Tree Tops Park is such a great spot if you're looking for a naturally beautiful outdoor setting. I…read morecame here for a photoshoot and loved how much greenery, open space, and tree coverage there was to work with. There are so many different little areas that photograph well, so it's easy to get a lot of variety without having to move around too much. It also feels peaceful and spacious, which makes shoots a lot more comfortable. Another plus is that the entrance fee is really affordable, especially for how pretty the park is. I'd definitely keep this on my list for future outdoor sessions.

Tree Tops Park is located in central Broward County. This park is very convenient for weekend…read moreparties, weekday playground play dates and nature trail hikes both on foot, bike, or horse. I enjoy the early morning stroller walks with my granddaughter because during the weekdays there is no charge to enter and park to walk the trails. There is a very nice indoor/outdoor pavilion that is often rented for special events. There are multiple area for both child play under a covered playground and a covered area for adults to use the manual workout machines. The wide open space is great for horses to get a nice ride and to rinse off at the watering areas. The lakes and streams are filled with wild life that is indigenous to the area. Just taking a walk and listening to the sounds of nature is truly calming. On the weekends this county park gets very loud and crowded but because the park is so massive, there is always a place to relax.

On this beautiful day, I rode my bike along Himmarshee Street and veered off one road to the south…read morealong the historic district of Riverwalk with scenic views of the New River just in time to watch the railroad draw bridge open its rusty steel jaws to allow yachts to pass. In this area of the Linear Park, which was densely fortified with plants, trees, winding bike and walk paths, there were restaurants, historic landmarks, cultural exhibits and monuments.

The Riverwalk pathway runs from the Esplanade Park through the historic district to the New River…read morebridge and train tracks. Nice area shaded by trees with incredible views of the New River. Great pathways to ride your bike or walk your puppy and have a matcha at Pure Vida.

Peaceful park, great for shorter dog walks. You can walk on the water and there's some shade and a…read morefew benches. There's a playground area and bathroom as well. Free parking.

Im on another quest, and this time to find the most tranquil park in Broward County. Weston does…read morehave many and the Yelpers reviews seem to indicate that the smaller parks maintained by the city are much more relaxing than the larger parks maintained by the county. Several parking spaces and a short walk down the sidewalk, across a wooden walkway to the amazing water view. Plenty of grassy areas to play fetch with your dog, toss a frisbee, take a jog or just read a good book under the sprawling trees.

Stuart and William L. Kester were originally from West Virginia. They came to Pompano to pursue…read morefishing in the 1920's and in 1937 built the wood frame bungalows that they called "pepper crates" in Pompano and Deerfield Beach. Since they were inexpensive to build soon everyone was constructing them for residents and visitors alike. They were constructed of Dade County pine and had indoor plumbing and running water. They measured 25 feet by 35 feet. Some had a beach view and ranged from one to three bedrooms. At their height of popularity there were 150 of them. All of the cottages were white with playing card suites cut of out their shutters. Houses cost under a thousand dollars to build and you could rent one for as little as $29 a month. I wish you could still get beach front property for that amount. The two Kester cottages owned by the Pompano Beach Historical Society were donated to them by Kester's nephew Stewart. They were moved from their original location to Founders Park behind the Historical Society building. Usually they are locked up but they open them for tours when they do the once a month historical trolley tour. The next time the cottages will be open is on January 12 from 9 to 10 AM. The cottages are filled with historical items from Pompano Beach's history. If you can't tour them they have a wonderful 3-D virtual tour on the website they have have set up for the cottages. One other Kester cottage remains on the grounds of the Butler House in Deerfield Beach.

The iconic Hollywood Water Tower stands 160 feet tall and holds one million gallons of water. It…read morewas constructed in 1955 and is maintained by the City of Hollywood Public works Dept. Growing up in Hollywood as a kid, this light blue and white painted tower was visible from a few areas east of Federal Hwy on Sheridan Street and is directly next to West Lake Park. The second Hollywood water tower stands at Sheridan Street and i-95. Both towers not only harness water but are artistic Hollywood landmarks. Today we were driving back from Hollywood Beach and pulled off the roadway to take a few minutes to gaze at the structure. Over the years, the painted decor at the sphere-like top has changed, but the Hollywood name is still prominently displayed as a sense of pride for the historic tower. There are no tours offered for either water tower - it would be cool though. FYI..I always wanted to climb the tower by its winding staircase.

One of only two water towers in Hollywood. Today I went to the West Lake Park to relax and saw this…read moretall water tower that was begging for a photo. Pulled off the side of Sheridan Street and captured a perfect shot of the light blue tower.

