A twelve foot tall solid steel 19th century British Admiralty Anchor (possibly from the wreckage of…read morethe British cartel ship sunk November 1, 1804) proudly standing along the historic Riverside park with amazing river views. It was placed in honor of Capt Peter Throckmorton the father of Marine Archaeology - THE END

Along Riverwalk Plaza in front of the historic New River Inn which is now a museum is another bit…read moreof interesting history. Mounted along the river is an British boat anchor that may have belonged to the L'Athenaise, a British cartel ship that sunk November 1, 1804. On the boat were 174 French prisoners of war. The anchor was discovered in 1967 off the Barefoot Mailman hotel in Hillsboro Beach. Given credit for the discovery along with several other people including his wife Deo, is Mel Fisher who famously discovered the Nuestra Señora de Atocha. The anchor was placed by the Marine Archaeological Council in honor of Capt Peter Throckmorton (1928-1990) "father of marine archaeology An admiralty anchor is a type of large vessel fluke anchor also known as a fisherman. This type of anchor has been used since ancient times. On one end of the shank of the anchor is a ring for attaching rope or chain through it to the boat. On the other end of the shank are the two flukes that once dropped, will dig into the sea floor to anchor the boat in place. One fluke digs in and one remains up which sometimes dislodges the boat and then it needs to be reset. I have watched people pass by without giving the anchor a second glance but if you stop and read the plaque you will see what a cool piece of maritime history this is. There is quite a bit of the past to be discovered along Ft. Lauderdale's Riverwalk.

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.....

I love discovering the historical markers around Ft. Lauderdale which give insight into its rich…read morehistory. This marker is along A1A in front of Bahia Mar at the spot where Native Americans used to haul over their canoes from the New River into the Atlantic Ocean. Some of the other history related to this site includes a fort built in 1838 during the Second Seminole War named for Major William Lauderdale, a House of Refuge in 1876, and a Coast Guard base in 1926 that was active against Rum Runners during prohibition and which searched for U boats off the Florida coast during WWII. In 1947 this land became a public yacht basin and park. Marker F-285 was erected in 1978 by Bahia Mar Hotel and Yachting Center and Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, Inc. in cooperation with Department of State.

I love learning about the history of this area and I stumbled on this historical marker while…read morevisiting Fort Lauderdale Beach Park. The city of Ft. Lauderdale got its name from the forts erected my Major Lauderdale during the Seminole Wars. The forts no longer exist but you can see a replica of one with other artifacts at the New River Inn History Ft. Lauderdale Museum. Altogether, three forts named after Major Lauderdale were constructed: the first at the fork of New River; the second at Tarpon Bend; and the third and largest was built in 1839 under the command of Captain William B. Davidson on the beach at the site of Bahia Mar which is where this marker is. The fort was the site of a haulover where the Seminoles took their canoes from New River Sound into the Atlantic Ocean. Third Fort Lauderdale was active until 1842 when the war ended. The marker was first erected by the Himmarshee Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution 1929 and it was restored in 2005. The first fort was in what is now Maj. William Lauderdale Park in Sailboat Bend. Major William Lauderdale was born in Virginia. He was a land holder and slave owner in Tennessee. He served under Andrew Jackson. In 1838 Major Lauderdale was in his 50's and a Veteran of the War of 1812 and the First Seminole War. The Major and a group of 200 Tennessee Volunteers were posted to the area after the outbreak of the Second Seminole War. The troops marched from Fort Jupiter down what is known as Military Trail in Palm Beach and called Powerline Rd. in Broward County. Pioneer William Cooley's wife, children, and tutor had been massacred two years earlier on their New River settlement and the army had been sent to hunt for Seminole leader Sam Jones. Lauderdale chased Jones to his hiding place at Pine Island at the North Fork of the New River. A battle took place that resulted in one soldier hurting his finger. Sam Jones was able to hide in Everglades with 200 of his people. The result of the Seminole's escape was that they are the only tribe to never sign a peace treaty with the U. S. Government. The fort was abandoned 3 months later and by the time troops returned, they found it had burned down to the ground. Lauderdale considered his job completed and he left to go back to Tennessee. He never returned to the area that bore his name. Instead he died of a lung condition on the way home to Tennessee in army barracks in Louisiana one month after leaving South Florida. The Seminoles now own the Hard Rock empire.

Leaving the Hollywood beach there are four options available to drive west to the suburbs…read more (Hallandale - Hollywood Blvd - Dania Beach and Sheridan St) Mid 2022 the Sheridan Street bridge was closed for a year of reconstruction. Beach goers and residents on A1A were forced to use the three other local bridges to cross the intercoastal waterway. When I was a kid in the 70's, it was a strenuous bike ride up the bridge on the walkway. A few blocks away, you can walk to the bridge and take great pictures of the yachts manuvering toward the raised bridge.

The red lights started flashing and the red and white stop bars came down to stop traffic, we…read morealmost made it through. Waited for five or six minutes as the drawbridge went up as the boats pass on the intercoastal waterway underneath. Some joggers and bike riders also got stuck on the side paths. Traffic in my rear view mirror were backed up all the way to Federal Highway.

