve moved on to the next designers or, worse than that, to the big gala in the sky. This shop usually closes for 2 months during the summer. Oh, and if you plan to put something up for consignment, make sure to use the special “donor’s door” (a nice way of saying service entrance) on the south side of the building.

CityPlace, 700 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach (tel. 561/366-1000), is a Mediterranean-style shopping, dining, and entertainment complex slash condo that’s responsible for revitalizing what was once a lifeless downtown West Palm Beach. Among the mostly chain stores are Anthropologie,  H&M, Lululemon, and Urban Outfitters. Across the street in the magnificent Restoration Hardware furniture gallery—and it is a work of art—RH Rooftop Restaurant, a wine bar and restaurant with small menu and lots of photo ops.

Nearby on South Dixie Highway between Belvedere Road and Southern Boulevard in downtown West Palm is Antique Row Art & Design District, with over 40 antique shops offering a wide selection of 17th to 20th century relics, decorative arts, furniture, and more, all within walking distance. Because of its proximity to filthy rich Palm Beach, there are some fabulous finds here from various estate sales and, sadly, bankruptcies from people living above their means.

Palm Beach Nightlife

Clematis Street, West Palm Beach’s hub of nightlife, and its surroundings, also known as the Clematis District, has experienced an immense resurgence, with a slew of new dining destinations, retailers, and nightspots. Among them are luxe lounges like the modern 123 Datura, 125 Datura St. (tel. 561/619-8902), and Camelot Yacht Club, 114  S. Narcissus Ave. (tel. 561/408-1001), a nautical spot that pays homage to the halcyon days of the Kennedy family on Palm Beach. Then there’s E.R. Bradley’s Saloon, 104 S. Clematis St. (tel. 561/833-3520), a former Palm Beach landmark that crossed over the bridge and is now a West Palm watering hole and landmark for locals, including Palm Beachers whose chauffeurs know to take them over the bridge to Bradley’s without saying a word, celebrities and barflies alike. Back on “the island,” in addition to the stalwarts like Swifty’s  (in The Colony), Lola 41 at the White Elephant, and HMF at the Breakers, there’s a big late-night (meaning it goes at least until past 11pm) scene at Italian restaurant Cucina Dell’Arte, 257 Royal Poinciana Way (tel. 561/655-0770), catering to a motley mixture of young and old locals who moved here from the now defunct Worth Avenue mainstay Ta’boo. Then there’s Le Bar a Vin, 380 S. County Rd. (tel. 561/490-1456), which prides itself on being the island’s only wine bar, where locals come and sip vintages almost as, um, aged as them, with over 45 wines and champagnes by the glass, as well as charcuterie, cigars, and a white piano as shiny as the shoes on some of the dapper dapplers.

The Performing Arts in Palm Beach

With a number of dedicated patrons and enthusiastic supporters of the arts, this area happily boasts many good venues for those craving culture. Check the Palm Beach Post or the Palm Beach Daily News for up-to-date listings and reviews.

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach (tel. 561/832-7469), is the area’s largest and most active performance space. With a huge curved-glass facade and more than 2,500 seats in two lushly decorated indoor spaces, plus a new outdoor amphitheater, the Kravis stages more than 300 performances each year. Phone or check the website for a current schedule of Palm Beach’s best music, dance, and theater.

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