Florida - Eastern USA - page 909

gler Museum ( www.flaglermuseum.us ; 1 Whitehall Way; adult/child $18/10; 10am-5pm Tue-
Sat, noon-5pm Sun) , housed in the railroad magnate's 1902 winter estate, Whitehall Man-
sion. The elaborate 55-room palace is an evocative immersion in Gilded Age opulence.
Flagler's opulent oceanfront 1896 hotel, the Breakers ( 888-273-2537, 561-655-6611;
www.thebreakers.com ; 1 S County Rd; r $270-1250, ste $510-5500; ) , is a super-lux-
urious world unto itself, modeled after Rome's Villa Medici. It encompasses two golf
courses, 10 tennis courts, a three-pool Mediterranean beach club and a trove of restaur-
ants.
For a low-end treat, kick it Formica-style with an egg cream and a low-cal platter at
the lunch counter in Green's Pharmacy (151 N County Rd; mains $4-11;

8am-6pm Mon-Fri,

to 4pm Sat) .

West Palm Beach

Henry Flagler initially developed West Palm Beach as a working-class community to
support Palm Beach. Today West Palm works harder, plays harder and is simply cooler
and more relaxed. It's a groovy place to explore.
Florida's largest museum, the Norton Museum of Art ( 561-832-5196; www.norton.org ;
1451 S Olive Ave; adult/child $12/5; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, to 9pm Thu, 11am-5pm Sun) houses an
enormous collection of American and European modern masters and Impressionists,
along with a large Buddha head presiding over an impressive Asian art collection. If you
like that, you'll love the outdoor Ann Norton Sculpture Garden ( www.ansg.org ; 253 Bar-
celona Rd; admission adult/under 5 $7/free; 10am-4pm Wed-Sun) . This serene collection of
sculptures sprinkled among verdant gardens is a real West Palm gem.
If you have children, take them to Lion Country Safari ( www.lioncountrysafari.com ; 2003
Lion Country Safari Rd; adult/child $28.50/21; 9:30am-5:30pm; ) , the country's first
cageless drive-through safari, where around 900 creatures roam freely around 500 acres.
The coolest lodging in town is Hotel Biba ( 561-832-0094; www.hotelbiba.com ; 320
Belvedere Rd; r $69-129; ) . The retro-funky exterior looks like a cute 1950s
motel, but the rooms have a modern, boutique style that would be right at home in
Miami's SoBe.
Much of the action centers around CityPlace ( www.cityplace.com ; 700 S Rosemary Ave;
10am-10pm Mon-Sat, noon-6pm Sun) , a European village-style outdoor mall with splashing
fountains and a slew of dining and entertainment options. Clematis St also has several
worthy bars, live-music clubs and restaurants, and every Thursday Clematis by Night
( www.clematisbynight.net ) hosts friendly outdoor concerts. If you're hungry, try Rocco's