This is a great place to spend a few hours!! The butterflies, birds, and gardens are…read moreso,well,taken care of! So much education about butterflies , the aviary section was so neat! The larakeet feeding was very cool The indoor spider exhibit was fascinating! My 16 month old granddaughter was in awe over the butterflies, birds and just really was enjoying walking around! I look forward to returning to see more through her eyes and to allow her to experience it when she is a bit older!! They also have a wide variety of plants (some available at their garden center!). The people we encountered there from the grounds, to the exhibit to,the gift shop were all helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. Great place to visit! Don't miss this if you're visiting Pompano / Ft. Lauderdale!

If you like butterflies and colorful birds you need to go to Butterfly World. Lots of things to see…read moreand lots of helpful staff. We had an enjoyable morning looking and learning about so many different butterflies and birds. They also have a very nice gift shop.

I absolutely love that Deerfield Beach has this free gem of a museum. The South Florida Railway…read moreMuseum is located in the historic Seaboard Airline Railway Station built in 1926. The Mediterranean Revival structure was designed by Gustav A. Maass, an architect from Louisiana. I am a historic train station enthusiast. Some of have been left abandoned to rot away while others have been restored and are still in use today. A select few have been turned into museums. It warms my heart to see that this station is still in operation today for Amtrack and Trirail while honoring the railways past with this charming museum. Henry Flagler first laid railroad tracks to South Florida in 1894. The Seaboard Air Line Railroad put down tracks between 1921 and 1924. The Seaboard Air Line Railroad was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967 when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. AIr Line does not refer to air travel but instead is a common term for the shortest distance between two points. The railroad operated 4,000 miles of track running from Richmond, Virginia down through Jacksonville and ending in Jacksonville. Solomon Davies Warfield, chairman of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad at the time, extended the railroad further into South Florida to Miami in 1925 and to Homestead in 1927 where it ended. Solomon Davies Warfield was the uncle of Bessie Wallis Warfield Simpson, the woman whose love affair with King Edward forced him to abdicate the throne in 1942. The Army Air Corps took over the warehouses to store materials for building the Boca Raton Army Air Field where FAU now sits. In 1990 and 2010 the station underwent restoration. The goal of the South Florida Railway Museum volunteers is to preserve the history of railroads in southern Florida and to educate the public about the importance of railroads in the region, past and present. You enter the museum through a full sized mock up of the tail end of a Pullman observation car. While visiting the museum I caught up with a Ford Model A and Model T club event. They were visiting the museum to see former club member Sylvio Cote's 3/4" scale steam engine which is on display. The museum has two operating model train layouts, the South Farmington Rail & Mule Railroad and South Florida. I love examining all of the miniature buildings and people as the trains race past. There is also bells, whistles, model locomotives, apparel, tools, literature, and other objects dating from 1901 to present on display. This is a great economical afternoon for families with children. Take the kids to see the trains and then walk next door to the Krispy Kreme or Tropical Smoothie Cafe for refreshment when you finish. A big thank you to the volunteers of the Model Railway Museum for sharing their passion and keeping this unique museum open for free but by all means please drop a donation into the box on your way out.

We came here today because we'd never been... and they were participating in the Smithsonian…read moremagazine (free) museum day. The Smithsonian has been doing this for about 14 years and we've been to a number of venues in south Florida -- museums are added and subtracted every year. The "Seaboard Airline Railroad station" is attached to the TriRail station. If coming from I95, ignore your GPS and go over the tracks then turn south into the parking lot. You want to be on the northbound tracks side. You enter the museum through a small door in the wall of the station. Our museum day ticket said it was open on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm, but their brochure says 12 pm to 4 pm. Also they are open on Wednesday evenings from 6pm to 9 pm. There was no phone number listed to call and check these times, so be forewarned. The museum is also the home of the Model Railroad Club. They make money from membership dues and donations. We were sure to leave some cash in their donation jar on the way out. The station itself that houses the museum was built in 1926. And is listed in the historic places registry. It was remodeled in 1990 and again in 2000 when Tri Rail began using it. The museum is in what was once an old freight storage room. Around the walls of the room are various display cases with lots of memorabilia and artifacts from the seaboard railroad and others. Clothing, uniforms, souvenirs, programs, advertisements, timetables... anything related to a railroad or with a railroad logo imprinted on it, is crammed into the cases. In addition, in the middle of the room are two operating model railroad layouts. There's also a small toy railroad track with Thomas and James railroad cars that kids can play with hands on. It's basically a self guided experience. You walk around the room looking into the cases to find something that may intrigue you. Watch the little trains racing around the tracks. Look at the tiny houses and animals on display, etc. Unless you are a real enthusiast, you might need to allow, at most, 30 minutes here.

