Palm Beach County is a popular tourist destination. It welcomed over 10.7 million visitors in 2025, but it’s known for more than just its beaches. The area, believe it or not, is also well loved because of its dining, shopping, and arts and culture offerings. The Palm Beach art galleries and cultural scene offer a premier experience.
Both Palm Beach and West Palm Beach provide carefully curated gallery districts, world-class institutions, and year-round programming. Each of these elements is rewarding for first-time and year-round residents alike. In fact, the arts and culture in Palm Beach help improve the local quality of life. This is because spending often goes to museum programming, public art, historic preservation efforts, and local events that enrich lives.
If you’re considering touring the West Palm Beach art scene or cultural hotspots, this guide by our team at The Berkeley Palm Beach should help you curate incredible experiences. This guide explores gallery corridors, major museums, institutions, and cultural spots you’ll want to visit time and time again.
Major Institutions
As Florida’s third-largest county, Palm Beach has much to offer in terms of major arts and culture institutions. Below are a few of the best options if you’re not quite sure where your wandering spirit should take you next.
Norton Museum of Art
The Norton Museum of Art was founded in 1941 by Ralph Norton, a steel magnate. It is one of the oldest museums in Florida. It also happens to be one of the state’s largest, thanks to the 2019 addition that doubled its gallery space. The museum has taken advantage of this extra space in recent years by turning it into a must-see destination by staging several major shows.
The museum is acclaimed in the West Palm Beach art scene for its collection of over 8,000 works. These span Chinese, American, European, and contemporary art and photography. Its galleries feature landmark exhibitions in early 2026, including the Art and Life of Rembrandt’s Time and the Masterpieces from the Leiden Collection, which is drawn from one of the world’s foremost private Dutch Golden Age collections.
The Norton Museum of Art also offers a weekly event, Art After Dark, and a Friday night series of tours, art workshops, live performances, and music that enhance the gallery experience.
Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens
The Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens are found in West Palm Beach in the historic El Cid neighborhood. These gardens are home to spectacular works by Anne Weaver Norton. She was an artist and the second wife of Ralph Norton. Yes…the same Norton who built the Norton Museum of Art.
When you visit these gardens, you’ll see for yourself the beautiful red brick and stone-towering modernist sculptures, crafted by drawing on Mesoamerican sources. These sculptures sit within a tropical garden, and the juxtaposition is incredible to see with one’s own eyes.
Besides booking a tour of the gardens, there are garden events to enjoy, and you can participate in the educational programming and seasonal lectures often offered.
Flagler Museum
You might think you have to set foot near Mar-a-Lago if you want to explore historic Palm Beach mansions, but this isn’t true. You could instead book a visit to the Flagler Museum, which was once Henry Flagler’s residence. Flagler was the man responsible for extending the Florida East Coast Railroad to Key West. He was also the onetime confidante of John D. Rockefeller.
When you visit the Flagler Museum, which is also known as Whitehall, you’ll get to learn more about the Gilded Age. This museum does an outstanding job at showcasing Gilded Age excess with its many elaborate rooms decorated in every conceivable pre-modern style.
For instance, there is the Louis XIV-style music room, which features 19th-century paintings by artists such as Tiffany and Canaletto, and the ballroom modeled after the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. It also offers a Swiss chalet-style billiards room, and even the servants’ quarters are larger than some New York apartments. And the creme de la creme is the outdoor pavilion that showcases Flagler’s private railcar. It’s a treat for the eyes.
Kravis Center for Performing Arts
You don’t have to go all the way to New York City’s Theatre District to enjoy some of the best performing arts events. In West Palm Beach, the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is well regarded by the community.
It hosts incredible Broadway touring productions, ballet companies, and the Palm Beach Symphony concerts. It’s also popular for hosting nationally recognized artists throughout the winter and spring seasons.
If you choose to visit, you’ll find it is in close proximity (walking distance, really) to Rosemary Square, where you can stop in at restaurants, view public art, and tour the Norton Museum.
Gallery Districts
The United States is among countries such as South Korea, France, Germany, and China that have some of the best gallery districts in the world. The Palm Beach art galleries in the region are a testament to this fact.
