Heading to Delray Beach? Here are 12 things for your bucket list
If you've been to Delray Beach or live there, you know. If you haven't, you really should visit as it's pretty much a 'must see' destination in Palm Beach County.
Located near the southern end of of the county, this city features beautiful beaches, an incredible dining scene, art galleries and live music venues as well as natural areas, mountain biking and even pinball.
Atlantic Avenue is where most of the action starts. The avenue and its adjoining streets are home to dozens of restaurants, places to grab a drink, enjoy a sweet treat or relax with cup of gourmet coffee. Additionally, there venues that offer live music, plays, movie screenings and much more.
In Delray Beach? Here are 11 things you should put on your bucket list:
Stroll through Japanese gardens at the Morikami Museum
Need to get away from it all? This is just the place. Opened in 1977, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens has long been the center for Japanese arts and culture in South Florida. The property west of Interstate 95, offers 16-acres of get-away-from-everything with strolling paths, resting areas with magnificent views, lakes teeming with koi and even a waterfall (a rarity in South Florida - granted, it's manmade). There's also another 200 acres of nature trails through pine forests. Head indoors to the museum to see any one of the many rotating exhibits or even tea ceremonies. Hungry? The Cornell Cafe has lakeside terraces to dine along.
Information: 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach. morikami.org
Play some pinball at Silverball Retro Arcade
Fancy yourself a pinball wizard? Lament the fact that you can hardly find a game anymore? Then get over to the Silverball Retro Arcade and get happy! This bastion of classic cool features hundreds of pinball machines along with other classic arcade games to test those supple wrists. The arcade also offers food, drinks and can accommodate groups for parties.
Information: 19 NE Third Ave., Delray Beach. silverballmuseum.com/delray-beach
Visit Old School Square
This National Historic Site is a collection of beautifully-restored, early 20th century school buildings. The campus includes the Cornell Art Museum and the Crest Theatre and is a focal point for visual and performing arts in the city. It is largely regarded as having been the catalyst for 1990s renaissance of downtown Delray Beach.
Information: 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. delrayoldschoolsquare.com
Spend an evening at Arts Garage
Founded in 2011, the Arts Garage has served as a cultural destination for the city, with both gallery and performance space as well as programming that includes classes for the public. See live music, plays, musicals, spoken word events, comedy, visual arts and more at this venue that brings in local, emerging artists along with established global performers. In one month, the Arts Garage offers a range that can include comedy open mic one night, a Miami-based jazz band, a Linda Ronstadt tribute band, poetry open mic, a Tony-nominated Broadway performer and a student production of a current Broadway musical. There's something for everyone.
Information: 94 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach. artsgarage.org
Catch (or play) some great tennis at the Delray Beach Tennis Center
The Delray Beach Tennis Center stadium was built in 1992 and has hosted matches for the Fed Cup and Davis Cup. It currently hosts the Delray Beach Open. Tennis phenom Coco Gauff's father (and coach) grew up just blocks from the courts. "A lot of legacy here," Cori Gauff told the Palm Beach Post in March 2024. "If they didn't have these courts, I might not have played. I learned how to play tennis right here." When she was about 5 years old, his daughter hit her first ball there. For years, the stadium was host to the Chris Evert Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic, an event that drew many other big names both on and off the court. The center is a public tennis facility with 14 clay courts, 4 hard courts and 8 pickleball courts. It is also home to an 8,200-seat stadium with a pro-shop and pavillion. The venue hosts clinics and camps as well as programming for adults, juniors and league play.
201 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. delraytennis.com
Go walking and birding in the Wakodahatchee Wetlands
Get in touch with nature at this park that was created from 50 acres of unused utility land and transformed into recreational wetlands. Wakodahatchee is open to the public and features a three-quarter mile boardwalk that cross crosses open water pond areas, emergent marsh areas, and islands with shrubs and snags to foster nesting and roosting for birds. Over 150 species of birds have been spotted inside the park, including wood stork, pied-billed grebe, snowy egrets, and black-bellied whistling ducks. The park is also home to turtles, alligators, rabbits, frogs, and raccoons.
Information: 13270 Jog Road, Delray Beach. discover.pbcgov.org/water
Mountain bike in West Delray Regional Park
No mountains in South Florida? No problem. Mountain biking aficionados can hit the trails at West Delray Regional Park, get an adrenaline rush and feel the burn as they race through the five-mile, intermediate-level loop.
Information: 10875 Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. discover.pbcgov.org/mountainbiking
Head to the beach, Delray Public Beach
Yes, there are no shortage of beaches in Palm Beach County, but Delray Beach has a particularly wide and welcoming shoreline that has been named more than once in various state and national listings for best beach destinations. The city's public beach sits at the foot of Atlantic Avenue on the east side of A1A and is monitored by city lifeguards. Parking is sometimes a challenge, but once you manage that, at least, dining isn't a problem, sitting just across the street or down the block.
Delray Public Beach, 400 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach
Mark your calendar for Delray Affair
This annual springtime event turned 62 in April 2024 and though that's technically retirement age, the Delray Affair shows no signs of slowing down. One of the largest arts and crafts festivals in the United States, the event covers 10 city blocks and features an eclectic mix of art, great crafts and funky products from over 500 artists. There's also live music each year.
Information: downtown Delray Beach. delrayaffair.com
Stroll Atlantic Avenue
Along with Las Olas, Clematis and a maybe a few others, this is one of the "destination streets" in South Florida. Exit 52 east off Interstate 95 takes you straight to the heart of Delray Beach via Atlantic Avenue, a thoroughfare that runs to the ocean, the most hopping stretch begins just east of the Delray Beach Tennis Center and continues non-stop for roughly a mile. Along the way, visitors have their pick of some of the best restaurants in the area, great shopping and more. This is definitely worth a stroll.
Information: Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach. downtowndelraybeach.com
More: Popular NY restaurant comes to Delray with monster TV wall, tasty elevated bar food menu
Meet a stingray at Sandoway House Nature Center
This historical home is an award-winning nature center located along the ocean. It features shark and stingray feedings, aquariums with coral reefs, interactive educational exhibits and more to inspire the minds of children, future botanists, oceanographers and marine biologists.
Information: 142 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach. sandoway.org
Pineapple Grove Arts District
Submerge yourself in Delray Beach's art scene by heading to this district, where you'll find murals, sculptures and vibrant art galleries. Located just off of Atlantic Avenue on NE Second Avenue, the district is also home to shops, restaurants and Artists Alley. You’ll also find the Arts Garage, Chamber of Commerce and the Hyatt Place Hotel in the Grove.
Information: Second Ave., Delray Beach. visitdelraybeach.org/plays/pineapple
Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Best things to do in Delray Beach - a bucket list