I did the self guided tour on a Saturday afternoon. There are two floors of exhibits in individual…read morerooms. The exhibits detail the history of Fort Lauderdale, from the Seminoles to Flagler's railroad. The building is the first hotel in Fort Lauderdale, built in 1905.

This museum is filled with SO MUCH historical information everywhere in almost every single room!…read more This was definitely enjoyable! I was creeped out by the Native American mannequin holding the gun on the second floor. There was so much to read I just couldn't keep up with everything. The floors are the original Dade County pine wood like Old... ...Davie School and everything is still originally built except for the electric and water running thru the building. The third floor had a beautiful painting display in 3 different rooms and there was a model.... ....room of what this building should've looked like during it's early motel era. I was told customers only paid around $2 to spend the night here which was alot back in those days. Before you tour the building there's a historical short film about Fort Lauderdale in the lobby downstairs which was exciting. Only downfall, you have to pay for parking outside. Another thing was, none of the staff... ...told me that there were two more houses outside to look at, everyone stayed quiet. I was charged my $3 with food stamps to see this. But I'd recommend you ask what is available to see before going on your own.

Multipurpose Barn situated in the Rolling Oaks Park within SW Ranches. The barn can be rented for…read morea variety of venues and is positioned in a grassy field surrounded by equestrian white picket fences. The perfect picturesque setting for a wedding. Today, the Town of SW Ranches hosted the annual SO FLO Chili Fest and Car Show with several food trucks, petting zoo and trinket booths. The $10.00 chili tasting and voting fee is a donation toward the SW Ranches Parks Foundation. I entered my famous chili properly named "Chili Master" which is a sweet & spicy blend. I proudly defended my 3x championship titles by easily sweeping the event to win another 1st place trophy.

Great chili contest and classic car show at the Rolling Oaks Barn sponsored by the Town of SW…read moreRanches. Many different flavors of chilis entered but only one was champion, which was the ChiliMaster sweet & spicy blend. Super fun time and several cottage food booths and food trucks to feast on while browsing.

The Mid-Century Museum and Cultural Center is one of the three buildings owned by the Deerfield…read morebeach Historical Society. They also own a Kester Cottage, now the Museum of Black History and the Butler House which are across the street. This former mid-century modern home belonged to Robert and Martha Butler. Robert was the nephew of James D. and Alice Butler who built the 1923 home that was bequeathed to the historical society in 1977. The mid-century home has been transformed into a center for art, culture. and community gatherings. Some of the events held here include live music, art classes, films, lectures, and community meetings. There is also art gallery space. Although there wasn't anything in the gallery I loved checking out the home which is a mid-century time capsule. Mid-century design is a popular style in architecture, furniture, and graphic design from the mid-1940s to the late 1960s, It emphasizes simple, functional pieces created from natural and man-made materials like wood, plastic, and metal. If you know it you can easily spot signs of it all over the house like the uniquely colored bathrooms and the silver metal starburst on the wall. You can take tour of this house and the Butler house every Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM. On January 14 the Mid-Century Museum and Cultural Center is hosting the opening of Phoenix Photography "Florida Views", a photographic collection featuring the beauty of Florida. It will be running until February 21st. Other events include Driveway Fridays, a monthly concert, the Saturday Lecture Series, International Film Night, and art classes for children and adults. The Deerfield Beach Historical Society offers so much and I always enjoy catching up with them when I can.

I always wanted to go to a Holocaust Museum, so when the opportunity came up to go with the Jewish…read moreFederation of Lee and Charlotte Counties, Dave and I decided to go. I have always had a heavy heart being the granddaughter of grandparents who had lost most of their family in the Holocaust. My grandparents came to the US in the 1920's when they were already fleeing from the horrid conditions in Poland. My Papa and his two brothers left and went to Belgium, then he and one brother came to New York, while the third went to Argentina. Papa, never spoke about this except to say that seven brothers and sisters and their families perished in concentration camps. My grandparents would never leave the US, not even to visit their brother in Argentina. So when this chance to visit the HDEC arose, I wanted to go even though my heart was crying before I got there. The museum is very secure and we went on a 1:00 tour. First we saw a short movie, where Anne Frank herself was describing what was happening. I guess hearing her words, seeing what the family went through was more real, then even reading her diary. Her father, the only survivor was given the diary when a co-worker accidentally found it. Then we proceeded into different areas of the museum, which included a Cattle car where the Jews were transported to the camps, and an Army tank that liberated Dachau. I could hardly look at the train car after we heard one survivor tell us what it was like. It was brutal. There was an interactive room where you can interact, and see artifacts from the war. The most amazing part was the interactive survivor who passed away a few years ago. He could answer over 5000 questions that people asked him when he was alive and was at the HDEC. This was only the tip of the iceberg. There were pictures of Anne Frank and her family, models of where they hid and much more. Pictures and stories of survivors and beautiful and heart wrenching art work. We hope to go back and spend more time there. We thank the knowledgeable tour guides, staff and survivor that spoke to us.

