This neighborhood was designed by Addison Mizner in a Mediterranean style that you can see…read morethroughout the city of Boca Raton. It is located off of Palmetto Rd behind the Boca Raton Art Museum art school. The houses were designed for the executives of Mizner's company and one was for his brother the Reverend Henry Mizner who retired to Boca Raton. The Robinson Company were contracted to construct 29 homes in the neighborhood but they went bankrupt before they could finish. Architect Herman Von Holst from Chicago who owned the land foreclosed and along with investors he finished designing the subdivision and named it Old Floreresta meaning "a delightful rural place" in Spanish. The houses have certain characteristics in common, barrel tile roofs, wrought iron balconies, and Spanish style architecture. The homes are on narrow tree lines streets. Some of the notable homes in the subdivision are 888 Oleander St owned by Henry Mizner who lived in Acacia, 875 Alamanda St. was the home of Herman Von Holst and he named his home Lavender House. He went on to serve on both the Boca Raton town council and planning boards. The house is now on the National Register of Historic Places as is 801 Hibiscus St, it was owned by film producer and mayor of Boca Raton Fred Aiken. Other well known residents of the neighborhood were Thomas Fleming who founded Florida Atlantic University, Don Estridge who worked on the IMB personal computer, and Nathaniel Weyl who authored the book "Red Star Over Cuba" In 1990 Boca Raton named Old Floresta it's first historic district. The homes in the neighborhood are privately owned so you are not able to tour them. You are free however to drive through the beautiful neighborhood or even better bike it if you are able to do so. Although the homes I mentioned are not for sale a lot of other ones are. I saw quite a few for sale signs in the neighborhood. I am sure they are way out of my price range but it's free to dream.

Imagine my surprise to find a listing for the Old Floresta Historic District in Yelp. Like wow,…read morewhoever wrote this did a great service for helpers who seek out historic areas in Palm Beach county, areas which may be close to where they live or work. And this is OUR neighborhood. It's where we drive into and out of daily. It's where we walk our sato Bori. And where we drive friends around to show them the authentic ORIGINAL Mizner designed homes, as well as those which mimic the Mizner look. The streets are narrow, some cannot accommodate two cars going in either direction without riding up into someone's lawn. The foliage is heavy, very heavy. People who visit us or do work for us always comment that it reminds them of Coral Gables. As a historic district the City monitors carefully all renovations which affect the exterior in any manner at all, as plans must be reviewed by Historic division as well as City Code Compliance. Things like roof materials and colors, driveway design and materials, alterations to windows and doors or subtle things like the removal of a tree and its replacement. And that's all good! I love Old Floresta. I don't love the drivers who try through our area on the way to Boca Regional Hospital or anywhere else and roll through stop signs. I hope they get tickets when police set up traps. Our neighborhood is quiet, well preserved and a place where families walk with their children and their dogs and just chill. While not a gated community it is tucked away off Palmetto Park Road, east of 95 and west of Dixie, on the north side of the street. If you find the old Art School on the north side of Palmetto, you access Old Floresta on either Paloma or Cardinal (NW9). Drive slow when in our community. Or better yet, walk around. Oh by the way, on Halloween the homeowners really go craycray decorating their homes and thousands go trick treating.

I love discovering the historical markers around Ft. Lauderdale which give insight into its rich…read morehistory. This marker is along A1A in front of Bahia Mar at the spot where Native Americans used to haul over their canoes from the New River into the Atlantic Ocean. Some of the other history related to this site includes a fort built in 1838 during the Second Seminole War named for Major William Lauderdale, a House of Refuge in 1876, and a Coast Guard base in 1926 that was active against Rum Runners during prohibition and which searched for U boats off the Florida coast during WWII. In 1947 this land became a public yacht basin and park. Marker F-285 was erected in 1978 by Bahia Mar Hotel and Yachting Center and Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, Inc. in cooperation with Department of State.

