West Palm Beach is about 60 miles north of Miami; it is one of the northern-most stretches of the city’s sprawl. The city has long been synonymous with wealth, ever since Henry Flagler brought the railroad down in the 1800’s and northerners flocked down to stay in Flagler’s luxury hotels.
My friends, I’m not rich but I still came here and visit my friend. Wealth should never be a deterrent, as there’s almost always a budgeted option to experience a destination.
Courtney and I have always been super close, so we never let the distance between the two cities stop our friendship. Surprisingly, this was my first time visiting her.
Let’s jump into this weekend getaway.
I was planning to leave Orlando super early, but my alarm had other plans. It never went off (I forgot to set it.) Seeing the time, I haphazardly threw some things into a bag, poured a cup of coffee and threw on some clothes. I was on the road by ten. Hindsight, it wasn’t horrible but was definitely later than I was hoping.
West Palm Beach is about 165 miles south of Orlando directly on the Florida Turnpike. I’d say 145 of these miles are in the middle of nowhere which equates to virtually no traffic. It’s wonderful, zooming 80 mph through the swampy Florida backwoods. The bliss comes to a halt when you reach Jupiter when it seems a million cars merge onto the road.
Thankfully, unlike Miami, West Palm Beach is right there on the edge. I pulled up to my friend’s house a little over two and a half hours after leaving. I quickly dropped off my stuff before we turned around and went back out. We had limited time and she was super excited to show me everything!
Our first stop was The Square, a boujee mall-park hybrid. It’s home to stores like West Elm and LuluLemon.
Miami-area exclusive places include the wonderful Salty Donut and Pura Vida Miami.
Amidst the shops is a ton of tropical foliage. It’s perfect for the area’s vibe!
After grabbing coffee, we wandered around a bit before making our way back to the car. Our next stop was the ritzy Palm Beach!
On the way over to the barrier islands, we could feel the wealth as we spotted yachts alongside the road.
On the other side of the bridge was a welcoming line of palm trees. We turned onto a side road, parked and made our way over to Worth Avenue.
Worth Avenue can be considered the ‘Main Street’ of Palm Beach. It’s about half a mile long, stretching from the ocean to the intercoastal. Tall coconut palms tower over a seemingly endless strip of designer stores.
After walking down Worth Avenue, not purchasing anything, my friend and I drove around Palm Beach a bit more. One of her coworkers recommended this plaza that was about half a mile north, The Royal Poinciana Plaza.
To no one’s surprise, it was nothing more than another designer-stocked mall. Like the plaza, it had quite a few tropical plants and some beautiful flowers. They made the area smell so nice.
We didn’t stay too long as it was strangely empty on a Saturday afternoon. On your visit, I’d recommend Worth Avenue over Poinciana a million times.
One of the biggest draws for my visit was to go out in West Palm Beach. As it was already mid-afternoon, we decided to go back to her house and get ready.
We hastily made chicken tenders and fries for dinner while we got ready for the night. We pregamed a bit at her house, spinning Taylor Swift albums on her vinyl, before calling an Uber downtown.
Let me be the first to admit, I suck at taking pictures when I’m drunk, it’s probably for the best. I remembered to grab a singular shot.
It was definitely for my friend Anthony, as his name was written on the building in the lower left.
Our night started with disappointment as The Salty Donut was sold out. I had spent the 30-minute Uber ride excited to get one of their heavenly Brown Butter and Salt Donuts.
Thankfully, I recovered pretty fast. Next, we went to O’Shea’s Irish Pub, which had some of the best Long Islands I’ve ever had. A few of my friend’s other friends met us here. I had such a great time meeting the people I had heard so much about!
Sufficiently drunk, we walked a few blocks to Roxy Pub’s rooftop. It had a small cover charge, but a pretty great view of Downtown. My friend said their music usually sucks, but the night we were there it was great!
After a few hours dancing in the skyline, we ordered an Uber back to her house, ate some pizza and promptly fell asleep.
The next morning my friend woke up not feeling well and had to go to an urgent care.
While she was gone, I went for a walk around her neighborhood.
She was diagnosed with strep ( 😦 ) so we ran out to get breakfast before I made the trek back up north.
We went to this place at the Delray Marketplace in Delray Beach.
I think the restaurant was called Burt and Max’s. It was okay, but nothing to note. I personally wouldn’t recommend it. Courtney’s friend gave a scathing review after her food was forgotten.
Back at my friends house, I wished her a speedy recovery before heading out. It was a bit earlier than planned, so I opted on the scenic route home.
I drove to the ocean and turned north onto A1A on my way out of town. The road passed these GIANT mansions.
A1A is one of my favorite roads, following the East Coast of Florida. Down here holds some of the most spectacular stretches. One side of the road is lined with majestic coconut palms and crystal water; the other has large hedges to give the houses a sense of privacy, with mansions looming behind.
Eventually, this road leads past Trump’s infamous Mar-a-Lago beach club.
There’s a ton of security and virtually no place to stop, so the best view comes from driving by.
After making it back to Palm Beach, I realized I had yet to go to the ocean. I parked about a block off and went to the sand.
I knew the area had gorgeous beaches, but I can’t begin to describe just how incredible it was.
Like, LOOK AT THIS WATER!!!!!
LOOK AT IT!!!!
LOOK. AT. IT.
One more time!!!
It literally sparkled with each wave as they rolled into shore. It was so clear you could see the sand along the bottom. It was also WARM. I’d give anything to live next to a beach as gorgeous.
I walked a bit along the water before realizing I had bumped into Worth Avenue.
Naturally, I had to check it out again.
Considering how close we were to the beach, I felt a bit out of place wearing flip flops. A few mean glares confirmed my suspicion, so I left. You live and you learn!
My final stop in West Palm was at Subculture Coffee. The incredibly friendly barista made me a mocha and even offered a student discount, something so rare at coffee shops.
I grabbed a donut from The Salty Donut on the way back to the car and took a picture of this building because I thought it looked cool.
From there, it was onto Interstate 95 heading north.
Escaping the South Florida bubble, I needed gas and food. I drove about an hour and a half, pulling off the freeway at the Vero Beach exit.
In an effort to save money, I stopped at Publix to get fruit and popcorn chicken for dinner. I found a cheap gas station nearby and realized I was, again, only a few miles away from the ocean. I drove back to the beach.
Jaycee Park was a lifesaver, with free parking and easy access to the sand.
I didn’t see any marine life, but I did see this guy.
Vero Beach was pretty, but the water didn’t sparkle like West Palm’s. There was also significantly less seaweed, which was definitely a positive.
I liked the beach’s quieter vibes. Its singular skyscaper was very reminiscent of Miami!
This family must have been for a walk, the crow took full control of their stuff!
While it wasn’t as stunning as West Palm, Vero Beach still holds a pretty good beach. If you’re looking for a quieter and less ritzy vibe, it’d probably be more your scene.
Personally, if this is the scene you’re looking for, I would recommend Jupiter Beach. It’s about 50 miles further south with prettier water and the wonderful Blowing Rocks Preserve.
Following the scenic route, I continued on A1A up the coast.
Alternatively, you can cut across FL 60 to the Turnpike and be in Orlando in about an hour and a half. Why do that though when you can drive along the beach?
This stretch of A1A sticks close to the shore for the 35 miles between Vero Beach and Melbourne. At times, the thin island gives views of both the intercostal waterway and ocean.
The final photo from this trip was crossing this causeway with views of the sunset over the ocean.
About two hours later, I was back in Orlando.
West Palm Beach is an incredible place, a trip I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but I think I’d rate is as Florida’s best… maybe I should write about that next.
Turquoise Skies 