Peanut Island and the West Palm Waterfront: A Day Trip That Needs a Plan

Here is the short answer. Peanut Island is a county park in the Lake Worth Lagoon that you can only reach by boat, and the day falls apart for people who show up without a plan. The shuttle from Riviera Beach runs daily, sells day tickets from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or until the boat is full, and the last return from the island is 5 p.m. There is no food, no drink, and nothing for rent once you are out there. Bring everything. The Kennedy bunker, which is the thing most visitors come for, is closed until further notice. Do the island in the morning, come back to the mainland hungry, and spend the second half of the day on the downtown West Palm Beach waterfront. That is the version that works.

We are Brad and Justina, founders of Yours Truly Hospitality. We manage vacation homes across Southeast Florida, from Pompano Beach and Lighthouse Point through greater Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Miami. Guests ask us about Peanut Island more than almost any other single attraction up north, and they usually ask the day before. This is the answer we send.

What Peanut Island Actually Is

It is a 37-acre island park at 6500 Peanut Island Road, Riviera Beach, sitting in the water between the Port of Palm Beach and the Lake Worth Inlet. Palm Beach County runs it. Day use is sunrise to sunset in the designated areas.

The county lists what is on it: guarded and unguarded swimming beaches, a snorkeling lagoon, a fishing pier, two boat docks on the west and east sides, fourteen day-use boat slips, seventeen reserved tent sites, pavilions, chikis, an observation deck, and a walking path that loops the whole thing. Restrooms are there.

Read that list again and notice what is missing. The county puts it in plain language on its own page: no food or rental concession is located on the island. No cafe. No snack bar. No bottle of water at two in the afternoon. Every guest complaint we have heard about this island traces back to that one sentence.

Getting There: The Shuttle or Your Own Boat

There is no bridge. You are getting there by boat or not at all.

The shuttle leaves from 200 E 13th Street in Riviera Beach, inside the Marina Village, and runs daily when the weather allows. Day tickets are sold from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or until the boat reaches capacity, whichever comes first. The last boat off the island leaves at 5 p.m. Round trip is $25 for anyone eleven and older and $12 for children ten and under. Walk-ups are first come, first served, though the operator takes online reservations only for weekends and holidays during peak season. They do not run in severe weather or during small craft advisories.

Two small line items worth knowing. A beach wagon is $5, which is the difference between one trip from the dock and four. Snorkel gear rents for $20 if you did not bring your own. Coolers, chairs, and umbrellas are welcome. Large speakers are not. Alcohol is prohibited on the island. Dogs are welcome on the boat and on the island.

Parking is the part people get wrong. The Marina Village directs shuttle passengers to the overflow lot only, west of Avenue C and south of old 13th Street, and it is signed. Park in the wrong lot and you will spend the walk back thinking about it.

If you have your own boat, you have better options. Phil Foster Memorial Park at 900 E. Blue Heron Boulevard has four launch ramps open 24 hours, 127 boat and trailer spaces, and a trailer parking permit at $15 daily. From there you are a few minutes off the island's docks. Tie up at one of the fourteen day-use slips and your cooler never leaves the boat. Worth knowing: the park closes temporarily when it fills, so a weekend launch is an early launch.

The Snorkel Lagoon and the Swim Beaches

The snorkeling lagoon on the island's south side is the draw, and it is genuinely good on a clean incoming tide. The water clears, the rock line holds fish, and it is shallow enough for kids who are still learning to trust a mask.

One caution straight from the county: the swimming area is currently unguarded during the week. Plan around that. This is an inlet, not a pool, and the current through the Lake Worth Inlet moves with intent when the tide turns.

If the island's lagoon is crowded, the better snorkel is back at Phil Foster. The park's snorkel trail runs across a two-acre area in six to ten feet of water, built from limestone boulders and prefabricated reef modules using 600 tons of rock. It costs nothing but the parking.

The Kennedy Bunker Is Closed

Say this out loud before you book anything. The historic John F. Kennedy bunker on Peanut Island is closed until further notice, per Palm Beach County Parks. The old Coast Guard station is closed too.

People still arrive expecting a bunker tour. Every other amenity on the island is open. That one is not, and no reopening date has been published. Build the day around the water and the walk, and treat the bunker as a bonus if it ever comes back.

Camping, If You Want the Quiet Version

Seventeen reserved tent sites sit on the island, and staying overnight is the only way to see it empty. A single site is $30 a night, or $33.90 with tax, with a maximum of one tent. An expanded site is $60, or $67.80 with tax, and takes two tents. Each site has a tent pad, a grill, and a picnic table. The campground has restrooms with hot indoor showers, a picnic pavilion, and a large fire ring. Pets are allowed on a leash no longer than six feet and must be attended.

Check in is after 1 p.m. and check out is before 11 a.m. Reservations run up to 90 days ahead at 561-845-4445 or toll free at 866-383-5730. The shuttle only carries campers between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and those seats need a phone reservation 24 hours ahead. Miss that window and your gear does not make the trip.

The Other Half of the Day: Downtown West Palm

Come back at five, shower, and go downtown. The city's Great Lawn at 100 N. Clematis Street is a ten-minute drive from the marina, and it is where the waterfront actually happens.

Clematis by Night runs every Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Great Lawn, free, and it has been running for decades. The fall lineup this year includes Wolfhawk on September 17 and Oktoberfest on October 1, with music every Thursday into the holidays. If your island day lands on a Thursday, the evening is already planned for you.

If you boated in, the city docks are free for non-commercial boats, first come and first served, seven days a week from 5 a.m. to midnight. Rafting up is not allowed. One caveat to check before you point the bow that way: the city has the Currie Park boat docks closed for renovation since September 2025, with a reopening projected for spring of 2027.

Then walk. Flagler Drive runs along the water past the docks and the skyline, and Clematis Street climbs up from the waterfront into the restaurants. You do not need a reservation to make that part of the day good. You just need to still be hungry.

How We Would Build the Day

Leave the house by nine. Be in the overflow lot by 9:45 with the cooler packed and the wagon paid for. Take a morning boat, claim shade early, snorkel the lagoon on the incoming tide, walk the loop, and take the 2 or 3 o'clock return rather than fighting for the 5 p.m. one. Shower, then downtown for dinner on Clematis. That is a full day and none of it is rushed.

If you are planning a week in the area and want a home with the space to stage a day like this, the kitchen to pack it, and a host who answers before you have to ask twice, take a look at our South Florida vacation homes.