Several of the businesses here operate on appointment only concept which consume a majority of the…read morefree parking for thirty minutes to an hour. The Your Patio Store is the anchor of the plaza. There are a few eateries which include Porfa Coffee, Times Square Pizza and PS Green Cafe but parking is a frustrating disaster with decrepit ancient meter parking monitored by the City of Fort Lauderdale - unsure if they actually work. The traffic is influenced by the intersection of the Coral Ridge Mall. Not a fan of this plaza, although a few decent businesses. A weak three stars is pushing the limit.

Strip mall at the corner of Oakland Park and Federal...across the street from Coral Ridge mall. It…read morehas many small local businesses and offices. Here you can get some vegan food, pizza, a haircut, tax help, hearing aids, yoga classes or patio furniture. At night, a gay bar called Smarty Pants caters the crowd over 70 (on average). So, lots to choose from.. you most likely will stop here for a specific business, not to just walk around and meander.....

Five Points has been a Wilton Manors landmark since 1925 when it was laid out by Edward J. "Ned"…read moreWillingham. It served as the gateway to his subdivision of Wilton Manors. The five pointed intersection is unusual because three major streets, Wilton Drive, Northeast 26th Street and Dixie Highway converge from five directions. It is believed to be the only such road configuration in the county. Back in the 1920's, Wilton Boulevard was framed by four Romanesque towers designed by noted architect Frank Abreu. Prospective lot buyers could climb to the top of the highest tower which was 38 feet so they could pick out their land. Sadly the large tower was torn down in 1957 to make way for an A&W root beer stand. From the 1950's to the late 1970's people would drink root beer at the drive-in and they bought vegetables from a grain and feed store. Trains loaded with produce would roar past Five Points. The smaller pair of towers located between NE 26th St and Wilton Dr. were torn down in 1964. The last little tower was taken down shortly after. Today thousands of cars pass through Five Points everyday on their way north to Oakland Park, East to Federal Hwy, South to Middle River Terrace, and west to Wilton Manors. At the perimeter of Five Points sits a number of businesses including a Publix built in 2001. Any effort to fix Five Points by the Florida Department of Transportation has been met with resistance by local residents and businesses so if you do plan to drive through prepare to hear a lot of honking by frustrated motorists trying to navigate the road. Locals wouldn't have it any other way.

Five Points is a matter of "Local Flavor" rather than an actual business and somewhat of a rarity…read morein that it is made up of the five point highway intersection of NE 26th Street, North Dixie Highway and Wilton Drive, and as such a local location landmark and reference point. Local location directions are often given by stating distances from Five Points, such as "four blocks south on Wilton Drive from Five Points," "I'm one mile from Five Points," etc. Besides being a rare 5 point intersection it's also somewhat of an oddity in that, if you'll notice, the traffic lights change in a counterclockwise as opposed to the usual clockwise sequence of rotation. Every local knows this location and it is the location where all the parades or street festivals of Wilton Manors either begin or end.

The Christmas activities and tree lighting yesterday December 5th was AWESOME! And major not only…read moreto the city of Oakland Park for organizing it, but for all the volunteers that gave their time and were there to help. The atmosphere was amazing, mostly tanks to the varied activities, but the people who were there to help and really shared their joy and working there. I drove from out west to go to that city of Oakland Park display and it was worth every mile

