I brought my godkids (ages 2 and 7) to this amazing park, and they had an absolute blast!…read moreThere's so much to do -- a tennis court, basketball court, soccer field, a pool, and even a gym inside the YMCA. The park was super clean, very family-friendly, and there's free parking inside. Such a great place to spend the day with kids!

Peter Bluesten Park was formerly City Park which was built just after the Korean War so residents…read morecould have a place to gather and play. By 1990 the park had fallen in disrepair. In 2005 City Park was changed to honor Peter Bluesten who was the founder and publisher of the Hallandale Digest. Mr. Bluesten was a WWII veteran who moved to Hallandale from New Jersey in 1946 and he founded the paper in 1963. He took the paper from a one sheet advertisement to a widely read and respected paper that chronicled the history and growth of the city. It was a hometown paper that the community relied on. Mr, Bluesten was very involved with youth sports in the city. He passed away in 1996. The park was redesigned by Craven Thompson & Associates Inc. and the remodeled 16.5 acre Peter Bluesten Park opened to the public on September 28, 2019. One of the highlights is the park's Aquatics Center which has a 25-meter by 25-yard competition style pool with eight lane short course section for high school swim competitions and recreational interactive water features. The pool was designed to meet all of the requirements for USA Swimming. The multipurpose main pool has a large learn-to-swim area, a dedicated water aerobics area, and a beach entry. Both pools are design-built concrete pools with deck level overflow gutter systems. There is also a 1,800 sq. ft water playground with an elevated play structure, which includes multiple decks, slides, rain buckets, water cannons, dancing floor jets and water curtains. Other park amenities include The Hallandale Beach YMCA, an artificial Safeshell turf soccer field, three baseball fields, concession stand, outdoor stage, playground, tennis, basketball, bankshot basketball, racquetball, walking path, and support buildings. The city uses the park for a number of events like their annual Easter Egg Hunt and Movies Under the Stars. If there is one small drawback to Peter Bluesten Park it is that it does not have a parking lot. You have to pay by app and park on the street. Other that that this is a really amazing park with something for everyone to enjoy.

I was intrigued by this art exhibit at the Aventura Mall, so I went to check it out. It's outdoors,…read moreso it provides that sense of jungle and tropical environment that is just right for "gorillas". Gorillas in the Mist is a unique public work designed expressly for Aventura Mall. A whimsical fountain comprised of three large-scale bronze gorillas, four massive bronze trees and five hand-carved marble benches. I found them a bit spread out, so I needed to get at the right distance and angle to appreciate the entire exhibit. It's a fountain and a playground, built specifically with children in mind. And sure enough while I was there...many children were having fun playing around them and on them...freely and care free.....

Let me preface this with saying that it is a beautiful set up and the architecture and design are…read moregreat. However, In my opinion this is incorrectly advertised as a Fountain, Children's Playground or Splash pad. By word of mouth, we heard how great this "little splashpad" was. Great for moms who wanted to get some shopping done and then take their little for some fun time and water play time. I did not think to snap a picture, but will do so on my next visit. According to this sign, the fountain uses reclaimed water and there is an advisory that the water should not be swallowed! This sign is not prominently displayed. I have a toddler who like many other toddlers, loves to run, splash and occasionally swallow water (especially when it's shooting out from the ground and out of the gorillas). Sounds cool, but in reality it's a bit disgusting. My husband and I were utterly disgusted that we did not see this sign until we were leaving and happen to look over out of curiosity! On the AM webpage description of the Gorillas in the most fountain it clearly states: "It's a fountain and a playground, built specifically with children in mind."..... if it is made with children in mind, why is it that we're potentially exposing the child to reclaimed water that should not be swallowed? Now to the defense of AM, they do not advertise this as a splashpad, so shame on us parents for treating it as such. It's a "Fountain". It's definitely nice to look at it! Play at your own risk.

Young Circle has sustained total upgrades several times in the last twenty years. Currently, the…read morefountains are pumping water in the center of the park creating an artistic view. On the opposite side of the park is an outside amphitheater which hosts musical events, but empty tonight. The wild squirrels are so people friendly they will eat a nut right out of your hand. There are three concrete backgammon and checkers tables under a blue tarp for public use. The ArtsPark is surrounded by several eateries, retail shops and expensive high rise condos.

This is a nice park in downtown Hollywood that often hosts free city events. There are often…read moreconcerts in the amphitheater and free movies every Friday. The playground is big and brand new, with an adjacent splash pad. Hollywood Hot Glass is also located here and offers glass blowing classes that make for a super fun date! Parking downtown isn't free, which is my main drawback for this park. But we love coming and enjoying city events here!