It was our first time visiting while we were on our trip. It's a small museum but it had a lot of…read moreinteresting things to see. My kids had a great time learning and exploring. They enjoyed watering the plants outside. The good thing about it is it's located right next to Sugar Sand Park.

What an amazing place for children that can walk to tweens explore science exhibits. The youngest…read morewill enjoy the motions and hands on. The older kids will get a good idea of how things in our world work. A $5 donation is accepted at the entrance. Bring a stool for the littles. The exhibits aren't sized for them.

I worked there as head of security a decade ago. I've never dreamed of working at a Museum, not to…read moremention as head of security. The staff and the visitors to the museum treated me with Royalty. They taught me how to read the art and to appreciate the art, artists. And how much art means to the world. Just to be associated with The Boca Raton Museum of Art made me feel like a Super Star. Patriot would come and ask to speak with me me. The Directors Frank Borge and Caroline put a lot of trust in me. Caroline had me modeling for the artists. Sometimes when the Darcie " Teaches of the Art" was busy. Sometimes of the patriots would ask me to do the tours. Every Wedsday night, a different bank in Boca Raton would sponsor a banquet at the Museum. Bank Presidents would come and ask for me to assist in what they needed. And Frank and Caroline trusted me enough to do the right thing. I don't know how to explain how this made me feel and the confidence it gave me. See, in my High School years I was told I was too dumb to live in this world. Now, I was in the Military, worked in Law Enforcement. But, I still had that stigma in the back of my head that I was dumb. Now, I was a leader in the Military and Law Enforcement. But, even though you have to think, guide the troops, make sure they got the right training and be safe. A lot was physical demanding work. So I didn't know how to appreciate that work like I should. But, when I started at Boca Raton Museum of Arts. The mental stimulation , the trust they put in me was unbelievable to me. Sometimes, when things get a little to busy. And someone needed something done. I would often hear Frank, Caroline and other staff the patriots, vendors and staff. " Ask Albert" he knows what to do". That trust along made me not question their judgment. I just stepped in and did what I was taught by them, staff and the Darcies. I met a lot of interesting people that welcomed me to the art world. I can't draw, paint, sculpture or any of those crafts. But, The Boca Raton Museum of Arts. The citizen of Boca Raton had me trained like I was a professional of the arts. I met Dorothy Glimpses, Rajas, Jerry Wise in person. I was sad when I had to leave. I even modeled for the professional arts and the amateurs. Calvin Campbell a renown water colors did a couple of paintings of me. I still have one he and the museum gave me. I will post on the site. Pardon me! I had some names wrong. I mention a Frank Borge. The name is George Borge, who was the CEO/Director of the Boca Raton Museum. Frank is actually " Richard Frank" who was on the Director's team and a resident Arts. And I forgot to mention Mrs. Ginsberg, who was one of the Darcie, she was 91 yo. She taught me a lot about reading the art and trying to read the story that the artist was telling. I would take her to doctor's appointments, grocery shopping. And on weekends pick her up on Saturdays and Sundays take her to the Museum. I even supervised the tile painting that the children would do for the floor in the children department of new Nordstrom stores. At the time Nordstrom was opening in the Wellington Green Mall of Wellington. Each time a new Nordstrom opens Jerry Wise conducts a tile painting session for a week. The children in the surrounding area will Paige tiles. Then Jerry Wise, who is a famous horticulturist that oversees the Nordstrom Museum in the state of Washington. Take the tiles back to Washington, coat and bake them. He then lay them in the new Nordstrom store.

Havnt been here in years but im loving the redesign. Went for the mucha exhibition and also…read morechecked other sections to see what was on display. Staff was friendly. Navigation is easy to manage between the map and the layout. Alot of good work and a wide sampling of different styles and eras of art. Would definitely return.

