Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Boca Raton (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Boca Raton Museum of Art, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, and Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum. Also, be sure to include Sunset Cove Amphitheater in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Boca Raton (Florida).
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Boca Raton Museum of Art
Museum in Boca Raton, Florida. Founded by artists, the Boca Raton Museum of Art was established in 1950 as the Art Guild of Boca Raton. The organization has grown to encompass an Art School, Guild, Store, and Museum with permanent collections of contemporary art, photography, non-western art, glass, and sculpture, as well as a diverse selection of special exhibitions. The museum is located at 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, Florida in Mizner Park.[1]
Address: 501 Plaza Real, 33432 Boca Raton (Southeast Boca Raton)
Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
Museum in Boca Raton, Florida. The Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex, commonly known as the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, is a nature center operated by the city of Boca Raton, Florida in conjunction with the Friends of Gumbo Limbo and the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, and located at 1801 N. Ocean Blvd. in Boca Raton. Gumbo Limbo sits on twenty acres of protected barrier island, the area between the Intracoastal and the Atlantic Ocean. It is on land which is part of the beachfront-to-intracoastal Red Reef Park, though Gumbo Limbo does not have land directly on the beach. Its name comes from the popular name of the Bursera simaruba tree species, which is abundant in the park.
The center includes an indoor museum with exhibits, small aquariums, and a gift shop, plus more major outdoor facilities including several large aquariums featuring ecosystems for fish, turtles, and other sea life, a boardwalk trail through the adjacent woods with an observation tower, and a garden designed for observing butterflies. Events organized by the center include observations of sea turtles during their nesting season. Volunteers from the local community significantly assist in the operation of this center and its events.[2]
Address: 1801 N Ocean Blvd, 33432-1946 Boca Raton (Northeast Boca Raton)
Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum
The Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum is a non-profit organization and public museum dedicated to preserve and collect history and artifacts of Boca Raton, Florida, United States, for educational and advocacy purposes. The society is known for their goal of historic designation and restoring historical structures important to the history of Boca Raton. The society offers exhibits, lectures, lessons, history tours, and educational programs to achieve their goal. Many interactive educational programs and services of the society are provided to schools, teachers, and children to help educate Florida's history. Additionally, the community provides a library of collected and preserved artifacts, photographs, newspapers, diaries, reference books, and research papers documented for educational and research purposes. The historical society has been a contributor of researching local history of Florida and Boca Raton and offers scholars, educators, university graduates and interns access to their research collection and publications, such as the Spanish Papers. The Boca Raton Historical Museum is publicly open from Monday through Friday from 10am to 4pm.
Located in the Boca Raton Old City Hall, the society and museum resides in the town hall built by architect William Alsmeyer (originally designed by Addison Mizner before his bankruptcy) and was founded in 1972 by the Junior Service League (Currently known as Junior League in Boca Raton.) The society also operates the Boca Express Train Museum and organizes the Florida East Coast Railway Station (currently named Count de Hoernle Pavilion) which was restored to offer public tours about its history. The historical society additionally runs an annual food and wine festival as the beneficiary in Boca Raton called the Boca Bacchanal.[3]
Sunset Cove Amphitheater
Concerts and shows, Music venue, Concert hall, Entertainment, Theater
Address: 12551 Glades Rd, 33498 Boca Raton
Boca Raton Old City Hall
Building in Boca Raton, Florida. The Boca Raton Old City Hall is a historic site in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. It is located at 71 North Federal Highway. The former city hall now houses the Boca Raton Welcome Center and the Boca Raton History Museum. On October 16, 1980, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The original design was by Addison Mizner. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter placed it on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places as Boca Raton Town Hall.
The building housed Boca Raton's police station, fire department, and library. The bay for the fire engine is currently (2018) the gift shop.[4]
Boca Express Train Museum
Museum in Boca Raton, Florida. The Boca Express Train Museum, operated by the Boca Raton Historical Society, is housed in a restored 1930 Florida East Coast Railway train station in Boca Raton, Florida. designed by Chester G. Henninger, built for Clarence H. Geist. It is located at 747 South Dixie Highway, off U.S. 1. On October 24, 1980, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.[5]
Friends of Daggerwing Nature Center
Park, Nature and wildlife, Relax in park
Address: 11435 Park Access Road, 33498 Boca Raton
Children's Science Explorium
Museum, Science museum, Children's museum
Address: 300 S Military Trail, 33486-4302 Boca Raton (Southwest Boca Raton)
Boca Raton Public Library
Public library in Boca Raton, Florida. The Boca Raton Public Library consist of two library facilities serving the residents of the incorporated area of Boca Raton, Florida. The City of Boca Raton, incorporated in 1925, is one of the largest and the southernmost city in Palm Beach County, Florida.[6]
Address: 400 NW 2nd Ave, Boca Raton (Southeast Boca Raton)
Lavender House
The Lavender House is a historic home in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. It is located at 875 Alamanda Street. On February 24, 1995, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Modern real estate agents in Boca Raton tend to mistakenly describe von Holst's residential work there as by the colorful, quixotic Addison Mizner. While Mizner did serve as the general contractor and developer of "Floresta" in its initial stage, the architectural plans for these homes were by von Holst, who was a distinguished Chicago Prairie School architect who relocated to Florida for this purpose. Soon after the neighborhood was begun, Mizner defaulted on payments to contractors and was successfully sued by von Holst, et al. and thereafter von Holst took chief responsibility for nurturing Floresta to success.
Lucy von Holst, along with the wives of their two remaining partners (John Verhoeven and Fred Aiken), prepared unsold homes for stylish winter rentals for snowbirds. The true story of old Floresta has been carefully documented by Dr. Donald W. Curl in the journal of the Boca Raton Historical Society. There are two houses listed in the National Register in Boca Raton. The other house is the Fred C. Aiken House, two blocks away from the Lavender House, where Boca Raton's third Mayor, Fred C. Aiken lived for 31 years.[7]
Fred C. Aiken House
Historical landmark in Boca Raton, Florida. The Fred C. Aiken House is a good example of Addison Mizner's Mediterranean-inspired architecture from 1925. This historically designated residence is Located at the corner of Paloma Avenue and Hibiscus Street, in the Old Floresta Historic District in Boca Raton, Florida.[8]