You won't find a European building this old in the Americas! Built in the 12th century in Spain,…read moreit was packed up and brought to Miami last Century. Peaceful grounds and remarkable antiquity, the Monastery offers a unique experience in Miami. 44 minutes is more than enough time for a self-guided wander across the grounds, but arrive by Noon for a guided tour (which I missed). Also, check the calendar on their website as they close for many private events.

I came to this establishment because I greatly enjoy history and wanted to have the opportunity to…read moretake photos of the architecture and perhaps a video explaining what I've learned about this beautiful place. Unfortunately, the business that runs this monastery is predatory in nature. As it happens, my ancestor, William R. Hearst, was the original proprietor of the monestary when it arrived in the United States. They insist that photos can only be taken from Wednesday to Saturday, and you must schedule an appointment with a fee of nearly $400 to take portraits or photographs. The woman at the front desk was preventing us from entering the monastery without discarding any equipment that can be used for taking photos. I will add that she was extremely rude, yelling at me and my mother when we were clearly unaware of the rule. Don't come here; it's a complete waste of time; the history is very fascinating, and the building seems to be relatively well kept, but they not only charge you for entry, but additionally charge for you to take photos. $400 mandatory. There are many other beautiful historic places around Miami to visit; I would never recommend going here. Save yourself the $410 and go to the nearby lighthouse, or early 1890s church in Miami instead. The Art Deco District is also very nice. The fact that they charge an exorbitant fee to enter the premises for taking photographs is highly reminiscent of the exact reason why Martin Luther had nailed his list to the door of the Catholic Church. God frowns upon an institution that calls itself religious and charges up the wazoo for people to share information about it. To the people running this facility: do better. Be nicer. Let people explore and interact with this treasure.

I love to explore the history of south Florida. There are so many grand houses and buildings from…read morethe 1920's during Florida's land boom years before hurricanes and the Great Depression robbed many of their fortunes. One such 1920s beauty is the 1924 Curci House built by Frank and Rosina Curci, a pioneer family who came to the area in 1907 with their three small children. The house is located in the city of Hallandale which has four heritage and one historic site. The family struggled when they arrived at SW 5th Avenue and West Dixie Highway but they put in work and became prosperous from farming tomatoes and fruit and later on they opened a construction business. The Curci's eventually had eleven children and Mr. Curci spoke five languages and was an accomplished musician. "Villa Providence" was the couples dream home which they built on their eleven acre property. It was constructed from concrete filled terra cotta block walls with termite impervious Dade pine floors. They added Cuban tile details can be found throughout the house and there is glass from Italy imbedded in the outside stucco finish. The house was so well built that it was able to withstand the Great Hurricane of 1926 when it served as a refuge for many in the community. The family remained in their home until the 1950's. The home is listed on the Hallandale website as being open on the first Saturday of every month between 11am and 4pm but they have shut it down to tours since the pandemic and never bothered to reopen although it appears that it can be rented for private events. There is a huge fence surrounding the property so for now you can only view the home from the street. It is such a disappointment to see it closed. Nearby Hollywood reopened their historic Hammerstein House and Hallandale should consider doing the same.

Self- guided historic tour #2. The Central Arcade was built in 1923 for professional office spaces…read morespecifically for a dentist (Hlwd mayor) thru the 1930's and a photographer sixty years later. The Hollywood Blvd Theater was a tenant here in the right side space and closed forever in 2001. Today, the two storefront locations of 1936 and 1938 Hollywood Blvd are the Cabo Blanco Restaurant & Bar. The words Central Arcade in the mid 1900s meant retail shopping area not as the meaning today which an arcade refers to pinball entertainment. The bronze marker plaque on the outer wall legitimizes the landmark by the Hollywood Historical Society.

The Central Arcade building is located in Hollywood's historic business district which was…read moredesigned by Hollywood founder Joseph Young in 1921. Many of it's original design features remain. Architectural features of the buildings include those used the 1920's Florida land boom time and after it went bust during the Depression and New Deal eras. The Central Arcade Building is part of the city of Hollywood's Historical Landmark Plaque Tour sponsored by the Hollywood Historical Society and the Community Redevelopment Agency. This is stop number 12. The arcade was a popular building design in the 1920's and 1930's. It was one to two stories in height and had space in the building for individual retailers. The arcade was a precursor to the mall. In the 1930's Hollywood's mayor had a dental office in the building. In the late 1990's the building was the Hollywood Boulevard Theater. Today the building houses Cabo Blanco and Uncle Buck's, a discount store. The upstairs is available for lease.

Took a walk today along the wide sidewalk of the New River Greenway to burn off my breakfast. Lots…read moreof older people in the morning riding their bicycles all the way to Markham Park. Iguanas laying on the grass on the sides of the River. Basically, bicyclists and walkers enjoying the morning sun while exercising and waving to me. Dogs allowed on a leash and motorized vehicles prohibited.

