Hey y’all! Welcome back to my Unofficial Guide to The Pink Retreat, a Lilly Pulitzer inspired getaway. Feel free to check out my previous posts on what The Pink Retreat is, what my experience there was like in 2018, where to eat in the area, and transportation in the area. Today’s post is all about FREE activities in the area! I know some of us have a pretty booked weekend already, but I know not everyone was able to sign up for all of the activities so I wanted to include some other options. These are also great options if you are arriving in the area early or staying a few days after. In a few weeks I’ll also be doing a post all about paid activities in the area, so be sure to sign up for my email list to be notified when that comes out.

Let’s get into it!

The Beach & Pool

This one is kinda a no-brainer, but I still figured I’d put it! Palm Beach Island has a great public beach right off of Worth Avenue. If you’re staying at any of the hotels near the avenue, such as The Colony, The Chesterfield, or The Brazilian, you can easily walk. All of these hotels offer complimentary beach chairs, umbrellas, and towels. The Brazilian even offers “The Beach Experience,” which I was told is free of charge to guests. They will shuttle you to the beach and have all of your chairs and umbrellas set up for you. The website states you’ll even get water bottles, reading material, and sunscreen in a beach bag. If you are staying at the Hyatt I recommend taking their complimentary shuttle that I mentioned in my transportation post. It can be difficult to find parking on the Island, and parking along the water does cost money. If you’re in the mood to drive I also recommend Jupiter Beach Park. It is a much larger beach so there’s more room to spread out, and there is plenty of free parking. The Colony, The Brazilian, and The Chesterfield all offer GORGEOUS outdoor pools for their guests. So sit back, relax, and soak it in!

Loggerhead Marinelife Center

The Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a great place to visit if you’re up for a short drive! It is located in Juno Beach, a short 30 minute drive from the Island. Loggerhead is free to visit, but they do accept donations. Loggerhead Marinelife Center is well-known for rescuing and rehabilitating sea turtles. You may have heard of them since they have a partnership for the Beach Bash, sponsored by Lilly! This facility is a working turtle hospital and rehab center. You can visit and learn about different turtles and sea life. Volunteers talk to you about each turtle’s story; why they’re there, how long they’ve been there, how they’re being treated, and when they’ll return to the wild. I’ve been here many times and it’s a great experience! It’s not a huge facility, but it’s awesome to see and to donate if you can. If you visit I recommend going to the Tommy Bahama restaurant nearby, which I recommended in my post last week. Loggerhead is open 7 days a week from 10am-5pm.

The Palm Beach Outlets

Okay… The Palm Beach Outlets are free to walk around… But I can’t promise you won’t spend any money lol. The Outlets are minutes away from the Island, which makes it a great place to browse and window shop! There are also plenty of restaurants around that area so you can grab a bite as well. There is also plenty of parking. This is one of the few outlets I’ve been to that I don’t need to drive around for 30 minutes to find a parking spot.

Biking at The Colony

If you’re staying at The Colony, you’re in luck! They offer free bikes to their guests. A great means of transportation around the Island, or just to take a ride for exercise and to sightsee.

Take A Walk

The Island is very walker-friendly! Even if you’re staying at The Hyatt it is more than manageable to walk to the Island, depending on how hot it is lol. Take a stroll down Worth Avenue, and make sure to go in all of the Via’s! There are so many hidden treasures tucked away. Just a block or so off of the Avenue there is a darling little garden called Pan’s Garden. It’s a great place to take a look around, take a picnic lunch, and snap some pictures. Also, PRO TIP, there is a restroom there lol. A relaxing walk on the beach is always a good idea as well. I also want to add the Island is incredibly safe. I used to work on Worth, and I would walk by myself early in the morning and late at night and always felt safe.

Manatee Lagoon

Manatee Lagoon is another great place to learn about local sea life! Unfortunately, it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll see any manatees during the summer. But they offer free tours Tuesday-Saturday at 2pm, and these tours are no larger than 10 people. If you and a lot of Pink Retreat friends are interested in a tour they offer FREE private tours for 10+ people. However, you do need to call them at least 14 days in advance to set it up! You can learn more about their tours HERE. Manatee Lagoon also offers FREE YOGA CLASSES! They have classes 3 times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays), but you do have to register in advance! Read more about their yoga class offerings HERE. Manatee Lagoon is open Tuesday-Sunday 9am-4pm and is about 15 minutes from the Island.

Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum

The Richard & Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum is only about 10 minutes from the Island. They offer free admission, however it does appear that parking costs money. I would imagine The Free Ride app can take you there free of charge (learn more about that in my transportation blog post). This is a great place to learn about local history and to enjoy some air conditioning if it’s really hot outside 😉

The Society of the Four Arts

The Society of the Four Arts offers a variety of free experiences including the botanical gardens and a sculpture garden. They are easily within walking distance from The Colony, The Brazilian Court, and The Chesterfield. Plus, they also offer free parking. Hours will vary depending on what areas you want to visit, so I’ll link their times guide HERE.

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I know many of you have your schedules completely booked for your Palm Beach weekend, but I figured I’d include some other free activities to do for those who have some free time or are coming early/staying late! There is so much Palm Beach County has to offer, and I just skimmed the surface of free activities. Be sure to check out the rest of my Unofficial Guide here. And don’t forget to sign up for my email list to be notified when I add another section to the guide! Next week is all about where to shop for Lilly in the area. I also have a paid activities post planned as well as a post about the best photo spots in the area. Leave a comment below if you know of any additional free activities in the area!

Thanks for reading!

xoxo
Jayme

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of the businesses mentioned, Lilly Pulitzer, or The Pink Retreat.