On Saturday 08/30/24, we took a road trip to the Pompano Beach area to sight see the area. We found…read morerecommendations to see the Hillsboro Lighthouse, Roy L. Rogers Park, and the museum. We love to visit lighthouses when we can and decided to see one this also. At Hillsboro Park, also called Roy L. Rogers Family Park, we came across this small but pretty park and 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. The tours are short and they are once a month. Sign up at the museum. It is an active Lighthouse that still send signals. This is worth seeing close up.

Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse is an easy Five Stars. Growing up in South Florida and being Aquarius I…read morelove lighthouses. This one was one of the first lighthouses I remember as a child. I really miss seeing it now. It's been beatified a lot over the years. The lighthouse was constructed in 1907. It's automated now and flashes every 20 seconds. If you're in the area check it out.

One of my favorite casual piers in South Florida! This is a beautifully renovated pier that allows…read moredogs to be walked on, people fishing off the pier, and often a huge sightseeing spot to see pelicans - huge ones! Along the pier, they also have some seating areas so you can take in the beautiful views and leaned over to look at the water. Before walking onto the pier, you'll see plenty of fun restaurants also with amazing beachside views to enjoy before or after your pier walk.

Beautiful sandy beaches and green blue ocean is the view next to the Pompano Beach pier.Renovated…read morein 2022 with some covered areas to sit or fish makes it place to relax and enjoy the sounds of the ocean. We saw people fishing and stingrays swimming up and own the pier depth. There is even a live camera feed from beneath the pier you can see fish stingrays and sharks swimming of you look up that link . Several paid parking meters are close for walking and some open air restaurants are next to pier. No charge to walk the pier and $6 to fish. Worth a look!!

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.

Pompano beach has become so beautiful . It is a peaceful place to come visit. The beach is amazing.read more

I love going to this beach because it close to my house and it is always super clean. You only have…read moreto pay for parking and it will be through the park with the app or at the kiosk. The parking can be limited on the weekends or on a holiday. They have a volleyball court on the sand. If you would like to clean up the beach they have buckets as well.

Strip mall located between the bridge and A1A in Lauderdale by the Sea. It has a variety of…read morebusinesses like a greek restaurant, bait and tackle store, hardware store, souvenir t-shirt store, bike shop, dentist, pizza place, etc. You have to pay to park. The Ace hardware store has customer parking in the back, but the Beach King store does not. Cute shopping mall.

This is shopping plaza located on the south side of Commercial Blvd on the beach side of the…read moreIntracoastal. Across the street is a similar looking strip mall called Green Turtle Plaza. Parrot Plaza is home of Chicago Stuffed Pizza Co. which I have bookmarked but have not checked out yet. This plaza also contains Uptown Keese's which is a Greek restaurant, an Ace Hardware store, and a bike shop. My favorite part of this plaza is the Queen Parrotfish sculpture by Laura Fisher Huck (2013) located at the entrance. Laura Fisher Huck also created a green turtle sculpture for the Green Turtle Plaza across the street. On the Queen Parrotfish sculpture there is a plaque that tells you different facts about parrotfish like how their buck teeth scrape off algae and that they change sex several times during their lifetime. The fish in the sculpture is displayed in elk horn coral which is considered to be one one of the most important types of coral on the reef because it grows quickly providing many habits for the creatures that live on the reef. I love finding these beautiful sea life sculptures that add to the beauty and charm of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.

On February 3, 2023, the City of Deerfield Beach dedicated this unique public kinetic art piece in…read morePastor Willie James Ford, Sr. Linear Park. It is the first art installation that I have come across that is not only art but is also functional fitness equipment. The fitness court was created by National Campaign Fitness Court, a nationwide consulting organization that partners with cities and schools to create fitness hubs to improve the well being of the community. This piece is a part of the NCF's art and culture series which was created in 2020. NFC trademarked this seven station fitness court in 2012. It is an open air wellness center and is adaptable to all fitness levels. Your own body weight is used to give you an optimal workout. On the side of the court is an app you can download that will help you use the court properly. The app takes you to videos of workouts you can do to strengthen every part of your body. The beginner workout is seven stations where you do exercise for 45 seconds and then rest for 15 seconds before moving on. it is like having a personal trainer in your phone. I found the videos to be clear and helpful. On the outside of the court is art work by world-renown 20th century modern artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. The piece is titled Boy and a Dog in a Johnnypump and it was created in 1982. The piece sold for over a 100 million dollars in 2020. Basquiat created art in the 70 and 80's as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. A common theme of his art was the portrayal of historically prominent black figures. He was active in the art world until his death of a heroin overdose at the age of 27 in 1988. I am always looking for new ways to exercise so I don't get bored. This fitness court definitely peeked my interest. I love how it is art but also a place to work out. The only thing I was disappointed in is that there isn't any legal parking here. It seems to be mainly for the people who live nearby. I hope that my town gets one of these cool fitness courts soon.

In 2012 the City of Pompano Beach adopted an ordinance to place public art in the city. Works are…read morechosen by the Public Art Committee and the Old Town Mural is part of the public art program. It's so much fun finding new art popping up in different places in the city. There is a ten year master plan that proposes 27 new pieces of art. Periodically Pompano will list a call for artist submissions on their public arts page and at that time artists can submit their work for consideration for the next project. The Old Town Mural was created by South Florida artist Carlos Gonzalez. He won the competition held by the Public Arts Committee and his design was chosen. The mural is located on an exterior wall in the Old Town section of Pompano located across the street frrom the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. In bright colors, the 98 foot high mural depicts the landmarks and historic sites in Pompano Beach. Scenes include the Pompano Beach pier, the Hillsboro Lighthouse, fruilts and vegetables from when Pompano Beach started out as a farming community, historic buildings, and a Pompano fish. The best time to come and see this mural is during Old Town Untapped, a food arts, and shopping event held on the first Friday of every month. The city planted some flowers in front of the mural and it is the perfect back drop for taking pictures. I really love this mural and am excited to see what the committee approves next.