An absolutely stunning and well maintained walkway! I love how clean and well cut the grass always…read moreis on this Greenway. There is more than enough room that 4 people can walk side by side and still have room. I love walking this daily because there is much to look at that includes the water which I've seen alligators in a couple times! There are a couple rest benches that have covering in that you can sit and take in your surroundings at as well as trash cans that they clean regularly. This Greenway has the ability to take you all the way down to Ikea in sunrise or to university road if you travel east! One of my favorite walking paths in the area!

Named after Davie Jones' Locker and Davie Crockett, this is an eclectic and fun area of the greater…read moreMiami Ft Laud region, and one of the fun, multi-ethnic parts of FTL. Maybe it's one of my favourite areas of Miami even though it has some crazy traffic and some angry people and a lot of rough-ish areas with some crime, mostly petty, and some people being kind of aggressive. It's not as worn down and worn out, infrastructure and roadway wise, as a lot of Miami, and it has a couple of excellent Boba shops including my favorite one in the region. It also has a few of the best Cuban restaurants in the whole area, so it's impossible for me not to love Davie and I'm looking forward to coming back here with Barbie soon. Oh and the boba shop is Hanji, so try it. Or if you don't like boba then Hanji, my dear, I don't give a damn. 4 City of Clearwater https://www.yelp.com/biz/city-of-clearwater-clearwater?osq=city+of 5 City Gate Shell https://www.yelp.com/biz/city-gate-shell-naples-2 4 Ghost Tour https://www.yelp.com/biz/ghost-walk-charleston 5 Little Havana https://www.yelp.com/biz/little-havana-miami-3 My Havana is not all that little, but that's beside the point. Miami is full of vibrant electric amazing and unique districts which are nothing like the vast majority of the United States, and Little Havana is right at the top of the list of neighbourhoods that you should check out when you are down here in Miami. It might even be #1 on the list, all things considered. Come and see for yourself how the wonderful Cuban flavour and all of the great food and drinks and desserts and nightlife and just the atmosphere here all combine into a truly amazing experience, which really does feel more like Cuba than Florida - and for that reason I love it.

The Town of Davie - is intriguing as it is very old school and in the country and basically horse…read moreland! It has the Bergeron rodeo arena here after all. So it seemed fitting for me to go and check out Davie's Town hall. Their town hall - does not look like any other town hall that's for sure. This is made of wood, and looks quite old and unique - see my pictures for a peak! I could not find out the age of this building - maybe you can, and if you find out, please lmk! ____________________________________________________________________ Some history about Davie - The first permanent settlers of the Town of Davie arrived in 1909 from the Panama Canal Zone and later from states such as Illinois, Michigan, and Kentucky. They were drawn to the area because of the efforts by the State of Florida to drain the swamp land; the land was cheap with an ideal climate, and the richness of the soil. Many of these settlers arrived by way of train and boat. Travel was very slow because of the lack of roads from established towns and villages. The northern settlers traveled via railroad to Jacksonville, by the Florida East Coast Railroad to Fort Lauderdale. Once in Fort Lauderdale, the travelers would have to travel by boat to reach the Davie area, known in that time as "Zona." The first settlers elected to name this area "Zona" because of the influence of the settlers from the Panamanian Canal Zone. By 1914, approximately 250 people called Davie home. Originally, the Davie Farm at Zona, Florida consisted of 2,000 acres purchased from the State by Everglades Sugar and Land, Co., and subdivided into smaller acreages. The land had not been thoroughly drained resulting in the early settlers having to contend with persistent flooding and local wildlife. The first homes were constructed of lumber and tar paper and could not withstand the rain and thunderstorms. The hurricanes and storms of September 1926 were pivotal in the development of Davie as most of the homes were lost that year. By the end of 1926, most homes were constructed of concrete block to better withstand inclement weather. The Town of Davie's proud culture stems from of its most recognizable landmarks, the Old Davie School and the Rodeo Arena. Old Davie School is the oldest existing school in Broward County. The school was opened in 1918 with 90 students. The school is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Davie Rodeo Arena was constructed by 17 residents in 1946. In 1925, Zona was renamed in R.P. Davie's honor as the Town of Davie, having purchase a significant amount land in the area. Davie was originally incorporated in 1925, but later dissolved during the following legislative session to avoid taxation resulting from the incorporation. The Town was again incorporated in 1961 with less than 2,000 residents. By the mid 1970s, the Town of Davie had over 12,000 residents. By the 1990s, the Town population exploded to over 47,217 residents. Today, Davie boasts a population of over 92,000 residents.