There isn't very much park, it's only .10 acres. If you don't live in the neighborhood there is no…read moreneed to stop by. Wilton Manors designates this as a pocket park. There isn't even parking. What you will find is a small garden that is one of more than 200 designated National Wildlife Federation as Wildlife Habitats in Wilton Manors. Supposedly there are more than 100 varieties of native wildflowers and other butterfly attracting plants and trees. I didn't see any flowers blooming or any butterflies for that matter. The park had it's name changed from Slash Pine Park to M. E. DePalma Park in 2010. DePalma was recognized by the Wilton Manors City Commission on May 9, 2017 as a Wilton Manors Pioneer. She has served on the planning and zoning board and was instrumental in getting Wilton Manors certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation in 2006. When they renamed the park the city added a walkway and a monument to DePalma was installed. There is also a cute butterfly chair that is nice for taking a picture in. At that time native butterfly attracting plants such as salvia, beauty berry, wild coffee, milkweed, porterweed, pentas and wild lime were added. Since that was 9 years ago it doesn't look the plants are being maintained. The park could use a little TLC.

An Amethyst Hairstreak??? It can't be! And when I got to DePalmi Park it wasn't. It was a enough…read morelook alike of a butterfly but not the elusive, rare and endangered Amethyst. So that is pretty much the story how I came across this lovely little park. It's less than a tenth of an acre, not even the size of a building lot, referenced by the City of Wilton Manors as being a "pocket park." However, it's a really great little park with a distinct focus and dedication toward butterflies. It has plenty of butterfly attracting flowers, ground cover, some slash pine, silver buttonwood and a peaceful butterfly bench upon which to sit along with some other butterfly décor. It's one of these very delightful little patches of greenspace that make a neighborhood a comfortable place to live, and for being just a tenth of an acre park, it's really about the best in that size category that I've come across. Hence, my Five Stars.

Thunder Blue is a 14 foot, tall rabbit sculpture, currently sitting in Justin Flippin park in…read moreWilton Manors. It is the creation of American artist Hunt Slonem who took inspirations for the sculpture from a mosaic he did on a building in West Palm Beach. Slonem is known for his paintings of butterflies, rabbits, and tropical birds. His work has been on display in more than 250 museum exhibitions including 60 permanent collections and is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Thunder Blue is covered in 6500 pieces of bright blue mosaic glass and is worth $300,000. It was first shown at the South Florida for the Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary Art Fair in 2022 and it is currently on loan from New River Fine Arts in Fort Lauderdale. As a rabbit mom, I love the subject and how it sparkles in the light. It is a very eye catching piece and Hopper approved. The sculpture is such a nice addition to the park but unfortunately not everyone thought so. On May 25th a Florida man intentionally rammed his car into the statue damaging the base. He is also responsible for destroying other art work in the city supposedly because he was angry that Mayor Justin Flippen allowed birds to be in Wilton Manors. He is currently in custody and commissioners will be meeting soon to discuss how to proceed with repairs.

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.

City of Wilton Manors was incorporated in 1947. There are approximately 11,000 residents. It's…read moreknown to have a large LGBTQ population. It's a nice city with many amenities. I love seeing the rainbows everywhere. We've enjoyed spending time in the city.

In the early 20th century, the area now known as Wilton Manors was known as Colohatchee after a…read moretrain stop along the Florida East Coast Railroad near the current NE 24th Street. Wilton Manors was laid out in 1925 by Edward J. "Ned" Willingham, a Georgia transplant and land developer who came up with the name. It served as the gateway to his subdivision of Wilton Manors. 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. Wilton Manors was incorporated in 1947. 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. The only remembrance of the tower is a mosaic art piece in the Justin Flippen Park. By the 1990's Wilton Manor's blue collar working community became empty nesters and as they began selling their homes, people from the LGBTQ community started moving in because of it's proximity to Ft. Lauderdale and the beach. They were able to purchase affordable property and they fixed it up and opened businesses causing a renaissance in the area. Today Wilton Manors has the second highest LGBTQ population in the US despite only being 2 miles big. Wilton Manors has a large Pride Center, the World AIDS Museum and Educational Center, and a branch of the Stonewall National Museum and Archives. In 2018 Wilton Manors became the first city in Florida and only the second city in the United States to have an all-LGBTQ governing body. Wilton Drive, the main road through downtown has become a local, regional, and national destination for LGBTQ tourism. One of the interesting landmarks in Wilton Manors is Five Points. 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. Another interesting feature of Wilton Manors is that it is bordered on the north by the North Fork of the Middle River giving it the nickname Island City. Some of the places I like in Wilton Manors include Rosie's Bar and Grill, public art in Justin Flippen Park, Collohatchee Park, Stork's Bakery and Coffee House, and Richardson Historic Park and Nature Center.

