7 Best Sights in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast, Florida

Under the shimmering golden dome of the city's original town hall is a vital repository of archival material and special exhibits on the area's development, run by the Boca Raton Historical Society. With advance reservations, you can experience a 40-minute guided tour of Boca Raton's original town hall and a small museum. The Boca Raton Historical Society also runs tours for groups Monday through Thursday (10 am–noon), which take patrons around the museum's exhibits. 

Detailing city history, the Clewiston Museum tells stories not only of Big Sugar and the Herbert Hoover Dike construction, but also of the World War II British Royal Air Force pilots training at the Clewiston airfield. Artifacts from the Seminole tribe and even fossils found by a local paleontologist are on display, too. Historical ecotours are held on Friday 9–4:30 ($25) and include bird-watching, lunch, and a tour through the museum and nearby Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Museum.

The museum's glittering, green-certified 48,000-square-foot facility houses a permanent collection along with traveling exhibits. The museum was founded in 1961 in honor of Sterling Elliott, an inventor of an early automated-addressing machine, the egg crate, and a four-wheel bicycle, and it celebrates history, art, and technology, much of it viewed through the lens of the automobile's effect on American society. There's an impressive array of antique cars, plus paintings, historic artifacts, and nostalgic goods like vintage baseball cards and toys.

Built in 1875 on Hutchinson Island, this is the only remaining example of 10 such structures that were erected by the U.S. Life-Saving Service (a predecessor of the Coast Guard) to aid stranded sailors. The displays here include antique lifesaving equipment, maps, artifacts from nearby wrecks, and boatbuilding tools. The museum is affiliated with the nearby Elliott Museum; package tickets are available.

A beautifully restored 1916 courthouse in downtown is the permanent home of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County's collection of artifacts and records dating back before the town's start—a highlight is furniture and decorative objects from Mizner Industries (a real treat since many of his mansions are not open to the public).

Highlights here include a Seminole dugout canoe, pictures from the Hill Photographic Collection, and a life-size re-creation of the P. P. Cobb General Store. A room is also devoted to the U.S. Navy Amphibious Training Base of World War II, which was located on St. Lucie's beaches. A guided tour of the Gardner House (the 1908 home of the Register family), with furnishings typical of the period, is included in the price of admission.

What started off in 1901 as the tin-roofed George W. Parks General Merchandise Store and in 1946 became Stuart's Feed Store (the name is still emblazoned on the pine facade) is now the Stuart Heritage Museum, an interesting trip down nostalgia lane with Americana artifacts, photographs, and goods detailing the town's history, just steps from city hall.