Get to know West Palm Beach

West Palm Beach began as a place for hospitality workers catering to the hotels and mansions in Palm Beach. However, it has since eclipsed its easterly relative in its variety of cultural offerings. Though West Palm Beach may sit close to its island neighbor in mileage, it is lightyears away in spirit. Concerts and festivals are taken as inextricable parts of life, regular occurrences varying in size and scope. The sculpture gardens at Norton Museum of Art are a must-see, alongside the institution’s rotating cast of world-class exhibits and educational programs. All ages can find something fun or intriguing at nearby zoos, aquariums, and science centers. Resplendent venue Kravis Center for the Performing Arts hosts touring Broadway shows, operatic performances, ballets, and concerts across the musical genre spectrum.

West Palm Beach is a paradise for shoppers seeking the fashionable and unusual, with four notable shopping districts — not including outlet stores and all the big city basics you’d expect. Clematis Street is the city’s historic downtown, a stretch of shopping, dining, and nightlife destinations for tourists and locals alike. Northwood Village is home to sleek couture, funky boutiques, art galleries, and home decor — plus restaurants and cafés of all stripes. Antique Row, home to three dozen shops, is among the country’s best home decor shopping areas. Stores are professionally curated collections of antiques from the last four centuries, with many specializing in fine arts, period deco, vintage and mid-century furnishings, and other niches. The district is a walkable shopping safari, with many excellent restaurants along the way.