Palm Beach

Introducing Palm Beach

About 30 miles north of Boca Raton are Palm Beach and West Palm Beach. The two towns have flip-flopped the traditional beachland hierarchy: Palm Beach, the beach town, is more upscale, while West Palm Beach on the mainland is younger and livelier. Because Palm Beach is an enclave of the ultrawealthy, especially during its winter ‘social season, ’ most travelers just window-shop the oceanfront mansions and boutiques lining the aptly named Worth Avenue. But it’s worth a drive across the causeway to visit the resplendent Henry Morrison Flagler Museum (561-655-2826; www.flaglermuseum.com; 1 Whitehall Way; adult/child/youth $15/3/8; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, noon-5pm Sun) housed in the railroad magnate’s winter estate, Whitehall Mansion. Admission includes the house, special exhibits, Flagler’s personal train car and an excellent acoustic guide that explains it all. Call about afternoon tea, for which there is an extra charge) served in the lovely glassed-in pavilion.

Modeled after Rome’s Villa Medici, Flagler’s opulent oceanfront 1861 hotel, Breakers (561-655-6611, 888-273-2537; www.thebreakers.com; 1 S County Rd; r from $289; ) is a super-luxurious world unto itself, encompassing two golf courses, 10 tennis courts, a three-pool Mediterranean beach club and a trove of restaurants.

Watch the well-heeled try to navigate their messy condiments (and be sure to grab something for yourself) at the anachronistically casual Hamburger Heaven (561-655-5277; 314 S County Rd; mains $6-11; 7:30am-3pm Mon-Sat, 7:30am-8pm winter).

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009