The best things to do in Lake Worth, FL with kids sort themselves by how far you’re willing to drive. The guarded municipal beach, the Lockhart pier and the Casino Building sit within a 5-minute walk of each other on the barrier island. Fun Depot and John Prince Memorial Park are a short drive inland. The zoo, the science center and two free marine centers are a 20- to 40-minute drive north. This guide works through all three rings, with age notes, free options and a plan for bad weather.
How the Lake Worth Map Works for Families
Lake Worth Beach is small enough to walk. The city covers 5.89 square miles and counted 42,219 residents at the 2020 census (Wikipedia), and the part families use is smaller still: roughly 10 blocks of downtown along Lake and Lucerne avenues, plus the beach complex across the Lake Worth Bridge. Park once and the whole ocean side is on foot.
Lake Worth mailing addresses run more than 10 miles inland into unincorporated Palm Beach County, which is where the big county parks are. Beyond the city line, West Palm Beach is 15 to 20 minutes north, Lantana borders the city to the south and Boynton Beach is about 15 minutes south. Riviera Beach and Juno Beach sit farther up the coast. None of those are inside Lake Worth Beach, and this guide says so each time. For the adult version, see our guide to things to do in Lake Worth Beach.
Walkable Lake Worth Beach: Sand, Pier and Downtown
The Municipal Beach and the William O. Lockhart Pier
The municipal beach is a quarter mile of sand with year-round lifeguards (City of Lake Worth Beach), which not every South Florida beach can say. Food and restrooms are steps away, so it works with toddlers. Paid beach parking fills by mid-morning on winter weekends, so park downtown and walk the bridge instead. The city’s Beach Bonfires & Night Market runs free on the first and third Fridays, November through February, from 6 to 9 p.m.
The William O. Lockhart Pier runs 960 feet into the Atlantic, with a bait shop and rod rentals on the deck. School-age kids who won’t sit still on sand tend to love it, because there are surfers below and pelicans working the railings for somebody else’s catch. There’s a small walk-on fee, and sunrise is when locals turn up. Boards, beach wagons and bikes multiply faster than garage space does, which is why a 5×10 storage unit is a common fix in a town of small historic houses.
The Casino Building, Benny’s on the Beach and Kilwins
The Lake Worth Beach Casino Building is the 1920s landmark at the top of the sand, holding restaurants, shops and a 3,000-square-foot ballroom over the ocean. For a family it solves lunch, ice cream, real restrooms and shade in one stop.
Benny’s on the Beach has been a landmark here since 1986, and its pier location opens at 7 a.m. daily, so breakfast above the Atlantic is easy. Its OceanWalk room is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Mamma Mia’s on the Beach in the same complex is the pizza answer when nobody wants to negotiate, and Kilwins makes fudge and ice cream until 10 p.m. most nights. Our guide to brunch in Lake Worth Beach covers the sit-down rooms downtown.
Bryant Park, Snook Islands and the Downtown Murals
Bryant Park sits at the foot of the bridge on the lagoon side, with a fishing pier, horseshoe pits, a band shell and open lawn. It’s free, quiet except during the Midnight Sun Festival, and the best place to watch boats pass the bridge without paying for beach parking.
Snook Islands Natural Area is a free 545-foot boardwalk through mangroves on the Lake Worth Lagoon, Palm Beach County’s largest estuary and home to more than 250 species of fish (Visit Florida). Wading birds stand close enough that a 5-year-old sees them without binoculars. Go in the first two hours after sunrise, and paddle from the kayak launch only on calm-wind days. Kayaks and paddleboards are awkward to keep at home, and a 5×15 unit is the shape that takes them.
The downtown murals are the cheapest hour in the city, and LULA Lake Worth Arts runs the mural programs. The best-known piece is the Hula mural on the bridge support, painted in 2017 by Sean Yoro and best seen from the Bryant Park side. Around the corner is Artist’s Eye Gallery & Boutique at 604 Lucerne Avenue, the Lake Worth Art League’s gallery, which charges no admission and opens Tuesday to Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., later on Saturdays.
Lake Worth Playhouse and Benzaiten
Lake Worth Playhouse puts community theater on the stage of a 1924 building called the oldest surviving Art Deco building in Palm Beach County, and its smaller Stonzek Studio Theatre shows independent film. Matinees make it workable with kids who can’t manage a late curtain, which makes it a real answer to a wet afternoon.
Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts is a restored FEC train depot at 1105 2nd Avenue South given over to glass, with glassblowing classes and demonstrations by visiting artists. Watching molten glass get worked holds kids who have no interest in a gallery. It’s open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and its own site warns not to trust GPS, so use the rear parking lot off 3rd Avenue South.
A Short Drive Inland and South
John Prince Memorial Park
John Prince Memorial Park is the biggest free day out in the area: 716.37 acres with 4.5 miles of bike and walking paths, four boat ramps, fishing piers and pickleball (Palm Beach County Parks). For families the draws are the splash park and the Picower Super Park, an accessible playground for ages 2 to 12.
John Prince has entrances on 6th Avenue South, Lake Worth Road and South Congress Avenue, so pick the one nearest the feature you want rather than the first pin your map offers. It runs sunrise to sunset, and the Lake Woof dog park sits inside the same grounds.