Prismatica is a free new art installation located along in Plaza Real in Mizner Park in Boca Raton…read more The art installation is 25 six-foot pivoting holographic prisms. Prisms have flat, polished surfaces that are designed to refract light. At least one surface must be angled to be considered a prism. I think of prisms as being glass but they can be made from any material that is transparent to the wavelengths for which they are designed. The panels of these prisms seem to be made out of some kind of plastic which reflect various rainbow colored lights that change color depending on the angle you view them. The installation is the creation of RAW Design, a Toronto-based architectural firm who had 30 architects and designers from the fields of applied science, technology, art and architecture come together to create Prismatica.. The installation is sponsored by Quartier des Spectacles Partnership of Montreal. After Boca Raton Prismatica will continue to tour the United States. The prisms are set up on the sidewalk in front of the shops. The interactive part of the art is you can spin them to see the colors change. You can also look through them to see the street change color. I tried to take a few pictures shooting through the prisms. At night the prisms light up making even more colors. I used to use a prism as a kid to make rainbows around my bedroom. Playing with these large prisms brought back those childhood feelings of wonder and discovery. I love what is happening in Mizer Park. First we get the world famous Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru exhibit at the Boca Raton Museum of Art and now that they have packed up these fun and colorful prisms made their debut on March 3rd in time for spring. If you want to see and play with the prisms though you will have to hurry. There are only here for one month and will be departing on April 3.

The Deerfield Beach Historical Society is the main historical organization for the city of…read moreDeerfield Beach. They operate so many events its amazing that they are just an all volunteer organization. The key property is the 1923 historic house, The Butler House, which offers tours on Saturdays and by appointment only. The Butler House is next to an over 100-year old Banyan tree, which is a great location for weddings and events. The other facility they operate is the Cultural Center & Museum, which is across the street. The Cultural Center is a resource center available for all organizations in Deerfield Beach. The Center provides art exhibits, concerts, art classes, movie nights, historical lectures and community events. A third facility they operate is the Old Schoolhouse, which opens by appointment only as well as on Saturdays for different organizations. One side of the Schoolhouse replicates as a 1920s schoolhouse and the other is used as a meeting space. The Society also maintains an archive and is available for research by appointment. The Society is a great city resource and tries to save the historical buildings in the area.

I came over for one of the free tours they offer on Saturday mornings. This is one of four sites…read morethat the Deerfield Beach Historical Society operates in the city. The historic home was the residence of James D. and Alice Butler. They married in 1906 in Texas and came to visit a relative in Florida in 1910 and ended up staying. James had made money by owning a small grocery store. Later when he moved to Deerfield Beach he farmed green beans. The house was built in a Mediterranean Revival style according to plans Alice won in a Ladies Home Journal contest. The 2 story house cost $10,000 to build. The only change Alice made to the plans was that they she didn't want the step down into the dining room that was common in houses of that period because she didn't want the children she was planning for to trip and fall. Sadly due to a medical condition Alice was never able to bear children. Instead she and James looked after the children of the community and were very active in causes for them. James was a member of the first Broward School Board in 1915. There is still a scholarship in their name that is given to this day to every student who graduates from Deerfield Beach High School. Alice formed the first women's club and James served as a Broward County Commissioner. They were both active in their church. The furniture in the house is almost entirely original except for the dining room table that was broken and replaced when it was used to cover up a window during the 1928 Hurricane. In 1974 the houses was designated a historic site. The Butler's left the house to the Deerfield beach Historical Society in 1977. They operate a small gift shop in the back of the house. Besides the house the property also has a Kester Cottage which was economical housing in the early 1920's. It looks like it was being used for storage. Another nice feature of the property is the 100 year old banyan tree. My tour was conducted by a young volunteer. She did an amazing job and I learned a lot about people I had previously heard of but did not know that much about. More dates for tours can be found on the historical society's website.