Kudos to the artist . We were near the mural in the small park listening to a free rock band …read more Apparently they have free monthly concerts near the old town mural . Yippy to free concerts and beautiful art .

This by far was the best picnic I have ever been to! The food, the atmosphere, and most of all, ALL…read morethe great Yelpers! I met so many new people at this event and loved it! It wasn't like everyone stayed in their own areas.. Actually everyone moved around, conversed with each other, and got to know one another. Let's start off with the most important ingredient involving a beach party and this is the alcohol! We had Rum & Coke, delicious unique beer, a couple of different Rum Punch-ish Juices and for the very first time I made Fireball Jello Shot and Hawaiian Fire Pudding Shots!! Everyone was enjoying their drink of choice while spending time together! For the food, there was everything from Fried Chicken to Guacamole & Chips, Pin Wheels, Corn & Black Bean Salsa, Croquettes, Salads, Roasted Veggies, Short Ribs, Pulled Pork, and much much more! The Chocolate Stout Cake was amazing that Jeanne baked for the crew and I kid you not.. There was not a crumb left out of the whole cake! Even though the blistering cold winters this SoFL gets at a fringed 68* there were some brave soles (check the page for the videos :)) that plunged into the water to come out to the windy cloudy kind of day we were having but that did not stop them!! Congrats!!! (I was not one as it was far too cold fully clothed :)) So no matter if you are into the "Pinky Plunge" part or not, this event will not let you down and I am already super excited for 2016's Third Annual Pinky Plunge!! **As always it was soo much fun seeing new and familiar faces and being able to hang out in such a relaxed atmosphere! Couldn't have planned and put together a better Saturday Pinky Party for all of us Jeanne! Thank you! :))

What better way to spend a Saturday at the beach, than with old and new friends from Yelp. Thanks…read moreJeanne for this great idea and so glad we caught it on the 2nd year, forever to return. Everyone brought a wide range of great food, drinks beer, wine, and of course charcoal and fluid for a great BBQ with Short Ribs and Sausage. It was a beautiful day, windy, a little cool, but the sun was out all day and we all warmed things up with Samantha's Fireball shots and Pudding shots. It really was fun watching my wife try to scoop the Jello shots out with her tongue. I guess this group is getting to know one another pretty well because she is not one to be watched by 15 people actually doing that. As we waited for the "plunge", we all experienced a great variety of food, from outstanding pulled chicken in BBQ Sauce, Pinwheels, mini sandwiches, guacamole, homemade Hummus, it goes on and on. Charmie even brought all the ingredients for a Peruvian dish. The Vodka punch that Samantha made started me off "nicely", ending the day with Charmie's punch. There were a couple of those Jello and pudding shots in between. Was feeling pretty good. When Blue and Rosario showed up with Pinky it was decision making time. To PLUNGE or not to PLUNGE. I decided that it was more important to take a video of the one's that did plunge, of which there were four. I believe we doubled the amount of plungers from last year, which was two. But,,it was not about the Plunge that made this a great day. Jeanne's idea was just a great theme to bring old and new friends together in a casual, Florida setting on the beach. I really love seeing my friends from Yelp and yesterday enjoyed meeting more friends, two of which are new friends on Yelp.com now. This is the best kind of event; one that is not restricted to a venue by time and space, but one which the end is decided when the last one goes home, where to sit and where to move around allows us to make new friends easier and talk to old friends wherever we want to sit an talk. Just a great day!!! It's ironic that the ones who write reviews about eating establishments in BPB, just created their own BEST, by all the efforts and care that went into the food and drinks we all shared together. Thanks Jeanne for such a creative way to all get together in such a casual way, on the beach with great people who share a common love for food, drink and new friends.

On Stage is a 30 by 60 foot mural across the stage doors of the Mizner Park Amphitheater In Boca…read moreRaton. It is one of the newest public art works commissioned by the city of Boca Raton. Artist Eduardo Mendieta know professionally as EMO was selected for the Mizner Park Amphitheater Stage Door Mural project. He has painted large-scale public murals for more than 10 south Florida cities and he was the featured artist in the XLVI Superbowl Indianapolis Mural Project. Submissions for the mural had to be ideas that would reflect the spirit of Boca Raton's art, history and culture. Mendieta's winning submission was chosen from the 29 submitted. The mural created with only cans of spray paint, features a yellow sun in between a musician playing a stand up bass and a ballerina whose tutu is morphing into ocean waves. In the background is Boca Raton's old historic city hall which is the nod to it's past. The mural has been here since January of 21 but with Covid I haven't been going to Mizner Park as often as I used to. Now that the shops and restaurants are alive again with people this colorful mural is the perfect anchor at the end of Plaza Real. I loved discovering it on this trip to Mizner Park. If you make to Mizner Park this month you can also see the new temporary art installation, Prismatica.

The wine tasting was such a treat! What a great night with our girlfriends. Denise, the Chief Wine…read moreOfficer taught us about the history of wine, wine pairing and more.

Denise was a life saver. She helped me out to put together a scavenger hunt + food tour in record…read moretime. She was available at 8:30s on Sunday to help me save the day for our team building activity after weeks of disappointments and poor customer services from Sur la Table. Her team jumped in to do what they know better excellent customer service with ton of fun.