Discover Gay Florida :: Delray Beach

Delray Beach offers the diversion of cozy theaters, quaint and high end shops, live entertainment, sporting events, and a downtown art district that has made the area famous. In 2012 USA Today Travel named Delray Beach America's Most Fun Small Town. But don't let this small town fool you, it's surrounded by urban areas so there is tons of culture as well as a whole lot of good food.

Original settlements in the area were populated by African Americans as well as a large number of Japanese immigrants who came to start a farming colony in the early 1900s. Bahamian immigrants also came after the Flagler railroad was expanded and added a stop in the area.

Where to Stay

If you really want to stay gay in Delray try MisterBnB.com which is basically AirBnB for homos. There are several nice places that look really nice, but as with any service online, let the buyer beware. If you prefer more traditional digs while you are visiting, take a look at the places that we've dug up for you.

The Colony Hotel and Caba�a Club (525 East Atlantic Avenue Delray Beach) -- Located in the heart of downtown Delray Beach, the charming, historic Colony Hotel is surrounded by boutiques, restaurants and galleries; it is complemented by the Caba�a Club with its own private beach and heated saltwater pool. Both venues uniquely blend Old Florida sense of place with a modern color palette. This 1926 historic hotel has been owned and operated by the same family since 1935! The intimate 70 room hotel is sustainable, green, eco-friendly, authentic and pet friendly. They are currently offering a summer special for $109. For more information call 561-276-4123 or visit ColonyFlorida.com

The Seagate Hotel and Spa (1000 East Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach) -- The Seagate Hotel & Spa is a luxury boutique resort in Delray Beach, Florida. The 154-room beach-inspired property offers upscale dining options, an 8,000 square-foot on-site spa and exclusive privileges at the private Seagate Beach Club, located less than a mile from the hotel, as well as access to the private Seagate Country Club, complete with championship golf courses, Har-Tru tennis courts, full-service clubhouse and more. They are currently running a few specials for the summer including a Summer Florida Resident offer for 10% off the best available rate and a $50 travel credit. They are also offering a fourth night if you stay for three.

For more information or reservations, call 877-577-3242 or visit TheSeagateHotel.com.

Hyatt Place Delray Beach (104 NE 2nd Avenue, Delray Beach) -- Ideal for the casual traveler, Hyatt Place is designed to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Featuring inviting spaces and modern accommodations which offer you access to lifestyle essentials that make travel easy, including free Wi-Fi everywhere. Designed for the multi-tasking traveler, the hotel features 134 contemporary guestrooms and suites that combine style, comfort, and innovation. For the ultimate convenience, all rooms are furnished with state-of-the-art media and work centers. There is a roof top pool and fitness room as well as free breakfast each morning. For more information, call 561-330-3530 or visit delraybeach.place.hyatt.com

Delray Beach Marriott (10 North Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach) -- Recipient of the prestigious AAA Four Diamond award and ideally located across the street from the ocean, the Delray Beach Marriott offers resort-style luxury while embodying South Florida's easygoing lifestyle. At this hotel, relaxation comes as naturally as the fresh breezes off the Atlantic Ocean which invite guests to slow down, soak up the sunshine and experience the best Delray Beach has to offer.

The resort's 277 guest rooms, suites and villas each feature private balconies, complimentary Wi-Fi and other thoughtful amenities. As a pet friendly Delray Beach hotel, they also welcome your four-legged travel companion. The resort showcases a tropical outdoor pool and whirlpool and fully-equipped fitness center. The Delray Beach Marriott is also home to nSpa, a sanctuary of relaxation that offers a full menu of pampering spa and salon treatments. They offer summer specials and romantic getaways for you and your special someone. For more information, give them a call at 877-389-0169 or visit them online at MarriottDelrayBeach.com

Wright By the Sea Hotel (1901 S. Ocean Blvd.) -- Wright by the sea is one of the few remaining small beachside hotels left that still have windows that open to enjoy the sea air. At Wright by the Sea there is plenty of space to spread out and have fun on their private beach, while others prefer lounging by the pool. They also have an ocean observation deck which is a perfect place for a cup of coffee while you watch the sunrise as well as the evening's moonrise. There are plenty of palm-shaded nooks as well, where you can sit with a book on a warm summer day. Book the luxury ocean front suite for only $294 through October. For more information, call 561-278-3355 or visit them online at WBTSea.com

Where to Play

Most of the LGBT life in Palm Beach County is located in West Palm Beach as well as in Lake Worth, which are just a few miles north of Delray.
For an unusual adventure in South Florida, try a visit to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (4000 Morikami Park Rd., Delray Beach).

Since opening in 1977, Morikami has been a center for Japanese arts and culture in South Florida. With rotating exhibitions, tea ceremonies performed monthly in the Seishin-an tea house, educational outreach programs with local schools and organizations, and Japanese traditional festivals celebrated for the public several times a year, Morikami strives to spread appreciation for the living culture of Japan.