Color Me Mine is a great spot to bring the kids and be crafty! We come here several times and love…read moreit. I'm sad they took away the canvas painting options as that was the reason we drove 30 min just to come to this specific location. My fault as I should have called first to double check if they still offered the canvas painting. This is the only location I knew of that did that. Oh well. There is a huge selection of pottery pieces to choose from. Prices vary pending on your selection. Came here with my daughter and she selected the cute little tea set. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the price at $54! But this is what she wanted so I cannot deny her happiness. Haha. I mean I can but I didn't know want to. It took me a while to find what I wanted to paint that was practical. We have so many pottery pieces the kids make that are just for decoration. Love when we make plates, mugs, bowls or any kitchen pieces as they are most practical. I chose the geometric vase! The vase was $37. There is also an additional $8/per person studio fee to use everything (brushes, paint, materials). This stuff can add up quickly. Our total was $117! Ouch. But fun and you can't put a price on fun experiences. Lol. Once you pick your piece, the staff will bring you a bowl of water and a paint palette. All brushes located at the tables. The you select the colors you want and put onto your palette and bring back to the table to start painting. We took our time and was here for 2 hours. But our pieces were meticulous. Ha. They also offer coffee here which is a nice bonus. Once you're done painting your piece, you can use the blow dryer to dry the paint, this prevents smearing. Give the finished pieces to the staff and they will label it for the final touch of glazing and thus completing the process. It takes about 7 days and they will call you when it's done so you can come back and pick up the finished product. Can't wait to see ours!

I love this place. It's great to go to on an afternoon hanging with your best friend or your…read moredaughter. The only thing I don't like is there's never enough tables to accommodate everybody. We sat outside because there was only two of us. If not, we were going to have to wait until someone was done. it was a beautiful day until it starts to get hot. The breeze dies down and people are smoking past you as you are outside. I am excited about getting my artwork. It'll take about two weeks.

I both hosted and attended a party here and both experiences were good. They customize the…read moreactivities to your theme and decorate in the theme also. You are responsible for the food, but they have no restrictions so that makes it easy. Best of all, they clean up! The only downside is they don't have many activities that appeal to older kids so consider that when planning a party.

I went in with my kids as I wanted a safe place to drop them off while I ran errands. I felt…read morehustled and overcharged when I picked my kids up, which left me disappointed. I'm not blaming the staff for everything, but the overall vibe didn't feel right for a family-friendly visit. When I arrived, my kids were in a room alone without any other kids around, which added to the sense that supervision and safety weren't up to what I expected. My kids also said the other children weren't very nice, and on our first day they were left in a room without continuous supervision. That lack of adequate oversight and the quality of interactions among the kids made the visit less enjoyable. On a positive note, the owner did refund us an hour which was an awkwardly rushed charge on my credit card, which I appreciated. .... I'm adding to my review because I was surprised by the response. My appointment was scheduled for 11am, though I later learned the classes started at 10:30am. On our first day, we arrived early to check things out. You told me it was fine to leave the kids for the hour I paid for, and if they enjoyed it, they could stay longer for a fixed daily rate. When I returned an hour later to pick them up, the staff member told me to come back in 30 minutes because they weren't finished. I wish I had -- because when I did go back, I found my kids standing alone in a room. The staff member came out from another room, rushed me to pay (despite my having already paid online), and then charged my card again without proper explanation. To make matters worse, on the way home, my kids told me that the other children had been unkind and that the staff allowed them to be left alone intentionally. This was disappointing and not at all what I was led to expect.

In 1903 in Deerfield Beach, the Reverend B. F. James was the first teacher in the first black…read moreschool in Broward County. Later James became the principal of the two-room Hallandale Community School from 1920 to 1927. In the 1950s, it became the B.F. James Elementary School, then later the B.F. James Adult Education Center. Today BF James Park sits on the site of the city's first black school. In 2014 the community gave feedback to the city that they wanted a pool. The pool and park is part of Hallandale Beach's Citywide Parks Master plan. It was the second city park to be completed in the first phase of the plan. BF James Park received a five million dollar complex that includes a beach style swimming pool with exercise lanes. Other park amenities added included exercise stations, a covered playground, and two new basketball courts. The building of this park fulfilled a 40 year old promise the city made to this community to provide a pool after the old Dixie pool fell into a state of disrepair. It is nice to see that the city of Hallandale Beach honored their commitment to this neighborhood with this beautiful park.

From the owner: Municipal Pool open to the public.read more

Looking for a few colorful fish (not goldfish) and a tank as a gift for my daughter…read more The employee assisted me finding a few fish that would be reasonable size for the circumference of the tank and I'm no expert in the field of amphibious aquatics. These swimming critters ranged from $15.00 to north of $450.00. I knew that she would like multi-colored fish and this store had many options. The Tomini Tang and the PJ Cardinal were cool looking fish. They also provide fish tanks and accessories including fish food and cleaning products. Love these mom & pop stores which give better one on one customer service than the corporate pet shops.

OK, story Time Out of the way, I called these guys up on my…read moreway home. They happen to have keto algae. I had never been in there before it seemed nice clean. Ben the guy behind the counter. Was awesome. He was able to take care of getting me some keto algae. We also talked about the small frag tank and he convinced me without being pushy at all to get a mushroom and some Xenia. If you're looking for a really big massive store with people that don't pay attention to you go somewhere else if you're looking for somewhere that knows how to deal with customer service check these guys out. And a shout out to Ben good job bro.

Enjoyed this tour a lot! Two hour tour but you'll see plenty of wild animals. The tour guide is…read morevery negative and there are few stops along the way. The tour admission doesn't come with the park admission and they do get booked often so make sure you make a reservation ahead of time. Bring plenty of water and sunblock if you want to walk around back at the station!

I really enjoyed this tour even though it was the dry season which meant we didn't see tons of…read morewildlife. Our guide was funny and informative. Anytime the driver saw alligators or interesting birds, he would stop and creep up slowly so everyone had a chance to see them. Tip: sit in the very back of the second tram, and you'll have somewhere to prop your feet.