Not an official State of Florida Marker but a more local one, this plaque is embedded in a large…read moreboulder along A1A/Ocean Boulevard opposite Nassau Street. It points out some of the earliest developments of the area now known as Delray Beach. The marker reads, "Sara Gleason, Belle G. Dimick Reese and Ella M. Dimick Potter dedicated this beach to the public in 1899. In 1895 Sarah Gleason and her husband's business partner, W.H. Hunt, sold a parcel of land containing the beach area to William S. Linton for about $10.00 an acre except for a small portion then occupied by the Orange Grove House of Refuge (see marker north of Atlantic Avenue). A mortgage from William Linton, U.S. Congressman from Michigan who was promoting a town here called Linton, secured $3,000 of the purchase price. At the end of 1895, civil engineer E. Burslem Thomson drew a plat describing the Town of Linton. The plat, filed by William Linton and the Model Land Company during 1896, contained the first dedication for public use of what is now this mile-long municipal beach. When William Linton defaulted, the mortgage was foreclosed, half to Sara Gleason and half to the heirs of W.H. Hunt, his granddaughters Belle Reese and Ella Potter. These three women filed a replat dedicating the area east of the ocean beach lots and "Ocean Road" to the public in 1899." The marker was erected in 2008 by the Delray Beach Historical Society and the Robert Neff Family. There is metered street parking along A1A and a parking lot at Anchor Park. "Gleason" Street is the next one over from A1A. "Linton" Blvd is the main route through Delray Beach. [Review 978 of 2024 - 1854 in Florida - 22006 overall]

I love learning more about history from these blue historical markers that are all over the state…read more You can find this one in front of Broward Marine. On this site Frank and Gertrude Denison launched Broward Marine. Frank had made money in the trucking business in Michigan and at the age of 38 he and Gertrude, 32, were married. While honeymooning in Fort Lauderdale, Frank decided to buy Dooley's Basin and Drydock, a small business located on the New River near State Road 84 and Interstate 95, for $250,000. They changed the name to Broward Marine Inc and settled down to married life. The company was incorporated in 1948. Shortly after Frank was involved in a lawsuit in Michigan. Afraid he would lose Broward marine, he gave the majority of shareholder stocks to his wife which have repercussions many years down the road. In the 1950's Broward Marine won the contract to build mine sweepers for the U.S. Navy. While under contract they ran a schedule of four 144 foot wooden minesweepers and seven 173 foot minesweepers. The Navy contract brought thousands of people to live in Florida making it the largest private employer in Broward. In the 60's Gertrude was fundamental in running the business and she opened her own yacht interior design service. In the 70's and 80's they built and sold profitable aluminum boats. The 90's saw them as one of the biggest builders of big motor yachts. Broward Marine built the Monkey Business which became famous as the boat presidential candidate Gary Hart sailed to Bimini with Donna Rice torpedoing his political career. Broward Marine helped launch Fort Lauderdale as the yacht capital of the world. The later years were not kind to the Denison family. Frank's temper was notorious and his family accused him of striking them. Gertrude used her shareholder power to make business decisions without Frank's input which further angered him. Family infighting continued until Gertrude Winslow Denison death in 1997 and Franklin Denison passed away on March 17, 2000 at the age of 90. Today Broward marine is run by the couple's sons. On November 12, 2022, historical marker F-1176 was installed by the The Denison Family Trust, and the Florida Department of State at Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center at 2020 Southwest 20th Street also known as Denison Way in Fort Lauderdale.

