Things to Do in Palm Beach Gardens

Pristine beaches, a seemingly endless supply of sunshine, swordfish, dolphins, manatees—like a slideshow of a tropical vacation, Palm Beach has all of these. Yet without the proper guidance, many sights go unseen and many memories go unmade. So Visit Palm Beach acts as the treasure map to the area’s bounty, imploring its customers to take to the sea in search of the damper half of local entertainment. Adventurers can traverse the ocean on waverunners, parasail 800 feet above the cerulean-blue water, or kayak around Peanut Island in search of its elephant mayor. Visit Palm Beach also acts as a hub for catamaran charters and snorkeling excursions so that guests can explore the deep blue for rarely seen marine species.

Nestled against the cerulean waves of the Intracoastal Waterway for more than a mile, Lake Worth Golf Course’s 18-hole layout stretches across 6,100 yards of classic wetland terrain. With sparse tree lines and generous fairways throughout the course, Lake Worth’s relatively open, par 70 layout beckons to long-ball hitters, though particularly errant balls could wind up among the bottom-feeding trawl and heist-planning porpoises lurking in the waterway, which hugs the entire east side of the course. A nimble golf cart zips twosomes across the grassy monolith, expertly slaloming through palm trees and spinning its wheels with glee after each breathtaking birdie or stunning attempt at snapping a club shaft.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 70 course

• Total length of 6,100 yards from the back tees

Every day, Cynthia, manager of Jupiter Pointe Paddling, opens her hibiscus-adorned rental hut to let adventure seekers set sail from the sandy banks of a crescent-shaped private beach. A complimentary lesson accompanies every kayak or paddleboard rental, letting beginners get their bearings before they glide toward a nearby sandbar to spot sea turtles, manatees, and majestic stingrays. More experienced water skimmers can paddle up to the Jupiter Lighthouse, which grants a glimpse of 120 palm-studded acres punctuated by 25 special-status species of wildlife and one boring labrador. The staff of water warriors also mixes up the aqueous activities with Mommy and Me sessions, standup-paddleboard-yoga classes, and kids' lessons, along with exalting the outdoors with full-moon celebrations and sealife-spotting tours.

Palm Beach Skate Zone's 75,000-square-foot facility encompasses two ice rinks and a roller rink under its climate-controlled eaves, which host public skate sessions, ice- and roller-hockey teams, figure skating, and parties. The year-round roller skating and ice-skating schedule beckons the public to glide around Skate Zone’s rinks, which are all well tended and never used for ice fishing. A dedicated team of coaches and managers works diligently to maintain the skate center’s award-winning Blackhawks youth ice-hockey teams, a travel hockey program, and the Palm Beach Figure Skating Club, whose skaters are trained to remain perfectly still when in the line of sight of a woolly mammoth.