The spine of Delray Beach — a wide, palm-lined avenue running a mile and a half from the Intracoastal Waterway east to the beach. Atlantic Avenue is the town's main eating, drinking, and shopping street, with restaurants, bars, galleries and boutiques lining both sides. The blocks between Swinton Avenue and the Intracoastal are the most active and the most pedestrian-friendly, with brick crosswalks, regular benches, and live music spilling out of bars on weekend evenings.
The avenue is at its best from late afternoon through midnight. During winter season it gets genuinely crowded and weekend reservations are essential for the better restaurants. Atlantic Avenue is also the focal point of major events — the New Year's Eve "First Night," the Garlic Fest, the St Patrick's Day parade — which fill the street for full closures several times a year.