I’m really excited to interview Greg Van Horn of Launch Potato about Delray Beach, Florida. Greg’s tips for the best things to do in Delray Beach are awesome because he has lived in Delray Beach since he graduated high school and loves being by the water all the time. It’s a great community, and you can’t beat the perfect weather.
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Greg Van Horn with his dog Nala on a sunrise stroll at the beach
Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach is located on the east coast of Florida, about 50 miles north of Miami. It is a beach destination that blends the culture, shopping, and nightlife of South Beach with the island vibes of Key West. It is a small and intimate town of 70,000 residents, and it was awarded the most fun small town in America by Rand McNally and USA Today. The Arts Warehouse and Pineapple Grove District are excellent places to explore local artists, while the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum and Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens will pique your curiosity.
The beaches are also one of the top draws for visitors and locals. People who like to scuba or snorkel should plan to visit the SS Inchulva, which sunk in September 1903 due to a strong hurricane. No Shoes Reefs and the Coastal Conservation Association of Florida recently dropped numerous 7-by-6-feet “reef balls” to create an artificial reef site about 1/2 a mile off the Delray Beach shore. For visitors who want to explore the ocean without getting wet, stop by the Sandoway Discovery Center. One of Greg’s favorite exhibits is the shark tank.
Foodies should stop by the Delray Beach Market, which hosts over 25 local and regional vendors. Many of the local restaurants along Atlantic Avenue also feature “al fresco” dining where you can enjoy the warm Florida sunshine. The annual Savor the Avenue food festival is the city’s signature dining experience. While the Frog Alley Caribbean Festival features music, dancing, and food from Florida’s Caribbean neighbors.
We share a lot of resources and local suggestions in today’s podcast, but you should also check out Visit Delray Beach and Downtown Delray Beach, two of the local visitor bureaus. They are a wealth of information and can help you plan an itinerary based on your time, budget, and interests.
If you’d like to learn how to travel for free using airline miles and hotel points, check out my free 7-day email course.
Savor the Avenue food festival. Photo courtesy of Downtown Delray Beach
Getting around Delray Beach
The closest airport is Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), which is only a 20-minute drive to downtown. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is a little further away, but it has more frequent service and hosts more airlines. The airport is only 32 miles away, but, depending on traffic, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour to get there. Use our Expedia tool below to find flight, hotel, and rental car options.
Greg says that, if you’re staying near Atlantic Avenue or the beach, there’s no need to rent a car because you can walk or bike to most of the tourist spots. The Delray Freebee is a free shuttle service that takes locals and visitors around the city. Download its app (Apple, Android) to request a pickup and browse the local recommendations and exclusive deals.
Visitors often rent bikes from the local shops, including Richwagen’s Bike Shop. Delray Beach is also a golf cart-friendly community, so consider renting a top-of-the-line cart from Exhilaride. You can even rent kayaks or mopeds from nearby Fun Rentals.
Uber and Lyft are excellent ways to get around. When you only need a car for a couple of hours, you can rent by the hour with Zipcar. Join now to get $25 loaded into your account.
If you decide to explore beyond the Downtown area and the beaches or want to visit nearby Fort Lauderdale or Miami, a car is a good choice. For the best offers, visit Avis, Budget, or Hertz.
Reef balls being lowered into the ocean in partnership with No Shoes Reefs and the Coastal Conservation Association of Florida. Photo courtesy of CCA
Places we talked about on the podcast
Here is a map of all of the places we talked about on the podcast episode with Greg Van Horn about Delray Beach, Florida. You can zoom into the map and click on each dot to explore the city.
- Red dots = best places to eat in Delray Beach, Florida
- Green dots = best things to do in Delray Beach, Florida
- Yellow dots = best places to stay in Delray Beach, Florida
Who is Greg Van Horn?
Greg Van Horn is CEO and founding partner of Launch Potato, a digital media company that owns and operates a portfolio of brands, platforms, and strategic partnerships. And he also runs Delray Beach Golf Cart Rentals with his oldest friend, Dan De Oliveira.
He is an all-food foodie who believes you should try everything twice. Greg loves traveling with his wife Christine and their dog Nala, street food, and great views.
Greg Van Horn with his wife Christine at Wynwood Walls in Miami
Here are a few of the types of articles you can find on Launch Potato’s FinanceBuzz.com website:
- How to Make Money In Real Estate: Five Proven Strategies
- The 7 Best Low-Interest Credit Cards with Premium Perks
- Max Out Your 401(k): 8 Little-Known Ways to Boost Your Savings
You can connect with Greg on his website and on Twitter and Instagram. Check out the FBZ Elite Facebook Community to connect with others who love travel, credit card rewards, and other personal finance hacks.
Click here to download our one-page guide to Delray Beach.
Big thanks to today’s affiliate partner – Acorns
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Dining along the Intracoastal Waterway. Photo courtesy of Downtown Delray Beach
Stay tuned for our next episode
Lindsay Woychick on La Ría (aka Bilbao’s River)
Listen to the next episode when Lindsay Woychick of Words By Woychick shares the best things to do in Bilbao, Spain. Lindsay and I talk about the Guggenheim Art Museum, the Casco Viejo plazas and bars, and eating the local delicacy Bacalao Pil Pil. We hope you’ll join us when We Travel There.
What’s your favorite part of Delray Beach? Send us a Tweet, let us know in the comment section below, or continue the discussion in our Facebook group!
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To see which cities we’ve interviewed and scheduled, please visit WeTravelThere.com/map. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, please submit an application at WeTravelThere.com/guest.
Related episodes
To learn more about other fun destinations in South Florida, listen to these episodes:
