Boynton Beach is a mid-sized city on Florida's southeast coast, wedged between West Palm Beach to the north and Delray Beach to the south. It is less flashy than its neighbours but has a pleasant stretch of public beach and a growing downtown with restaurants and breweries around the marina.
The main draw for visitors is the water. The Gulf Stream runs unusually close to shore here — sometimes within two miles — making Boynton Beach one of the best drift-diving destinations on the US Atlantic coast. The Boynton Beach Reef sits in 65 to 90 feet of water, reachable by morning charter from the Boynton Harbor Marina, with nurse sharks, turtles, and goliath grouper on most dives. The Boynton Beach Inlet is a productive fishing spot, and Oceanfront Park has a clean, uncrowded beach with a playground and picnic areas.
Inland, the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge protects 145,000 acres of the northern Everglades — the only remaining section of a wetland that once stretched continuously to Florida Bay. The birding is exceptional. Closer in, Green Cay Wetlands has a 1.5-mile elevated boardwalk through open marsh with remarkably close views of wading birds and alligators. The revived Ocean Avenue downtown strip has cafés, breweries, and a weekly green market within walking distance of the beach.