Fun Depot
Fun Depot is the wet-afternoon insurance policy, family-owned since 1988 and sitting at 2003 10th Avenue North by the I-95 interchange, still inside Lake Worth Beach. Under one roof it holds 20 bowling lanes, a large arcade, Laser Force laser tag and a half-mile go-kart track. The catch parents miss is the height rule: go-kart riders must be at least 54 inches tall (Fun Depot). Family Fun Night runs Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 11 p.m. on a wristband.
Schoolhouse Children’s Museum in Boynton Beach
Schoolhouse Children’s Museum sits in the restored 1913 Boynton School in Boynton Beach, about 15 minutes south, and it’s built for hands-on play rather than reading labels. It serves ages 0 to 9 (Wikipedia), so older kids will be finished quickly.
20 to 40 Minutes: The Full Day Out
Cox Science Center and Aquarium
Cox Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach has hands-on exhibits, the 10,000-gallon Aquariums of the Atlantic, a 68-seat full-dome digital planetarium and the 18-hole Conservation Course mini golf outside (Cox Science Center). It runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.
Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society
Palm Beach Zoo shares the same corner of Dreher Park, with koalas, tigers, jaguars and otters across 23 acres. Its splash pad is temporarily closed. Go at opening in summer, because both the animals and the kids flag by noon. Last tickets sell at 4:15 p.m., and the zoo and the science center don’t both fit properly into a single day.
Manatee Lagoon and Loggerhead Marinelife Center
Manatee Lagoon is on North Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach, free, and built around an observation deck where manatees gather in warm water. Admission and parking are free. Timing decides the trip: it’s open daily from November 15 to March 31, when manatees show up, and closed Mondays from April 1 to November 14.
Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach is a sea turtle hospital you walk straight through, with turtles in rehabilitation. Admission is free and it’s open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and USA Today 10Best readers voted it the country’s best free attraction in 2024 and 2025 (Loggerhead Marinelife Center). Our list of day trips from Lake Worth runs farther afield again.
Rapids Water Park
Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach bills itself as South Florida’s largest water park, with more than 40 slides and attractions including the Mega Mayhem water coaster, a lazy river and a wave pool. It’s open weekends through November and its operating days vary across the season, so check its calendar before you drive up. The park is cashless, and a cabana rental is the difference between a good day and a sunburn with a toddler.
Heat, Rain, Parking and Height Limits
Summer is the constraint nobody warns you about. July and August average a 90°F high and a 76°F low with frequent afternoon storms (National Weather Service), so outdoor plans work in the morning and collapse by 2 p.m. Build the day backward: beach or park first, then Fun Depot, the Playhouse or the science center once the sky turns. Winter is the opposite problem, with comfortable weather and full beach parking by mid-morning. Our guide to the best time to visit Lake Worth breaks the year down month by month.
Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 and peaks statistically around September 10 (NOAA National Hurricane Center), so book refundable in that window. A few places close Mondays, Benzaiten among them, which makes a Monday a beach and park day. Humidity is the quiet one: it’s hard on anything cardboard or fabric kept in a garage, which is why families here put outgrown gear in climate-controlled storage in Lake Worth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some free things to do in Lake Worth, Florida?
Plenty, and most of it’s outdoors. Bryant Park, the Snook Islands boardwalk and the downtown murals cost nothing, and so does Artist’s Eye Gallery on Lucerne Avenue. John Prince Memorial Park charges nothing for its paths, splash park and playgrounds, and the winter beach bonfires are free. Farther out, Manatee Lagoon and Loggerhead Marinelife Center are free too.
What are the best indoor things to do in Lake Worth, FL with kids?
Fun Depot is the main one, with bowling, an arcade and indoor laser tag under one roof. Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts runs glass demonstrations Tuesday to Saturday, and the Stonzek Studio Theatre at Lake Worth Playhouse shows independent film. In West Palm Beach, Cox Science Center and Aquarium keeps its exhibits, aquariums and planetarium indoors.
How far is Lake Worth, FL from the beach?
It depends which Lake Worth you mean. Downtown Lake Worth Beach is about 1 mile from the sand, roughly 20 minutes on foot or 5 by bike over the Lake Worth Bridge. Lake Worth mailing addresses also run more than 10 miles inland, and from there the beach is a real drive.
Is Lake Worth Beach safe?
Lake Worth Beach reads as an ordinary small Florida city rather than a resort bubble, and the family-facing parts of it are well used. The municipal beach has year-round lifeguards, which matters more than any general impression when you have swimmers. Park in lit areas and keep valuables out of sight in the beach lots.
What’s Lake Worth, FL known for?
Lake Worth Beach is known for its art. The city has six local historic districts, a dense mural program through LULA Lake Worth Arts and the Street Painting Festival, held downtown on a weekend in late February each year. It’s also known for the Casino Building, the 960-foot pier and a Finnish heritage marked by the Midnight Sun Festival, which began as Finlandia Days in 1983.
Storing the Gear a Family Beach Town Generates
Families here accumulate hardware faster than closets appear: boogie boards, bikes, strollers, camp chairs from John Prince and the holiday bins that come out for six weeks a year. Value Store It’s Lake Worth facility rents month-to-month with no long-term contract, so a unit can cover one school year instead of a decade. A 5×5 locker, about the size of a small closet, takes outgrown baby gear and seasonal decorations, and a 10×5 space holds the contents of one room. Bigger 10×10 storage units hold a one-bedroom apartment’s worth, a nursery plus furniture you’re not ready to part with, while 10×15 units fit a two-bedroom apartment and 10×20 storage takes a three-bedroom home between moves. If you’re unsure which fits, the storage size guide sizes it by room rather than by square feet.