I love discovering local history, and while doing a self-guided tour of Deerfield Beach--including…read morethe Butler House, the old train station, and the old schoolhouse--I came across a historic marker in front of the Braithwaite Center for Active Aging. The William Stanley Beaumont Braithwaite School historic marker is part of the Florida Historical Marker Program, one of the Division of Historical Resources' most valued public history initiatives. These markers raise awareness of Florida's cultural heritage and enhance the experience of visiting historic sites for both residents and tourists. They can be found along roads, at archaeological sites, battlefields, cemeteries, historic buildings, churches, colleges, districts, and schools like this one. Marker F-1261 was installed in 2024 by the City of Deerfield Beach and the Florida Department of State. This marker tells the story of Deerfield Beach's African-American history and its segregated past. From 1885 until the 1955 Brown v. Board of Education decision, Florida schools were segregated. In 1906, Colored School #9 was established as a one-room structure near NW 1st Avenue. It operated until it was destroyed by the 1928 hurricane. In 1929, Colored School #13, also known as the Rosenwald School, was built to replace it. This school was one of 5,000 African-American schools funded in the South by philanthropist Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932), part-owner and long-time president of Sears, Roebuck and Company. Motivated by a sense of justice and his own experiences as a Jewish man, Rosenwald worked with Booker T. Washington to improve African-American education. Later, the school was renamed Braithwaite School in honor of ex-slave, poet, and writer William Stanley Beaumont Braithwaite (1878-1962). Its motto was "to educate, to elevate, and to cultivate." The school closed after the 1969-1970 school year, with 464 students, when Broward County schools integrated in January 1970. In 1974, the county purchased the property for a health center and office space. After a fire damaged the building, it was demolished and replaced by the Northeast Focal Point, which was renamed the Braithwaite Center for Active Aging in October 2022. This marker is a small but powerful reminder of the city's history, its resilience, and the progress made over the past century. It's a must-see for anyone interested in Deerfield Beach's African-American heritage.

The Dania Beach Women's Club was organized July 18, 1923. Women's Clubs were a place for social and…read moreliterary gatherings. Over time it became a way women could push social reform and exert social and political influence when women were expected to be home makers. Early projects in the club's history included sponsoring a girl scout troop, maintaining a cemetery and Federal Highway, and supervising activities in the town's community club. In 1928 the club began fundraising for a library. Dania Builder John Anderson was hired to build the wood frame vernacular library in the corner of a city park in 1935 at a cost of $1,000. In 1950 an adjoining meeting hall was added to the building. In the 1970's the Broward County Library began operating on a county wide system and the Women's Club Library was closed in 1978. Since then the building has been used for storage and meetings.

As an ardent history buff, I was delighted to discover this new monument in front of the Pompano…read moreBeach Fisher Family Pier, conveniently located across from the bait shop. This 12-foot obelisk was dedicated on March 14, 2026, through a partnership between the City of Pompano Beach and the Florida Society Sons of the American Revolution. It commemorates the 250th anniversary of America's first amphibious assault on foreign soil--a landing during the American Revolution in the Bahamas. In early March 1776, Nassau and New Providence Island were British colonies. George Washington received intelligence that much-needed stores of gunpowder were located there, prompting a daring naval expedition led by Commodore Esek Hopkins, alongside the Continental Marines under Samuel Nicholas. Their forces successfully landed on New Providence Island, targeting Fort Montagu and Fort Nassau, then governed by Montfort Browne. This mission marked one of the first coordinated operations between naval and marine forces and helped shape what would become the United States Marine Corps and modern amphibious warfare. With July 4, 2026 marking the 250th birthday of the United States, this monument honors a pivotal moment in the nation's founding. I love that such a meaningful piece of history has been added to the pier--it's also a perfect spot to pause, reflect, and take in the ocean view.

Covered bridges are rare and finding one in South Florida especially so. This is the oldest one in…read morethe state, built in 1964 so relatively modern. It was the first permanent structure in Coral Springs. A single steel span that is 40 feet long. It is an active bridge and I was pleased that the height and weight clearance were sufficient for the Sprinter van. There is no easy parking here with signs indicating private property and no parking on the grass. As such, you can't get any good view of the logos on the side of the bridge. Interesting note - it is the only covered bridge located on a public right-of-way in all of Florida. [Review 20249 overall - 1752 in Florida - 1226 of 2023.]

This was the nicest and "coolest" thing I saw today for Earth Day 2022. Real covered bridges are…read morenot found in South Florida and I was happy to see this one. It has murals painted on each side of the bridge span and recently is was closed for repairs but now it is open for cars. No trucks allowed. The neighborhood that it bridges is also very nice. The history behind this bridge can be found on a raised plaque on the side of the entrance and it has some pretty interesting history. Definitely check it out and drive through if you get the chance.