Our Favorite Things to Do in West Palm Beach, FL

Feb 14, 2023 at 7:00 AM in Things to Do by Jim Kober

The Palm Beaches and West Palm Beach, FL, are famed for their small-town vibe, stunning architecture, exciting nightlife, shopping, museums, superb fishing spots, and beach and water fun. Seriously, there are so many captivating things to do here that we put together this handy guide to help you narrow down your choices.

Read on to learn more, and enjoy your stay in paradise!

Manatees for Free

No matter your age, you’ll love Manatee Lagoon, and not just because parking and admission are FREE! This 16,000-square-foot West Palm Beach attraction has a lot to offer, including an area dedicated to checking out the manatees up close.

Among the featured exhibits are a self-guided tour equipped with educational videos. Simply look for the signage with QR codes, and you’re well on your way. Other popular exhibits include “Learn about Lake Worth Lagoon,” the “Manatee Unusual Mortality Event,” and “Lionfish are Beautiful Invaders.”

Sit in on a lecture, engage in some adult yoga, take advantage of all the enjoyable educational avenues, and learn about efforts underway to preserve and protect Florida’s awe-inspiring wildlife and environment.

Surreal Sculptures

The Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens is a beautiful and surreal West Palm Beach cultural attraction. On this historic two-acre tropical garden property, you’ll discover 250 palm tree species and over 100 works by Norton, including nine hypnotic monumental sculptures, with eight composed of brick and one of granite. Visiting the gardens has been described as discovering and entering a new world.

This sculpture garden is home to more than its sculptures. Look to their list of upcoming events to find tours with master gardeners, nights of music and art, and more.

The massive and detailed sculptures thoughtfully placed among the breathtaking gardens are more than enough to keep your mind, heart, and soul busy for an afternoon or longer.

Photo courtesy of https://ansg.org/about/#garden-a

Science Is Cool

Since 1961, the Cox Science Center and Aquarium has delighted guests with its premise that science is exciting and its mission to "open every mind to science." Over the last decade, the Center has seen many updates, including 100 new hands-on exhibits, an extensive early childhood exhibit, a new science laboratory, and an upgraded planetarium.

If you don't believe science can be fun, check out the 18-hole miniature golf conservation course or the open-air amphitheater, which features daily live science shows, concerts, and trivia sessions. This place has too much to offer to cover in our limited space, but we would be remiss not to mention the 10,000-gallon aquariums featuring stingrays, seahorses, moray eels, spadefish, and queen angels.

Photo coutesy of https://www.facebook.com/coxsciencecenter/photos

On Safari in Florida

You'll find much to do at the 600-acre Lion Country Safari, but the drive-thru safari is hard to beat. This four-mile safari showcases vast herds of animals roaming in the wide open. You'll see alpaca, impala, ostriches, waterbuck, wildebeest, water buffalo, chimpanzees, and African lions among the seven main habitats.

Spend some time checking out their website. You could easily spend an entire day here without getting bored.