Upgrades Renew Downtown Districts in Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County’s 38 towns and cities include a robust portfolio of historic downtown districts, each with a distinct personality and unique attractions.

“Each of Palm Beach County’s historic districts has a particular appeal,” says Jorge Pesquera, the CVB’s president and chief operating officer. “There’s so much history and culture in Palm Beach County that many travelers simply have no idea what’s here.”

Five downtown districts – Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach and Worth Avenue – are of particular appeal to travelers interested in fine dining, performing arts, museums, shopping, architecture and mixed-use parks. Many have recently made significant investments in infrastructure upgrades and additions.

Travel Market Report spoke with development officials to give travel sellers an overview of what’s new in each district, and the unique visitor attractions each has in place for their clients.

Boca Raton
The city of Boca Raton has invested more than $5 million in infrastructure and marketing enhancements to make its 344-acre downtown district more user-friendly for visitors, said Mike Woika, Boca Raton’s assistant city manager.

Downtown District, Boca Raton

Improvements to Palmetto Park Road, the city’s main east-west thoroughfare, will include wider sidewalks, raised crosswalks and intersections and additional lighting to accentuate landscaping. That project will also connect Mizner Park in the north and Royal Palm Place, a mixed-use shopping and dining area, in the south.

Plaza Real Park, in the center of Mizner Park, was recently named one of the Top 10 Great Public Spaces in America by the American Planning Association.

“It’s a great place to hang out,” said Woika. “It’s like going somewhere in a city where there’s an oasis of nature in the middle of an urban area.” Mizner Park includes more than a dozen restaurants, more than 40 shops, and the Boca Raton Museum of Art. “It’s like having shops and restaurants in a park,” he said.

The city has also taken over ownership of the Count de Hoernle Amphitheater, a cultural center with an outdoor amphitheater, located at the north end of Mizner Park. “The city is now in the cultural arts business,” said Woika, adding that the amphitheater, which underwent a $1 million renovation, is featuring a host of concerts – from hip-hop to Harry Connick, Jr.

Boca Raton’s downtown district also offers visitors a variety of culinary options. “There are at least 25 restaurants between Mizner and Royal Palm Place, with a full range of offerings, from very high-end to more casual,” Woika said.

Delray Beach
“When travelers come up from Miami, all they see are these huge condos,” said Marjorie Ferrer, executive director of the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority. “But when they hit Delray Beach it’s dunes, sea and sand. Tourists can be at the beach and back on the main streets in minutes – that’s a huge asset.”

Atlantic Avenue, the downtown district’s ‘Main Street,’ is where travelers will find the lion’s share of restaurants and cafes, gift shops and art galleries, including more than 250 restaurants and hundreds of one-of-a-kind shops and galleries.

All told, the area encompasses more than 130 venues for visitors to sate their appetites – from bakeries, coffee shops, Starbucks and casual cafes to five-star restaurants, said Ferrer. “It’s a great generational mix of folks here, from teenagers to seniors and everyone in between – and everyone enjoys downtown at their own pace,” she said.

The downtown area of Delray Beach is ideal for travelers who prefer a somewhat undiscovered destination, said Laura Simon, associate director of the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority.

“Agents tend to book what they know. Downtown Delray is ideal for the traveler who wants a more local, behind-the-scenes experience,” she said.

Lake Worth
The Palm Beach Cultural Council is moving to the downtown district of Lake Worth this summer, and the city has planned numerous visitor activities around the move.

Lake Worth, street painting

“The cultural council will have art exhibitions and a whole range of different events and will be open during the day as a visitor center,” said Beth Johnston, executive director of the Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a really neat thing for visitors that come to our city.”

The downtown district consists of two main streets, Lake and Lucerne avenues, along with several smaller streets. The district has a mix of restaurants and shopping venues, a museum, live-music clubs, coffee houses, art galleries, and an historic theater.

“We have all kinds of restaurants,” said Johnston. “Everything from a local pizza place to high-end Italian, and everything in between.”

One of the main selling points of the downtown district is its warm and inclusive ambiance, according to Johnston. “Everyone’s welcome here,” she said. “It’s a very people-friendly community and a good place to hang out and linger.”

Lake Worth’s downtown district has another advantage: easy access to the beach. “If you take Lake Avenue over the Intracoastal Bridge, you hit the beach,” she said.

Palm Beach
Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, sometimes referred to as the Rodeo Drive of Florida, got a facelift a few months ago.

“The old girl looks so young. She’s timeless,” said Sherry Frankel, president of the Worth Avenue Association. “I called the construction team the ‘plastic surgeons.’”

Three key blocks along Worth Avenue – the epicenter of Palm Beach’s downtown district – now have new sidewalks, a clock tower near the ocean, fountains, and a living wall sculpted with plants. “This one has just under 11,000 plants,” Frankel said.

What is the Worth Avenue experience like? “Just picture three blocks of gardens,” she said. “At one end of the avenue is the ocean, and if travelers walk west and cross the street they’ll be on the Intracoastal Waterway.”

The buildings’ exteriors are “all of architectural significance,” and influenced by the legendary architect Addison Mizner, who moved to Boca Raton in 1925 and transformed it into a resort community with Moorish-Mediterranean style architecture.

The street’s reputation for upscale shopping is a strong selling point. “There isn’t an avenue or street on the planet that houses the type of stores that we have in a three-block area,”  Frankel said.

West Palm Beach
The newest development in the downtown district is the West Palm Beach Waterfront Commons. Completed last year, the project created a new downtown waterfront.

“Imagine a botanical garden on the waterfront with public docks, a greenway promenade, beautiful landscaping and fountains,” said Raphael Clemente, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority of West Palm Beach.

Clematis Street is the historic heart of the district. Visitors can walk west along Flagler Drive on the Intracoastal Waterway to take in boutiques, nightclubs, restaurants, music and antique shops. “If you go back 25 years ago it was a sleepy business district. Now it’s the centerpiece of the region,” Clemente said.

Visitor attractions in the downtown district also include CityPlace, with 80 shops, night clubs, 20 restaurants, and a 20-screen movie theater. The area has “a huge draw, with a feel like an Italian Piazza,” he said. CityPlace also houses the Harriet Himmel Theater; the 11,000 square-foot space used for concerts, exhibitions and other events was built in 1926 and renovated in 2000.

Visitors also have easy access to the Everglades from downtown: Grassy Waters Preserve, the northeastern headwaters of the Everglades, originates within city limits.