"Sculpture can plant a seed of imagination, creating a guidepost of life through art" CRGray…read more Ice Pops is public art sculpture located in the Rachel Richardson Park in Wilton Manors. It was created by Key West artist Craig Berube-Grey who has been carving stone for over 25 years. The sculpture features an orange, purple, and red popsicles melting into each other. He has done other sculptures featuring conversation hearts and fruit. I like the whimsical subject matter and the colorful sculpture brightens up the corner of the park. Ice Pops is part of a sculpture walk you can take in Wilton Manors. In May a Florida man intentionally rammed his car into the sculpture toppling it. He is also responsible for destroying another piece of art in the city, Thunder Blue in Justin Flippen Park. When taken into custody he related to authorities that he was angry that Mayor Justin Flippen allowed birds to be in Wilton Manors. The last time I saw the sculpture it was in pieces on the ground. It is nice to see how quickly it was able to be restored.

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.

Although we were in a rush and couldn't stay for dessert and took half our food to go…read more.. The food was incredible and each dish was better than the other. The service was friendly and professional. We are considering to head back just to pick up dessert to go on our way home.

Tucked away on a side street this little restaurant has a little patio at the back of restaurant…read morewith French themed decorations The food was wonderful Also the server was attentive and asked if we wanted the fan to be turned off for us. First time ever I have heard a server ask that question Normally we have to ask the restaurants in usa to lower the fan or ac lol ( and therefore most of time bring a sweater with us) It made my day Onion soup was delicious snd so was. The daily special served with Brussels sprouts

While searching on Yelp for vintage shops in Oakland Park, this Art Park popped up and almost…read morepassed by the small cement sign on the corner of Andrews Ave next to the Roselli Park Plaza. It was strange, since there was only one art exhibit in the grass visible only from the side roadway. A tower of multi colored hand painted squares depicting red ribbons and alot of awkward unexplainable designs. At the bottom of the exhibit was a placard advising the art was dedicated by the World Aids Museum and Educational Center called Project H.O.P.E. Not something I would recommend driving out of your way to experience.

I stumbled on this interesting little park on the way home from picking up my Yelp awards and it…read moreturns out it has quite a bit of history. The entire block that this park sits on was once owned by Lucius Kinsey. He became one of the first settlers to the area when he moved to what would become Oakland Park in 1914 with his wife Nora. Oakland park became a city in 1929 and Mr. Kinsey served on the first city council. Mr. Kinsey eventually gave the part of his property that is Art Park to Leroy and Iris Kinsey Chadwick. They built a home where they lived for the next 50 years. Leroy, or Roy as he was known was also a city councilman and he owned a construction company that built many of the homes in Oakland Park. The couples daughter Darleen was born at home on January 6, 1926 and was listed as the first baby born in the town of Floranada, the first name of Oakland Park. When Darlene grew up she became the City Clerk for 25 years. Art Park opened in November of 2013. It is open from dawn to dusk. The park is ADA accessible with sidewalks, a seating wall, open space for events, and sculptures. There are large red abstract sculptures surrounding an open space, an art wall, and a piece dedicated to the AIDS epidemic. There is free street parking. The park is small but I love history and art so I was delighted to find it. Well done Oakland Park for marking your history and bringing culture to the community.

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.

Located at one of the busiest intersections in Broward County, N Federal Hwy and East Oakland Park…read moreBlvd, you will find this MiMo gem, the Times Square shopping center. MiMo refers to the architecture style Mid-century modern. Started in Germany after WWII, it is a style that was popular from the mid-1930s to mid-1960s. The hallmarks of the design are simplicity and functionality. Expect to see sleek lines, little ornamentation, gentle organic curves, and mixed materials. Mid Century Modern is considered Broward's signature architecture. The Time Square shopping plaza was designed by architect Charles McKirahan in 1954 and built in 1957. McKirahan was one of the most noted mid-20th-century architects in Fort Lauderdale. He married his architect school girlfriend and together they founded a firm with more than 100 architects which they expanded internationally. McKirahan's architectural studio was located in the shopping center. He is responsible for the stunning A-frame of the the original Mai-Kai. For this plaza his design elements included screen block walls, geometric forms and glazed curtain walls. Sadly he passed away at the young age of 44 in a car accident. His son Charles "Chuck" McKirahan followed in his parents footprints and also became a celebrated architect. While the Ft. Lauderdale historical society did a great job of preserving the pioneer history of Ft. Lauderdale along the New River, this shopping center did not receive the same treatment from the Historic Preservation Board. It was renovated in 2019. The most prominent building on U.S. 1, a curved building with red brick screen wall, had the defining wall removed and replaced with sliding glass doors. Today you can still see some of the MiMo design elements McKirahan added but it is looking a little run down. The plaza has a furniture store, Times Square Pizza, and Smarty Pants, a bar to name a few of the businesses. If you are a local you have probably passed this plaza a thousand times without a second glance on your way to the beach. True fans of architecture and history know however that is worth a second glance.