Antique Row Galleries
You’ll find Antique Row running along South Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach. This district is one of the best in the country for antiques and design, and is worth visiting if you’re looking for something special or for your home. There are more than 40 galleries and dealers operating within the compact stretch.
They offer everything from 17th- to 20th-century European antiquities to fine art, museum-quality decorative objects, and mid-century furnishings. Depending on when you visit, you might want to attend the annual Evening on Antique Row fundraiser, which draws designers and collectors for a beautifully curated night of philanthropy and gallery previews.
Worth Avenue Galleries
Those who want to tour some of the best-established galleries that also just so happen to feature Mediterranean architecture should consider a trip to Worth Avenue. This district on Palm Beach Island is home to spaces such as the Holden Lunz Gallery and Adelson Galleries. These galleries feature rotating exhibitions of fine art photography, contemporary painting, and modern masters of their craft.
The avenue also features an incredibly dense layout, which could work to your advantage. The density allows you and others to move from courtyard to courtyard within a few blocks, exploring different arts and cultural offerings that might tickle your fancy.
When you visit Worth Avenue galleries, you’ll likely often encounter seasonal openings and private previews. It’s definitely a place to visit, no matter the time of year.
Northwood Village Arts District
The Northwood Village Arts district isn’t as well-known in West Palm Beach, but it’s quickly rising in fame. This district presents a far more contemporary, emerging edge, with independent galleries like the Oditto Gallery located here.
This gallery showcases experimental and international artists. The district is also known for hosting quarterly Nights in Northwood Village events. These events offer visitors hours of entertainment and enjoyment with live programming.
Not to mention the district’s visual identity is interesting. You’ll find mixed-use developments and large-scale murals that truly showcase the region’s creativity.
Art Basel Connection and The Palm Beach Art Season
For all the artistic souls and collectors, given that Palm Beach sits only an hour and a bit away from Art Basel Miami Beach, the December art week feels accessible. It’s not a long drive or flight, and many seasonal residents enjoy attending a preview or two in Miami, then have dinner in the Design District and return north the same evening.
Others like the choice of escape, choosing to stay a night or two in Miami before heading back once the intensity of the art season winds down. Considering this, regardless of whether you live in West Palm Beach at a condo like The Berkeley Palm Beach or elsewhere, seasonally or full-time, you’re in the perfect position. You get to enjoy the global conversation before returning to the privacy and familiarity of Palm Beach.
It’s also worth noting that Miami doesn’t have exclusive rights to the energy of Miami Art Week…not that anyone can have energy rights regardless. Several galleries in Palm Beach schedule their new exhibitions to coincide with Miami Art Week, capitalizing on the influx of collectors already in South Florida. This means there will be plenty more to see when you get home.
For example, there are the Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary and the Palm Beach Show, which take place annually at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. These both draw serious buyers and international dealers.
Private Collections and Cultural Events
During Palm Beach’s winter season, there are also many private collections that some are privy to. If you’re a part of the lucky chosen, you’ll get invited to invitation-only previews. You’ll likely also attend charity galas and exhibition openings. These bring advisors, collectors, and patrons together in intimate settings.
There are also many cultural events to look forward to. There are institutions like the Society of the Four Arts with a social calendar, featuring lectures, benefit evenings, and performances that draw on national cultural figures.
A Thriving Cultural Scene You’ll Want to Explore
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Evidently, the art and gallery scene in Palm Beach is noteworthy and appealing to visitors and residents. There are many galleries you’ll want to visit and museums worth checking out, even if you only have a small gap in your schedule.
From the Norton Museum of Art to the Flagler Museum, Antique Row Galleries, Worth Avenue, and the Northwood Village Arts district, there is something for everyone. If you’re worried you won’t get to enjoy it all now or in the future, it may be time to explore real estate options.
The Berkeley Palm Beach offers beautifully modern state-of-the-art condos in West Palm Beach, making your seasonal or primary residence conveniently located to the arts and culture of South Florida. If you would like to explore your options, you can book a sales conversation here. We look forward to sharing everything you need to know about our luxury condos, including all the perks residents have access to day in and day out.