The Morikami Collections house more than 7,000 Japanese art objects and artifacts, including a 500-piece collection of tea ceremony items, more than 200 textile pieces and fine art acquisitions. The 16 acres that surround Morikami's two museum buildings include expansive Japanese gardens with strolling paths, resting areas, a world-class bonsai collection and lakes teeming with koi and other wildlife. The wider 200-acre park features nature trails, pine forests and picnic areas.

The Girls Strawberry U-Pick (4466 S. Military Trail, Suite 3 Delray Beach) is a site that has to be seen to be believed. Their hydroponic farm allows guest to come and pick strawberries without having to bend over or tramp through dirt fields. If picking berries isn't your style or it's not strawberry season, it's still worth a visit to try some of their fresh fruits and veggies, or to shop in their country store for other delicious hard to find items.

Delray's downtown area centers around the neighborhoods of Pineapple Grove and SOFA (South of Atlantic). Along Atlantic Avenue you will find tons of restaurants and shops, leading you right up to the beach, which is wide, and features beautiful white sand typical of most Florida beaches.

Old School Square (51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach) has been turned into a cultural center. It features the Crest Theatre, a venue for the performing arts; the 1925 gymnasium, restored to maintain its appearance, has become a popular venue for local events such as wedding receptions and dances; the Cornell Museum of Art and History, built in the restored elementary school; and a recently constructed outdoor entertainment pavilion, which serves as a venue for musical performances and has also been used for events such as political rallies. They have a great lineup of events all summer long, check them out at OldSchoolSquare.org

The historic home of teacher /Principal Solomon D. Spady (170 NW 5 Ave, Delray Beach) was renovated and has been turned into the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, which houses many black archives. It hosts exhibits and programs designed to recognize the fforts of blacks who were instrumental in shaping Delray Beach and Palm Beach County. In 2007, the museum was expanded by renovating a 1935 cottage into a kid's cultural clubhouse, and the construction of a 50-seat amphitheater named for C. Spencer Pompey, a pioneer black educator.

Where to Go

Since this is the Hotspots! Annual Foodie Edition, a weekend restaurant tour seems appropriate. Delray has become somewhat of a Foodie's enclave with tons of great restaurants and bars making up most of the nightlife scene. The Farm to Table movement has become firmly entrenched in Palm Beach County, and some claim that the seat of the movement is centered in Delray.

For a true farm to fork experience, visit Max's Harvest (169 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach). They take pride in providing locally sourced food, including grass fed lamb from Deland, pork from Avon Park, and beef from Clewiston. For south Florida, it doesn't get much more local than that! Max's Harvest is helmed by Chef Eric Baker, who for the past three years has continued the fine tradition of acclaimed Chefs at Max's Harvest, which has received numerous accolades, including being listed in Zagat Miami 2013 and Best Restaurant in Palm Beach County in 2012 by the New Times Broward/Palm Beach. To make a reservation, give them a call at (561) 381-9970 or visit them at MaxsHarvest.com or find them on Open Table.

50 Ocean (50 S. Ocean Blvd Delray Beach) is another Fin to Fork, Farm to table eatery in Delray smack dab on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. Even with wrap around floor to ceiling windows in their second floor dining room, the amazing view plays second fiddle to the food here. Try a hand crafted cocktail during their "Appy Hour" where drinks and select appetizers are 50%off.

Chef Blake Malatesta recently told the Palm Beach Gardens Florida Weekly, "Here we really try to show people the best of what we have to offer. It's fin to fork and farm to table. It's all about locale for us. We have a 24-hour dock-to-door program, where we get our fish as fast as it comes out of the water. My purveyors are topnotch. They know what I want and what I look for. We work very closely with our boat captains to get the best and freshest fish available."

For reservations, visit 50Ocean.com or call 561-278-3364.

For a meal that is a bit more low key, try Mellow Mushroom (25 S.E 6th Ave., Delray Beach). Don't worry, you're not having an acid flashback from your bygone hippy days, these guys are just keeping the counter culture alive, one pizza at a time. But pizza is not the only trippy item on the menu, but it is exceptionally delicious here. Wash your pie down with one of their enormous selections of draft and bottled beers. This is where pizza lovers and beer lovers gather. Just don't try to smoke the oregano!

No one does brunch quite like the gays so chances are on either Saturday or Sunday you will need a Bloody Mary, a mimosa, and some delicious food to soak all up all the alcohol so stop in to Gary Rack's Farmhouse Kitchen (204 E Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach), located just a couple blocks west of the Intercostal. Executive Chef Matthew Danaher's meticulously developed menu encapsulates passion for redefining fresh-focused food. Seasonal, sustainable, locally sourced ingredients form crave-worthy dishes that exude ingenuity to create the FARMHOUSE Kitchen tradition. They serve brunch all weekend long from 9am-3pm but they are open for lunch and dinner every day as well. Visit them online at FarmHouseKitchenBoca.com or give them a call at (561) 266-3642 to make a reservation.

To find out more about what is going on in Delray, visit DowntownDelrayBeach.com. You can find links to the places mentioned above as well as tons of other information that will make your stay there all the better.