On Saturday, we took a road trip to the Pompano Beach area to sight see the area. We found…read morerecommendations to see the Hillsboro Lighthouse and the museum. We love to visit lighthouses when we can and decided to see this also. At Hillsboro Park, we came across this museum and decided to explore. It is a one room museum filled with information about the lighthouse that was built in 1907. You can sign up for boat tours to visit the Lighthouse once a month thru the museum. It is free. Only 8 people can comfortably fit inside, so there is a waitline. But it goes fast. Some people choose to climb up the outside of the Lighthouse at their own risk. Others climb the 175 stairs inside to get to the top. This museum is not funded by the US government, so they offer Lighthouse items for sale at this museum to maintain the Lighthouse and Museum. They sell t-shirts, pictures, postcards, attire, mugs, booklets, and other items. The lady who works here was very helpful in explaining the history of the Hillsboro Lighthouse. She is very nice and welcomes everyone. It was a pleasure to learn about the Museum. We also enjoyed the park it is located at.

There is a tiny museum dedicated to the Hillsboro Lighthouse in Roy L. Rogers Family Park also…read moreknown as Hillsboro Inlet Park. You have to pay for parking in the lot at the meter. The park offers a beautiful view of the boats in the inlet and a view of the Hillsboro Lighthouse. The Hillsboro Lighthouse Museum is around the corner from the restrooms, blink and you might miss it. The one room museum is run by the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society which was founded in 1997 to preserve the Hillsboro Lighthouse which is located across the inlet from the museum. The Preservation Society does not get any funding from the US government. All of the money that goes to keeping the lighthouse operating is provided by their fundraising and whatever grants they can get. To raise money they sell lighthouse memberships and they give tours once a month. The land the lighthouse sits on is controlled by the US Coast Guard so you can only visit during the Preservation Society's tours. They also sell lighthouse themed items while giving the tours and in the museum. They host a lighthouse gala once a year and sell tickets to that as well. The small museum at Hillsboro Inlet park is only one room. They sell shirts, lighthouse themed items, postcards, notecards, mugs, plates, and coasters. Displays in the museum focus on information about the Hillsboro Lighthouse and The Barefoot Mailmen who were eleven US postal workers who delivered the mail in South Florida from 1885 to 1893 by walking barefoot on the beach from Palm Beach to Miami. Before the mailman started the route, a letter from Lake Worth to Miami could take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to arrive and would be routed through Cuba. The annual salary of a Barefoot Mailman was $600 a year. The trip started on Monday and took three days to get to Miami, Then they would turn around and come back for a round trip of 136 miles. Eighty miles were walking and fifty six miles were by boat. The three day trek down the coast was not without it's danger. You can find statues and markers dedicated to them all down the coast from Lantana to Miami. Barefoot Mailman James "Ed" Hamilton mysteriously vanished in 1897 while crossing the Hillsboro Inlet. The mystery of what happened to Hamilton is fascinating. Was he eaten by an alligator, killed by native people, or did he drown? No one will ever know. The museum is staffed by a Preservation Society volunteer who donates their time. The next lighthouse tour is February 11th on shuttle boats leaving from Sands Harbor Dock. The museum is open seven days a week from 11am until 3pm and on tour days it opens at 10 am. If you love the lighthouse as I do drop in for a visit to the museum or for a lighthouse tour and support the Lighthouse Preservation Society in their mission to keep the lighthouse open and accessible to everyone.

Amazing place! Owner was so kind and sweet. He stayed open later for us to come in. We just had to…read morecall ahead the day before and book an appointment. Will definitely come back!

From the owner: Oakland Park Selfie Museum is your one stop shop for photography, content creation, and fun. Come…read moredown for an hour at our fully equipped studio for a unique time and create selfie Magic!

Beautiful park- I drive by this park every Wednesday and always thought the entrance was a private…read morehome community. Well I was wrong. Definitely the best park I have been to so far. It Has everything and more. picnic areas, tables and grills, nature trails, kids learning exhibits, playgrounds, merry go round. Indoor and outdoor basketball courts. Plenty of baseball fields. I have never seen so many fields in one park. Impressive! Clean fun environment for all to enjoy. Nothing but the best fun. Come and experience a special park. It's a winner. Merry go round $2.00 per ride. 2 1/2 minutes long Free parking, no entrance fees. FREE!

I cannot believe this place is free to visit (optional donation accepted, carousel is $1 per ride)…read more Huge science museum area with tons of interactive activities for children, beautiful butterfly garden area and massive playgrounds with a space dedicated for smaller children, this playground is such a gem in South Florida and 100% worth a visit!