The travel experts at Tripadvisor have released their top trending destinations for the year, and the No. 1 pick isn’t a surprise for anyone familiar with amazing Florida towns. Not only does West Palm Beach top the list — the only town from the Sunshine State to make the list — but it bested other great U.S. towns like Brooklyn, Memphis, and California’s “American Riviera,” Santa Barbara.
If there’s one problem with this happy little town it’s in the name: the beach. The problem, you see, is that there isn’t one. West Palm Beach might be flanked by two lakes and Lake Worth Lagoon, but the city lies on the mainland; the island town of Palm Beach claims the sandy seaside only a few minutes away from downtown West Palm. The city is also just half an hour south of some of Florida’s best beaches in Jupiter.
Sand or no sand, West Palm Beach is the cultural center of Palm Beach County and a spirited, happening place worth visiting. As it’s technically part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area, West Palm Beach shares the same lovely tropical climate and easy access to the seaside. But at the same time, it’s also sufficiently separated to feel like another region entirely. Here’s why this Florida city topped the Tripadvisor list — and what to do if you visit.
A Florida city worthy of the attention
West Palm Beach is a wonderful change from the sprawl and car-centric lifestyle that dominates most southern cities. What really sets West Palm apart from other Florida cities is urban planning. In the 1990s, conveniently before a rapid growth spurt, the city invested in a master plan to revitalize its downtown area. Today, that plan has come to fruition in the best possible ways.
The result is a big city that feels like a welcoming small town. West Palm’s downtown area is a beautiful shopping and dining destination. Within a few square blocks, you’ll find CityPlace, a plaza-style entertainment and shopping destination; the Norton Museum of Art; the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts; more shopping and dining along Clematis Street; and a stunning waterfront park, site of the weekly GreenMarket. The downtown area is easy to access, thanks to the nearby Tri-Rail station, and it’s a quick hop over the bridge to Palm Beach should you desire some high-end shopping along Worth Avenue.
Henry Flagler founded West Palm in 1894 after his Florida East Coast Railway was extended south from St. Augustine. He built resorts on the island of Palm Beach, and West Palm was originally where the resort and rail workers could live. But the city boomed over the decades into a vacation destination in its own right. Today, you can pay to tour the Flagler Museum, housed in his Palm Beach winter home, Whitehall; and you can book a room in The Breakers, one of his original winter resorts.
Getting to and staying in West Palm Beach