The Holocaust Documentation & Education Center (HDEC - https://hdec.org/ ) is amazing. You really…read morecan't just drop in and need to sign up for the twice-daily docent tours. Our guide was digital archivist Deborah and she was great. There were eight people total in our museum group and we had the place to ourselves. Security was very tight and there's no big front glass doors to go into a lobby to buy tickets. Instead, you have to drive your car through a gate in the back and an armed former IDF military guy wearing ceramic armor will escort you through a locked steel back door: It is sad that this is necessary, America, and shame on Florida. Just sayin'. Jason was young, sweet, and funny and had good recommendations for where to get the best Israeli shawarma in the area. The HDEC has a very positive vibe for being such a tough subject, with all sorts of beautiful art. The interactive area is AMAZEBALLS! So beautifully curated. A highlight was two rooms you could go in and ask questions to interactive videos of two Holocaust survivors. It's really well done and fun and will probably make you cry a bit. It's pre-AI, so not super technically fancy, but it's effective and authentic. The big centerpieces anchoring the HDEC are an M4 Sherman tank used in the liberation of Dachau and a (restored) railcar used to transport Jewish people, one of only 11 in existence. The railcar still had its serial number, so researchers are tracking where it went and who might have been on it. It had a guard "tower" on back for security, which they said was rare.

This review is for the January 2024 Fort Lauderdale Orchid show which was held this year in…read morePembroke Pines at their City Hall/ Community Center building. I was not thrilled that they moved it from Fort Lauderdale however I will say there was plenty of free parking, which is nice. It was a great show as usual. The juried orchid exhibits were magnificent. A few other attendees pointed out to my mom and I that the orchids were fragrant which was not something I've experienced a lot. There were some new vendors this year selling plants that were not orchids. My mom bought a plant that was growing from a round ball covered in moss. Very cool!

This year (2023), the festival was held in Bonnet House Gardens. It was such a pleasure to the…read moreeyes. So many beautiful flowers from vendors all over. The vendors were patient answering our questions. Prices were very reasonable. There were even lectures from award winning biologists. For a low $15, I was able to spend a good afternoon walking around in Bonnet Gardens

We came to see Turnstiles, the Billy Joel tribute band, at the beautiful Mizner Park Amphitheater…read more Be prepared if you're attending a popular concert--the lines to get in at 7 p.m. seemed a mile long, and the security screening process was extensive, with thorough bag and purse checks and wanding. It was a bit overwhelming, but once inside, it was worth it. Guests were allowed to bring chairs and blankets, so we were able to settle in comfortably with friends and enjoy a great spot for the show. The band was absolutely fabulous, delivering all the Billy Joel favorites and creating a fantastic atmosphere. With such a massive crowd, it felt like a record-breaking turnout. We even spotted Billy Joel's wife and two young children in attendance, which had us wondering if Billy himself might make a surprise appearance. Maybe next time! Food and beverage vendors were available throughout the venue, although I didn't notice many healthy food options. Boca Raton's new mayor, Andy Thomson, spoke briefly before the concert began. Most of all, I'm grateful that Boca offers a venue like this and the opportunity to enjoy outstanding live music outdoors for free. It's truly a community treasure, and I encourage everyone to take advantage of this beautiful space and the wonderful events it hosts. It did get a bit more muggy as the evening went on but it was tolerable for sure!

Year round free events in the amplitheatre that you can watch from the north end of Mizner Park in…read morethe grassy courtyard. Attractive cement structure with a tall Big Ben type clock in front. Very disappointed that on Valentine's Day no events were inside the amplitheatre although from $40 - $85 (depending on where you want to sit) in a tent next to the amplitheatre called The Great Mr Swindle's Traveling Peculiarium adult circus.

Looking at Christmas lights is one of my most favorite and free activities during the holidays…read more Thanks to Facebook, I recently discovered the Wright's Lights home in Plantation. If you like your Christmas decorations on the more high tech side, this is the home for you. Every night starting from December 1st from 6:00 to 10:00 PM, the Wright family runs a light show with over 15,000 lights to a soundtrack. Tune your car radio to 97.1 or you can simply push a button near the sidewalk to listen to the music. The lights are synched to the music for a truly dazzling show. I especially loved the singing Christmas trees over the garage. There is so much to look at and I appreciate all the effort they put in to give this light show to the community. If you are in the area be sure to also check out nearby Plantation City Hall which has a holiday display that includes a castle covered in lights and the popular McGonigle-Collins Christmas Display with handmade Disney characters. Also don't forget the free Christmas tree and miniature train display at the Plantation Historical Museum for even more Christmas cheer.

Best lights ever! Came across this house randomly and loved it. Especially the Santa Man song.read more

Saw an Instagram reel about this spot and had to check it out!! So apparently it's open and free to…read morecheckout every second Saturday of the month. This being August 8th it was a day it was open to checkout! It's located at the Amtrak station stop in Deerfield beach and plenty of parking. When inside I was shocked by how many people were inside. It's all volunteer run and let's just say there are a ton of volunteer who love putting this together. These are trains like I've never seen. They are small trains and even super miniature train variants running along different branching pathways and landscapes. There are two giant table setups and one table in particular has several layers of trains throughout. There are also workshops where people are building train cars and designing new trains I would guess to eventually switch them out. I definitely want to stop by again for another Saturday to see what changes and how things may be different from time to time. It's a great indoor activity that's completely free and in the heart of Deerfield beach. Definitely a hidden gem activity you should check out!

Stopped by this railway museum for the first time located in Deerfield Beach connected to the…read moreAmtrak station. The museum is opened once a month on the second Saturday. The train museum had HO-scale model trains running throughout the platforms, with all kinds of buildings, cities, bridges and mountains beautifully set up and on display. These trains were controlled by remote, making the exhibits interactive and fun to watch. The It was truly amazing to see all the incredible details and the time, creativity, and dedication that went into creating these beautiful displays. It was a free admission but donations were accepted on the way out. Definitely must see!