Discover Juno Beach

A historical and landmarks tour of the Town of Juno Beach.

Discover Juno Beach

Juno Beach, Florida 33408, United States

Created By: Town of Juno Beach

Tour Information

All of the sites covered by this tour are associated with various periods in the history of the Juno Beach area, not only from the date of incorporation of the Town of Juno Beach in 1953 but for the decades preceding its 66-year history. The subjects and sites vividly illustrate the transformation of this entire region from a basically rural, isolated area to a modern, urbanized mega-city that stretches from south of Miami to the north end of Palm Beach County. Most Juno Beach residents, many of whom are relatively recent arrivals, may not be aware of this change.

Buildings on some sites, such as the town's historical districts, are still visible - indicating the type of simple, "Old Florida" housing that predominated here in the 1950's. Other sites are former locations of important places in the town's history, including the first town hall (a converted Standard Oil gas station), an iconic golf-tee/golf-ball shaped water tower for the world-class Seminole Golf Course, the first fishing pier from 1950-1986 (which was a major tourist attraction), and the 1890's Celestial Railroad (Jupiter & Lake Worth Railway) that was eventually put out of business by Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway. In addition, the photos of the Town's founders and first residents include motel and hotel owners who wanted to put the area "on the map" by incorporating the Town. The tour will also highlight current sites and the natural surroundings including the flora and fauna of the area.

Various Photos Courtesy of Gail V. Haines

This project is sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Historical Resources and the State of Florida.


Tour Map

Loading Tour

 

What You'll See on the Tour

https://marinelife.org/conservation/pier/      https://discover.pbcgov.org/parks/Locations/JunoBeach-Pier.aspx Note: You’ll find a second copy of the Original Juno Beach Fishing Pier at Stop 15. The 990-foot-long Juno Beach Pier is a... Read more
This Palm Beach County park is a busy place throughout the year. Residents and tourists alike come here to visit the pier and the beaches that are supervised by lifeguards. Along with free parking, the amenities include picnic tables, showe... Read more
(This West Tract is most easily accessible by car from U.S. 1, a half mile north of Donald Ross Road.) https://discover.pbcgov.org/erm/NaturalAreas/Juno-Dunes.aspx https://floridahikes.com/junodunes Juno Beach has two natural areas that are... Read more
https://marinelife.org/ Note: You’ll find a second copy of the Eleanor Fletcher Plaque at Stop 15. The Loggerhead Marinelife Center is our major tourist attraction in Juno Beach, drawing more than 350,000 visitors a year. Its mission is t... Read more
Juno Dunes Park has awesome nature trails!   If you’ve already visited the Natural Area West Tract on the west side of U.S. 1, you’ll be very surprised how different this tract is.  Back in the year 1696, a group of English settlers ... Read more
The marker you see here was erected in 1932 by the Daughters of the American Revolution. It commemorates the Jupiter and Lake Worth Railway which for six years operated right where you are standing from 1889-1895. It was nicknamed the Celes... Read more
At this same site, there’s some other interesting history! Oscar and Hulda Erikson emigrated from Sweden and moved here from New York in 1932. Oscar, who was a professional carpenter, built a set of rustic guest cabins on these dune slope... Read more
In the decades after World War II, Juno Beach was an almost solid stretch of motels all along Ocean Drive, with many being directly on the ocean. One of the images on this plaque gives you a good idea of what you would have seen if you were... Read more
U-shaped Zephyr Way is near the intersection of Donald Ross Road and Ocean Drive. Viewing it is a bit like stepping into a time machine and seeing Juno Beach as it was in the 1950s. These low-rise beach houses were built on small plots and ... Read more
This stop will take you back to the 1930s and 40s, when the first beachside cottages were attracting tourists to the area. Apart from showing you colorful advertising and aerial images from that era, the plaque also shows how the Surf Cotta... Read more
Can you believe that the first Juno Beach Town Hall was in a former gas station! Though Juno Beach was incorporated as a town in 1953, it didn’t have any offices. Town Commission meetings were held in different motels and restaurants. By ... Read more
You can briefly park your car on Venus Drive while visiting this historic site. This is an interesting story! Before this short railroad line opened in 1889, the entire region between Jupiter and Miami was very sparsely inhabited. Getting l... Read more
In a cool, shady area beside the bubbling fountain on the north side of Town Center, you’ll see an inscription: “A place to reflect on our nation’s strength, resolve, and unity after the acts of terror on 09/11/01.” There, you’ll ... Read more
This stop will begin by telling you how Town Center was created, and will then take you on a tour of the building itself. The beginnings of Town Center Our Town Center relocated here at the north end of Pelican Lake in 1991. It used to be i... Read more
Note: You’ll find a second copy of the Eleanor Fletcher Plaque at Stop 4. This plaque tells the impressive story of Eleanor Fletcher, who came to Juno Beach as a real estate agent in the 1970s. Fascinated by sea turtles, she began learnin... Read more
Back in 1950, when Juno Beach was first developing, the building on this corner at number 350, was the only commercial building in town that wasn’t a motel. Called The Trading Post, this was a restaurant and was quite a hub of activity. W... Read more
Note: You’ll find a second copy of the Original Juno Beach Fishing Pier at Stop 1. At the east end of Mercury Road, you’ll find a historical plaque describing the original Juno Beach Pier and with interesting photos. It was made of stee... Read more
This private residence at 301 Ocean Drive certainly lends an aura of mystery to Juno Beach! This unique home was created by a retired Chicago builder in 1985, intending to create a dream house for his wife. With turrets, archways, and faux ... Read more
Note: You’ll find a second copy of the Pelican Lake Historical Plaque at Stop 22. Imagine yourself here 150 years ago when South Florida was virtually unsettled. You would have been standing in an extended marsh, with waters gently flowin... Read more
The plaque here reveals how an area of marshy scrubland became a booming tourist mecca in a little over a decade. This was all the work of a West Palm Beach development company, Bessemer Properties. There are lots of interesting details and... Read more
You’ll find this historical plaque at the bend in Celestial Way, just opposite the beach access path. The Greenbrier was the very first condominium in Juno Beach, opening in 1966. The original West Building across the street was designed ... Read more
Note: You’ll find a second copy of the Pelican Lake Historical Plaque at Stop 19. In the late 1940’s, the developer who decided to create Juno Beach as a resort town wanted Pelican Lake, along with the Fishing Pier, to be key features. ... Read more
This park is named after Stanley Kagan, who was the highly-respected mayor of Juno Beach from 1956 to 1969. During his tenure, the town evolved from being a purely motel economy with fewer than a hundred residents to becoming a town of most... Read more
It’s hard to believe but little Juno Beach is the corporate headquarters of the world's largest utility company, NextEra Energy. NextEra Energy owns Florida Power & Light Company, which is the largest rate-regulated electric utility i... Read more
The world famous Seminole Golf Club is a private club and was designed by famed golf course designer Donald J. Ross, opened in 1930. It was developed by investment banker E. F. Hutton, on land previously owned by Harry Kelsey.  Harry Ke... Read more

 

Leave a Comment

 


 

Download the App

Download the PocketSights Tour Guide mobile app to take this self-guided tour on your GPS-enabled mobile device.

iOS Tour Guide Android Tour Guide

 


 

Updates and Corrections

Please send change requests to changerequest@pocketsights.com.