I was checking out the new signs that are part of Sailboat Bend walking trail when I noticed this…read morehistoric marker for Rivermont. It is part of the Historical Marker Program, one of the Division of Historical Resources' most popular and valued public history programs. The markers raise awareness of Florida's cultural history while enhancing the enjoyment of historic sites for residents and tourists. The blue historic markers tell the stories of the people and places that were important to Florida's history and they can be found in front of buildings, schools, forts, roads, battlefields, cemeteries, churches, historic districts, and archaeological sites like this one. Historic marker F-1228 was installed in 2023 by the City of Ft. Lauderdale and the Florida Department of State. Rivermont is an archaeological site on the north bank of the New River in the Sailboat Bend Historic District. Around 700 BCE this was a thriving village and ceremonial complex for the Tequesta, the prehistoric inhabitants of this area. The Tequesta were an indigenous people who inhabited southeast Florida from Boca Raton to Key West, and in the Everglades. They lived on fish, shellfish, berries and small game and were well adapted to the environment of South Florida. They thrived for 2,000 years until they were victims of war and disease brought by Europeans in the 1500's. By the 1800's they had all died out. In 2006, a Seminole blue glass trade bead was discovered indicating that Seminoles used this area during their trips on the New River in the 1800's. Rivermont is the best preserved prehistoric site in eastern Broward County. It has one of the deepest surviving black earth middens on the New River. Middens are a kind of ancient garbage dump that can tell you a lot about the people who lived here. Rivermont's existence has been known since the 19th century. It was mentioned in an 1896-1897 guidebook for Dade County, which later became Broward County. Prominent American archaeologist Mark Raymond Harrington, who conducted some of the earliest archaeological investigations in Broward County, visited the site in 1908. In 2016, the Rivermont House from which this site takes its name was demolished. You can still see the masonry wall, gate posts, and paved tracks of a road. The City of Fort Lauderdale designated Rivermont as a local archaeological site in 2021 and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. Today Rivermont is Tequesta Park across the street from another significant historical site, the first Fort Lauderdale.

Named after Davie Jones' Locker and Davie Crockett, this is an eclectic and fun area of the greater…read moreMiami Ft Laud region, and one of the fun, multi-ethnic parts of FTL. Maybe it's one of my favourite areas of Miami even though it has some crazy traffic and some angry people and a lot of rough-ish areas with some crime, mostly petty, and some people being kind of aggressive. It's not as worn down and worn out, infrastructure and roadway wise, as a lot of Miami, and it has a couple of excellent Boba shops including my favorite one in the region. It also has a few of the best Cuban restaurants in the whole area, so it's impossible for me not to love Davie and I'm looking forward to coming back here with Barbie soon. Oh and the boba shop is Hanji, so try it. Or if you don't like boba then Hanji, my dear, I don't give a damn. 4 City of Clearwater https://www.yelp.com/biz/city-of-clearwater-clearwater?osq=city+of 5 City Gate Shell https://www.yelp.com/biz/city-gate-shell-naples-2 4 Ghost Tour https://www.yelp.com/biz/ghost-walk-charleston 5 Little Havana https://www.yelp.com/biz/little-havana-miami-3 My Havana is not all that little, but that's beside the point. Miami is full of vibrant electric amazing and unique districts which are nothing like the vast majority of the United States, and Little Havana is right at the top of the list of neighbourhoods that you should check out when you are down here in Miami. It might even be #1 on the list, all things considered. Come and see for yourself how the wonderful Cuban flavour and all of the great food and drinks and desserts and nightlife and just the atmosphere here all combine into a truly amazing experience, which really does feel more like Cuba than Florida - and for that reason I love it.

The Town of Davie - is intriguing as it is very old school and in the country and basically horse…read moreland! It has the Bergeron rodeo arena here after all. So it seemed fitting for me to go and check out Davie's Town hall. Their town hall - does not look like any other town hall that's for sure. This is made of wood, and looks quite old and unique - see my pictures for a peak! I could not find out the age of this building - maybe you can, and if you find out, please lmk! ____________________________________________________________________ Some history about Davie - The first permanent settlers of the Town of Davie arrived in 1909 from the Panama Canal Zone and later from states such as Illinois, Michigan, and Kentucky. They were drawn to the area because of the efforts by the State of Florida to drain the swamp land; the land was cheap with an ideal climate, and the richness of the soil. Many of these settlers arrived by way of train and boat. Travel was very slow because of the lack of roads from established towns and villages. The northern settlers traveled via railroad to Jacksonville, by the Florida East Coast Railroad to Fort Lauderdale. Once in Fort Lauderdale, the travelers would have to travel by boat to reach the Davie area, known in that time as "Zona." The first settlers elected to name this area "Zona" because of the influence of the settlers from the Panamanian Canal Zone. By 1914, approximately 250 people called Davie home. Originally, the Davie Farm at Zona, Florida consisted of 2,000 acres purchased from the State by Everglades Sugar and Land, Co., and subdivided into smaller acreages. The land had not been thoroughly drained resulting in the early settlers having to contend with persistent flooding and local wildlife. The first homes were constructed of lumber and tar paper and could not withstand the rain and thunderstorms. The hurricanes and storms of September 1926 were pivotal in the development of Davie as most of the homes were lost that year. By the end of 1926, most homes were constructed of concrete block to better withstand inclement weather. The Town of Davie's proud culture stems from of its most recognizable landmarks, the Old Davie School and the Rodeo Arena. Old Davie School is the oldest existing school in Broward County. The school was opened in 1918 with 90 students. The school is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Davie Rodeo Arena was constructed by 17 residents in 1946. In 1925, Zona was renamed in R.P. Davie's honor as the Town of Davie, having purchase a significant amount land in the area. Davie was originally incorporated in 1925, but later dissolved during the following legislative session to avoid taxation resulting from the incorporation. The Town was again incorporated in 1961 with less than 2,000 residents. By the mid 1970s, the Town of Davie had over 12,000 residents. By the 1990s, the Town population exploded to over 47,217 residents. Today, Davie boasts a population of over 92,000 residents.

Attended a birthday party at one of the shelters at the park. The one located by a playground & the…read moresplash pad. Park is spacious and the playground area is fairly modern. Giving 3 stars only because one of our family members got their car broken into

Great, clean & safe park. I love that they offer plenty of events for the community. From little…read moreones to senior citizens, they are very inclusive.