In 1901 Tom and Netty Whidby were the first white settlers to the area that is now known as Oakland…read morePark. They farmed the land next to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks. By 1910, the area was known as Colohatchee but it really took off in 1922 when Florida's land boom was in full swing. The Barkdull Investment Company plotted a housing development east of Dixie Highway and north of the North Fork of Middle River. They chose the name Oakland Park because of the majestic oaks trees lining the river. Soon locals began using the name. In 1925 the city was going to be incorporated by wealthy Palm Beach investors as Floranada, a mashup of Florida and Canada. Around this time Florida was negatively financially impacted by hurricanes and the Great Depression causing the land boom collapsed and the investors pulled out. Instead of being named Floranada, the town was incorporated as Oakland Park on July1, 1929 and included Federal Highway on the east to Northeast Third Avenue and from North Fork of Middle River to Prospect Road. In the subsequent years Oakland Park was home to farms and ranches while the Oakland Park Methodist Church served as the hub of social activities. Oakland Park Elementary School opened in 1925 and is the oldest functioning school in Broward County. Most of the businesses opened on Dixie Highway, the main road through town. The 1960's and 70's brought a new boom to Oakland Park with brand new housing developments and condominiums. Businesses and industry also flourished. Today Oakland Park is home to 42,000 residents while still maintaining its small hometown feel. Some of my favorite Oakland Park destinations include Funky Buddha for craft beers, Nour Thai Kitchen and Bar for Thai food, Pink Love Donuts and More for over the top donuts, Cyth and Co for coffee, Cielito Lindo for Mexican food, the British Depot for English treats, Richie's Italian Gourmet Ices for the best gourmet Italian ice, and Dixie Pig for BBQ. For outside recreation I recommend the Stunson Nature Trail, Royal Palm Park, Lakeside Sand Preserve, Richard E Giusti Heart Parcours, and Jaco Pastorius Park which hosts a number of festivals throughout the year. I also enjoy the many Oakland Park thrift stores like Oddballs Nifty Thrift. Whether you want to try a new place to eat, enjoy a cultural activity, or participate in outdoor recreation, Oakland Park has an abundance of choices to appeal to everyone.

The Women's Club was chartered in 1949. They originally met in what is now the library. In 1955…read moreAlvar Hagen donated land for a clubhouse. Mrs. Hagar served as president of the Woman's Club. The purpose of the club was to aid the community through philanthropy, culture, and education. For 60 years they contributed to the Wilton Manors community without receiving public funds. On July 10, 2007 the city of Wilton Manors gave historic land mark status to the Women's Club building. In 2011 the club had fewer members so they gave their clubhouse to the city. Today the Women's Club still holds meetings and monthly lunches. Their historic clubhouse is now Art Gallery 21 which hosts free art events for the community. Even though the building no longer houses the Women's Club it is still benefiting the community the way its members intended.

Though the sign on the building and local maps says "Women's Club of Wilton Manors" it isn't a…read moreWomen's Club. The club was dissolved in 2011 with the property having been donated to the City of Wilton Manors. As it was designated a historical building by the city, the sign on the building front and every facet of its architecture remains as it was when it was when it was the Women's Club. However, the primary use has now changed to that of being an art or exhibit gallery named "Gallery 21." When I was last there they had an exhibit entitled "The Way We Worked" as was done by the Smithsonian Institute. Instead of a Women's Club the facility is now used as an art gallery, community center, rental and also serves as a center for the Mentoring Young Leaders Program.

Enjoyable hour cruise of intercostal of Ft Lauderdale, staff was wonderful. Includes unlimited…read morebeverages. Worth doing!

This is a very intimate boat compared to the others that are out there for intracoastal tours. I've…read morebeen on other larger ones but this was nice since it was so much smaller. The staff was friendly, they did a great job of entertaining and showing off the homes and basic tour details. The boat was also nice and clean and well kept. My only qualm was that the included drinks were very low class. The sodas were local grocery brand, kinda something you should pay for a name brand? They had bush & miller beer and white wine. But still not a soda that I would want to bother drinking.

We booked a Mother's Day intercoastal tour with Riverfront Gondola Tours for my wife and daughter…read moreand had an awesome experience. It ended up being one of the highlights of our weekend. Alex was our captain and was great the entire trip. Super friendly, easy to talk to, and did a nice job pointing out houses, yachts, and different spots along the water without overdoing it. The whole ride was relaxing and never felt rushed. If you're looking for something different to do in Fort Lauderdale that's actually worth it, I'd definitely recommend them.

This was such a fun experience. The captain was lots of fun, great sense of humor and the food from…read moreCasa sensei was great. We even spotted a shark while out on the water. would highly recommend and will definitely be back.