An intimate beach town with a big-city personality, Delray Beach is a vibrant South Florida community situated between Boca Raton and West Palm Beach.  With accolades like Most Fun Small Town in the USA and one of America’s Happiest Seaside Towns, it’s no surprise Delray is such a popular destination. Soak up the Florida sun on the beach along the crystal-clear Atlantic Ocean by day, and enjoy the lively atmosphere in downtown by night. When you visit “Florida’s Village by the Sea,” you can’t help but feel the warm and friendly atmosphere that makes this resort town such a joy to visit.

Don’t believe us? Then explore it for yourself, starting with these 10 things to do in Delray Beach.

1. Atlantic Avenue

“The Avenue,” the pedestrian‐friendly epicenter of downtown Delray Beach, is most notably known for its shopping, dining, and small‐town curb appeal. Here, brick-paved sidewalks lined with palm and oak trees create a charming ambiance that makes for a perfect day or evening walk. Explore stylish fashion boutiques, art galleries, and dozens of gift shops to find one‐of‐a‐kind treasures.

2. Silverball Museum

Featuring more than 150 video games and pinball machines dating as far back as the 1930s, this museum brings a bit of nostalgia to visitors, evoking childhood memories for adults while creating memories for younger generations. The 9,000-square-foot museum offers classic video games such as Ms. Pac-Man, two floors of pinball machines, arcade games and even the original skeeball alleys from New York’s Coney Island – Eldorado Arcade. The best part about it is that all the games are set to free play, which means unlimited plays are included in your admission.

3. Saltwater Brewery

Saltwater Brewery is Delray Beach’s first local production microbrewery with a “Reef Room” for tastings on site. The brewery is run by a team of Floridians who give special care to each batch of the handcrafted beer, made using only natural ingredients. The brewery promotes education on ocean conservation, and organizes private brewery tours for groups up to 10 people.

4. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

Visitors of Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens have the opportunity to discover South Florida’s connection with Japan while exploring a series of six lush, authentic gardens. Each garden was inspired by a different period and style of Japanese gardening, and all were designed by Hoichi Kurisu. The museum showcases traditional and contemporary Japanese culture through engaging exhibits, a variety of educational events, a world-class bonsai display, Pan-Asian cuisine at the Cornell Cafe, and a distinctive museum store filled with one-of-a-kind items for all age groups. Admission is free for children 5 and younger.

5. Wakodahatchee Wetlands

As the first wetlands park in the region, Wakodahatchee Wetlands provides a diverse wildlife habitat that has attracted more than 150 different species of birds as well as alligators, rabbits, turtles, otters, foxes and other creatures found in a healthy South Florida wetland ecosystem. The public also “flocks” to Wakodahatchee, one of the most popular bird-watching and photography spots in The Palm Beaches. Enjoy nature at its best while taking a leisurely stroll along miles of elevated boardwalk stretching over acres of wetlands and water – the wetlands are free and open to the public.

6. Delray Municipal Beach  

Named as the top beach in the southeastern U.S. by Travel Holiday magazine, Delray Municipal Beach is popular by people of all ages. You’ll see families on vacation, young people playing volleyball, and older folks basking in the warm sun. Visitors looking for excitement can rent equipment – from snorkeling gear to paddleboards – at the Delray Beach Watersports shack on the beach near Casurina Drive. Parking is also available nearby, as are several restaurants and eateries you can walk to when you’ve worked up your appetite, such as Boston’s on the Beach and Caffe Luna Rosa.  Lifeguards are posted along the shore, and the beach itself is free, with metered parking nearby costing $1.50 an hour.

7. Delray Beach Market

With about 35 individually curated, best-in-class vendors, Delray Beach Market is Florida’s largest food hall. But it’s more than just food and drinks. It is also a place to connect and a way to experience and celebrate the vibrant food culture of Delray Beach with visionary arts, immersive pop-ups, and a wide variety of vendors who satisfy any craving.

8. Sandoway House Nature Center

The Sandoway Discovery Center offers a glimpse into South Florida’s fragile marine and freshwater environments through educational exhibits and programs. Visitors of all ages can get an up-close view of some of Florida’s native and invasive reptiles, meet sharks and other fish at the coral reef pool, explore Southeast Florida’s largest private shell collection, and learn about natural history and the environment at the center’s library. The nature center’s activities include daily shark and stingray feedings, weekly alligator feedings, beach and dune walks, garden walks, live animal exhibits and fossil digs.

9.  THRōW Social

For the perfect playful night with friends, stop at Throw Social, a venue that combines backyard-style games with music, entertainment and cocktails! From a non-traditional bar scene to a spacious venue to celebrate, THRōW Social is the go-to location for celebrations & events of all kinds. This tropical venue is located just a few steps away from the trendy Atlantic Avenue!

10. Delray Beach Green Market

Established in 1996 by the Community Redevelopment Agency, the Delray Green Market is a popular Saturday morning destination as an open-air marketplace. The Summer Green Market operates June and July from 9 am to 1 pm and the Winter Green Market operates October thru May from 9 am to 2 pm in front of the Cornell Museum of Art at Old School Square, Delray Beach. You’ll find more than 50 vendors featuring a wide variety of farm-to-fork products, such as citrus and juice, farm fresh eggs, milk and butter, grass-fed Florida beef, poultry, pork and lamb, baked goods, as well as several gluten free, vegan, and sugar free products, flowers, and plants.

Bonus: We know we said 10, but this one’s too good to miss … and it’s actually several things in one. Each year, Delray Beach hosts a number of must-do events, from its massive Fourth of July celebration to the popular art fair Delray Affair. And that’s just the beginning. Check out our Top Events page for more, and visit our Delray Beach page to explore the area further.