Mar-a-Lago is a private club and presidential residence at 1100 South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach, and it is not open to the public. You cannot tour it, but you can see the estate’s tower and roofline from the Southern Boulevard bridge, from the Intracoastal by boat, and from South Ocean Boulevard when the road is open. Here is the short history, the club facts people search for, and the honest version of what a visit looks like.
How Mar-a-Lago was built
Marjorie Merriweather Post, heir to the Post cereal fortune, commissioned the house in the early 1920s and moved in by 1927. Marion Sims Wyeth was the architect for the structure and exterior, and Joseph Urban, the Viennese theater designer, handled the interiors and the decorative ornamentation outside. The name means “sea to lake” because the land runs from the Atlantic across South Ocean Boulevard to the Lake Worth Lagoon, which is the Intracoastal Waterway at this point.
The result is a Mediterranean Revival estate with a 75-foot tower, a mix of Spanish, Venetian and Portuguese details, and rooms finished in gold leaf, antique Spanish tile and carved stone. Published counts put it at 126 rooms and 62,500 square feet on 17 acres. Post also had a tunnel dug under the road so guests could reach the beach without crossing traffic, and that tunnel still connects the main house to the beach club.
From government gift to private club
Post died in 1973 and left the estate to the federal government, hoping it would serve as a winter retreat for presidents. The government found the upkeep and security costs too high and returned the property to the Post Foundation in 1981, a year after the house was designated a National Historic Landmark.
Donald Trump bought it in 1985 for a reported price of around $10 million including the furnishings. In 1995 he opened the Mar-a-Lago Club, turning the house into a private members’ club while keeping a family residence inside a separate wing. The Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom, a 20,000-square-foot addition finished in 2005, is where the large weddings and galas now happen. During his presidency the estate became known as the Winter White House, and that status returned with his second term.
What the Mar-a-Lago Club actually is
What membership gets you
- Dining rooms, pool and spa on the main grounds
- Beach club on the ocean side via the tunnel
- Tennis and croquet
- Event space including the Grand Ballroom
- Golf privileges at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach
The club is by invitation and sponsorship, and the initiation fee is not published. Reports over the years have tracked it from $25,000 at opening in 1995 up to $200,000, down to $100,000 in 2012 and back to $200,000 in 2017, with more recent reporting putting it around $1 million. Annual dues are additional. Weddings and private events are booked through the club’s events team, and non-members can attend only as guests of a member or as invitees to a booked function.
There is no golf course on the estate itself. The club’s golf is at Trump International Golf Club on Summit Boulevard in West Palm Beach, a Jim Fazio course that opened in 1999, roughly a 15-minute drive west across the lagoon.
Plan your visit
Plan your visit: seeing Mar-a-Lago from outside
- Check local news for presidential travel before you go.
- Drive or ride to the Southern Boulevard bridge from West Palm Beach.
- Walk the bridge sidewalk for the lagoon-side view of the tower.
- Continue south on South Ocean Boulevard if the road is open.
- Park at Phipps Ocean Park for a legal beach stop nearby.
- Add Flagler Museum or Worth Avenue for the rest of the afternoon.
Good to know
When the president is in residence, the Secret Service closes South Ocean Boulevard near the estate and the Coast Guard enforces a security zone on the lagoon. Southern Boulevard itself can close to traffic for motorcades. Do not stop, photograph checkpoints or approach the gates, and expect to be moved along if you linger on the shoulder.
Getting there and parking
From I-95, take the Southern Boulevard exit east toward the ocean. Southern Boulevard crosses the Intracoastal on a bridge that lands directly at the estate’s south boundary, which is why that bridge is the best free vantage point. Palm Beach International Airport sits just a few miles west on the same road.
Parking on the island is tight and strictly enforced. There is no visitor parking at Mar-a-Lago, and the residential stretches of South Ocean Boulevard are posted no stopping. Our pick is Phipps Ocean Park at 2145 South Ocean Boulevard, about a mile south, which has metered parking and public beach access. Confirm current meter rates and hours with the Town of Palm Beach before you go, because the island changes its parking rules often.
If you are coming without a car, Brightline and Tri-Rail both stop in downtown West Palm Beach, and from there a rideshare across the bridge takes about ten minutes.
Local tip
The best photo is from the water, not the road. Several West Palm Beach charter and sightseeing boats run Lake Worth Lagoon cruises that pass the estate’s lakefront lawn and dock, as long as the security zone is not in effect. In winter you may spot sea cows manatees in the lagoon on the same trip.
Best time to go
Winter is both the best and the worst season. December through April is when the club is busiest, the weather is mild and the president is most likely to be in residence, which means more closures. Early mornings on weekdays give you the clearest road access, and late afternoon light hits the tower from the west for photos from the bridge. Summer is quieter and hotter, with afternoon storms.
Nearby places you can actually tour
When to get help
For road and bridge closures, check the Town of Palm Beach and Palm Beach County traffic alerts the morning of your trip. For club events or membership questions, the only reliable source is the club’s own office, since we are an independent guide and cannot book or confirm anything on its behalf.
If you want to walk through a Gilded Age Palm Beach mansion, go to the Flagler Museum, Henry Flagler’s Whitehall on Whitehall Way near the Royal Poinciana Plaza, which runs regular tours and a seasonal tea. The Breakers, Flagler’s hotel on South County Road, lets non-guests into its lobby, shops and restaurants. The Society of the Four Arts has a sculpture garden and library open to visitors. Post’s other estate, Hillwood in Washington, D.C., is a museum that preserves the same collector’s taste you would find inside Mar-a-Lago.
FAQ
Can I tour Mar-a-Lago?
No. The estate is a private club and a protected residence. There are no public tours, and the grounds are closed to anyone who is not a member, a member’s guest or an attendee of a booked event.
How much does Mar-a-Lago Club membership cost?
The club does not publish its fees. Reports have put the initiation fee in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with annual dues on top, and the figure has risen several times since the club opened in 1995.
Who designed Mar-a-Lago?
Marion Sims Wyeth was the structural and exterior architect, and Joseph Urban designed the interiors and the decorative exterior ornamentation for Marjorie Merriweather Post between 1924 and 1927.
Where is the best public view?
The sidewalk on the Southern Boulevard bridge, looking southeast across the Lake Worth Lagoon, or a boat cruise on the lagoon. Phipps Ocean Park is the closest legal place to park and walk a public beach.
Is Mar-a-Lago in Miami?
No. It is in Palm Beach, about 70 miles north of downtown Miami. If you are visiting from Miami-Dade or Broward, plan on a 90-minute drive each way or take Brightline to West Palm Beach.
