WHEN HENRY FLAGLER arrived in Florida in 1878, his first stop was Jacksonville. Flagler was looking for a restorative cure for his ailing wife, Mary Harkness – the draw of the legend of Ponce de León and his fountain of youth was no doubt irresistible, but more importantly, Florida, for this self-made oil-baron, was uncharted territory. It wasn’t just Flagler that saw its potential; his wife’s doctors had recommended spending the inclement winter months in the mild temps of Florida as a wellness remedy.
Yet even in Jacksonville, the grip of winter could occasionally be felt: frost touched the trees, the waves grew grey and rolling. South to St. Augustine, Flagler tried again. There, he began his dream: to create places to stay and to connect the east coast of the state with one railroad. Flagler bought up the existing independents, none of which were connected, and laid tracks southward. But what stopped him in his own tracks was a strip of sand just across Lake Worth lagoon, seemingly floating in the blue waters of the Atlantic, teeming with swaying palm trees.
This picturesque location would soon become known as Palm Beach. Flagler settled there, started to build hotels, including the storied The Breakers, which still stands as a monument to grand hotels. The Gilded Age denizens arrived in Palm Beach, bringing monied society from the north – the original snowbirds – to spend “the season,” from Christmas to Easter, frolicking in the sun and sand. The hotel registers were lined with names such asRockefeller (who was a friend and partner with Flagler in Standard Oil), Vanderbilt and Astor; America’s first resort destination was born.
Today, Palm Beach County, or The Palm Beaches, as we like to call them, stretches over 39 towns from Jupiter in the north to Boca Raton in the south, and westward from the Atlantic to the shores of Lake Okeechobee.
From arts and culture to cuisine to well-being, its appeal is enduring, year-round. It’s been an enclave for some of the most iconic designers, from fashion to decor, for decades (Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Lily Pulitzer, shopping!) and it still draws the stars – Brooke Shields, Tom Ford, Venus Williams and Celine Dion among them.
So, this way to the beach – all 47 miles of them! – and a few ideas for how to spend the season and beyond in The Palm Beaches.
- DIVE IN
Water, water, everywhere, and it’s no wonder. Because of its geography, Palm Beach County is the furthest easterly point on the Atlantic coast of the US. This unique spot makes it closest to the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream, which brings a wealth of sea life to its shores (beach bums and sun worshipers like it, too!). Snorkelers and divers can dip under the sea to discover more than 160 artificial reefs and a profusion of deep-sea wrecks.
Manatee Lagoon in Riviera Beach, just north of West Palm Beach, is a favourite port in the wild for the beloved gentle “cows of the sea.” At Loggerhead Marinelife Center, sea turtles are the star attraction, where scientists are dedicated to ocean conservation at the home of one of the most densely populated nesting grounds for Loggerhead sea turtles in the world.
- STUNNING WATERFRONT HOTELS AND RESORTS
PHOTO: Opal Grand Oceanfront Resort & Spa
The OG of sunny resort destinations, The Palm Beaches have plenty of places to lay your head. And you don’t have to have the bank account of a Rockefeller or a Vanderbilt to do it (but if you can splurge, we recommend The Breakers Palm Beach, another OG of the county). The Ben, which opened in 2020, is a chic 208-room Marriott Autograph Collection property and celebrates West Palm’s grand dame Byrd Spillman Dewey and her husband Fred’s estate, which they named Ben Trovato. They partied with the Vanderbilts and entertained presidents, and the rooftop bar has one of the best views in the city. The Boca Raton, a five-property complex in Boca Raton, sits on the original resort footprint designed by one of Florida’s architectural founders, Addison Mizner, and suits everyone from low-key bungalow dwellers to yacht club enthusiasts. And, in quirky Delray Beach, the Opal Grand Oceanfront Resort & Spa mixes a wellness focus with an American-Caribbean vibe, right on the doorstep of the area’s famed Atlantic Avenue and Pineapple Grove arts district.
