ytgenews1030ds3525.jpg
While Ft. Lauderdale is perhaps best known for it’s yachting scene, this is a city that is rich in culture and history. If you’re in town before or after the boat show, here are a few things to do.
Head inland down East Las Olas Boulevard and you’ll find yourself at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art, on the corner of East Las Olas and South Andrews Avenue. On average, admission to the museum is only $10 for adults ($7 for children and seniors). The museum is currently exhibiting the collection of Gordon Locksley and George T. Shea, that features works from artists such as Andy Warhol, Brice Marden, and Donald Judd. Starting November 14th the museum will feature the exhibit American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell. For a full list of current, past, and upcoming exhibits, along with admission details and directions, check out http://moaflnsu.org.
From the Museum of Art, head north on Andrews Avenue until you hit Broward Boulevard and take a left. This will lead you to two other interesting stops: the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and the Museum of Discovery and Science. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is Ft. Lauderdale’s equivalent of Broadway. In addition to classical concerts and dinner theatre performances, the Center for the Performing Arts also plays home to off-Broadway shows like Legally Blonde, Phantom of the Opera, and The Color Purple, and operas such as Rossini’s Barber of Seville. To see a full list of upcoming performances and ticket prices, head to www.browardcenter.org.
Across the street from the Center for the Performing Arts you will find the Museum of Discovery and Science. Though it sounds like a cliché, this place really does have something for parents and children both to enjoy. The museum features interactive exhibits like “Living in the Everglades” and “Florida Ecoscapes,” and the “Great Gravity Clock,” the largest kinetic energy sculpture in all of Florida. The museum also features an IMAX theatre with stadium seating and a five story-high screen, which shows educational documentaries and Hollywood’s latest. To learn more about everything the museum has to offer, head to www.mods.org.
Other places you might like to see are the Stranahan House, built on the New River in 1901 as a trading post for settlers and Seminole Indians-it is a living piece of Florida’s history. Located near the Stranahan House is the Las Olas Riverfront, where you’ll find a movie theatre, fun shopping, restaurants, and bars-many of which offer live music at night. It’s also a great place to watch the Winterfest Boat Parade, this December 12th, when yachts decorated for the holidays wind down the New River in a glimmering chain. www.winterfestparade.com, www.stranahanhouse.org.