Related: Five Reasons Florida Should Be On Your Travel Bucket List for 2024
- DESTINATION DINING
PHOTO: Café Boulud Palm Beach/ Bronwyn Knight
The bounty of the ocean paired with a long growing season for agriculture is a chef ’s culinary nirvana, and Palm Beach County is host to James Beard-award recognized and Michelin-starred chefs. The king of French-meets-American cuisine, Daniel Boulud, has Café Boulud Palm Beach in the 1920s glam The Brazilian Court Hotel; Clay Conley’s swoon-worthy small-plates come out of the kitchen at Buccan, and Pushkar Marathe’s Ela Curry Kitchen, where the menu fuses refined Indian cuisine with thali- and street food-style cooking, to name just a few. But this is Florida, and there’s no better place to enjoy food outdoors than at one of the many festivals. March brings the Wellington Bacon and Bourbon Festival; in April, wine and food pairings are the focus at Boca Bacchanal; while later that month, the Sweet Corn Fiesta (corn is a bountiful agricultural product in the county, growing in the black soil of The Glades region). December brings the always-popular Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival.
- VISUAL ARTS
Whitehall’s Drawing Room includes wall accents in aluminum leaf and a specially commissioned Steinway Art Case Model B Grand Piano with matching design elements. PHOTO: © Flagler Museum
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention The Flagler Museum and Whitehall, the winter “palace” and architectural marvel of Henry Flagler and his third wife, Mary Lily Kenan, in Palm Beach. The house is an ode to The Gilded Age, with its Beaux Arts design (the same architects had a hand in the New York Public Library), and features some of the greatest innovations (electricity, en suite bathrooms) of the times. Stunning and opulent, it is a carefully preserved masterpiece of American society prior to the First World War. Speaking of masterpieces, there are quite a few on view at the Norton Museum of Art, particularly known for its American and Chinese art collections. Rothko and Rembrandt, Calder and Picasso, among more than 8,000 works, are all in the house, the sculpture garden is a bucolic respite. For more outdoor art, the Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens, with its collection of bonsai displays, invites one to appreciate art while being in the restorative surrounds of nature. If you’re there between October and May, book one of the monthly Japanese tea rituals for an immersive Experience.
- WORLD-CLASS GOLF
© Clay Cook 2021
This is the home of the PGA, so golf has got to be good here, right? When Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas, Jack Nicklaus and a few dozen other top golfers in the world choose Jupiter and Palm Beach County as their home, you know it is. And, if you want to see them play, the Classic In The Palm Beaches, formerly the Honda Classic, tees off every February at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens.
Some of the best on the fairways compete for a cool million bucks, but you don’t need to be a millionaire to hit the links. Golfers (or wannabe golfers) can book a room at the PGA National Resort, and you can even take a few lessons from the resident pro. Tennis star Venus Williams is also a fan; it’s where her design company, Vstarr, has reimagined The Spa as a tropical wellness retreat. Two public courses worth note are the historic, near century-old Lake Worth Beach Golf Club, where the greens and fairways are carved out between South Florida’s natural elements, and the Delray Beach Golf Club, which was designed by the godfather of golf architecture, Donald Ross, in 1926.
- CLIMB IT
Jupiter Lighthouse by Richard Sagredo on Unsplash.
Not just any lighthouse, mind you, but the tallest point in Palm Beach County. In the town of Jupiter at Jupiter Inlet, you’ll find the Jupiter Lighthouse, a guiding beacon that’s been operating since 1860 – and one of a baker’s dozen of lighthouses in the US that utilises this powerful lens. The museum features self-guided tours and tells of the area’s indigenous people and early-day pioneers.
From the top, you’ll be inspired by the uninterrupted views of the Atlantic to, once back on solid ground, take a trip to the beach, where the water is a constant 25C (78F). The Square Grouper Tiki Bar on Love Street at Jupiter Inlet has been a local favourite for live music, good food and tiki-inspired cocktails since 2003. This is the perfect place for a laid- back, seaside holiday.
