January 15th, 2013

What’s Going On? Delray Beach, Florida, Activities, Events, Cruising the Intracoastal, Shark Feedings, Shell Exhibit, Wakodahatchee, Green Cay Nature Preserve, Wetland Ecosystems, Japanese Gardens, Bonsai Class, Loxahatchee Everglades Tour, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Pack & Paddle Club….so much to do in and around The Village by The Sea, Palm Beach County, SoFlo

Delray Beach has maintained its charmed through history.  The area is known for its rich soil.  Vegetables and fruits were grown in abundance.  Its large colony of artists call Delray home.  And…its festivals are famous throughout Florida, as well.

It is a very walkable town.  Historic preservation in this town is taken seriously.  The cottages that were retreats in simpler days are for the most part, still standing.

At this time of the year, when it is rainy and cold in the northeast the snowflakes and the snowbirds head south for some warmth, rest, and relaxation.

When I mention Delray Beach to others, the beach, restaurants, bars, shops and music venues come to mind.

The beach is unobstructed; you can sit there all they long.  The water?  Well, see for yourselves.

Too hot to sit on the beach?  Tired of shopping and eating?  I’ll bet!!

How about a little cruise on the intracoastal?  You can catch these cruises right on Atlantic Avenue by the draw bridge, on board the Lady Delray and Lady Atlantic.  It is Delray Yatch Cruises located at 801 E. Atlantic Avenue.  Tel. 561-243-0686.  Website?  http://www.delraybeachcruises.com.

You can take 2 hour cruises northbound or southbound on the intracoastal.  They also have dinner cruises, as well.  On their website you can check all that info., including their on-board menu.

It something different to do, looking at Delray Beach from another point of observation.

Sandoway House Nature Center is located 142 South Ocean Blvd. in Delray Beach.  It is right on A1A and you cannot miss it.  If you are on Atlantic Ave., go east and turn right on the corner of Atlantic Ave. and A1A.  It will be about 2 blocks on the right.  Tel. 561-274-7263.  Website?  http://www.sandowayhouse.org.

Events, exhibits and programs are offered all the time.  Please check the website if you are visiting town.

Coral Reef Pool & Daily Shark Feedings at the Sandoway House occur on Tuesday through Saturday at 10:30 a.m.  On Sunday the feeding is at 1:30 p.m.  Admission is $4 for 3 years of age and older.

The Ivonne S. Templeton Shell Gallery is home to the Albert & Ann Becker Shell Collection.  It is the largest in South Florida with over 10,000 “museum quality shells”.

And, coming up is Nature Photography 101 Series.  6 consecutive Saturday mornings.  The series is called An Eye for Nature: A Photographic Winter on The Coast.  More info?  It is all on their website.

Wakodahatchee – It means “created waters”.  West of Atlantic Avenue 50 acres have been transformed into a wetlands ecosystem.  Turtles, frogs, alligators and birds call this preserve, home.  Location? 13026 Jog Rd.  Go west on Atlantic, crossing over I-95.  Turn right on Jog Rd.  Cross over Lake Ida intersection.  It will be on the right hand side; about 1/4 mile.  The sign is not big.

It is an elevated boardwalk…about 3/4 of a mile.  You can stroll, walk, sit and watch the birds come to rest for the evening.  It opens early in the a.m. until dusk.  More info?  Check http://www.pbcgov.com/waterutilities/wakodahatchee/location.htm.

Green Cay Nature Preserve is another acreage transformed into a wetlands ecosystem.  The boardwalk is larger than the one at Wakodahatchee; 1.5 miles long.  It is also open from sunrise to sunset.  Location?  12800 Hagen Ranch Rd.  This is considered suburban Boyton Beach, between Boyton Beach Blv. and Atlantic Avenue.  More info?  Please visit http://www.pbcgov.com/waterutilities/waterfacts/green_cay.htm.

It is relaxing way to start or end the day…pretty relaxing.

The Morikami Gardens are located 4000 Morikami Park Rd., Delray Beach, FL 33446.  Tel. 561-495-0233.  Website?  http://www.morikami.org.

The gardens are beautiful and tranquil.  The Cornell Cafe offers a Pan-Asian inspired menu.  You can sit outdoors on the terrace or indoors in air condition.

The Morikami Gardens hold events, classes and festivals throughout the year.  Best to check the calendar of events on the website.

Coming up there is a beginner’s bonsai class:  The Art of Bonsai.  It will take place on 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10 and 2/17, from 9 a.m. until Noon. It will be held at the Oki Education Center Deck. Instructor?  Vladimir Foursa.  $91 for non members and $81 for members, plus $35 of materials payable to the instructor.  You will receive a manual, pruning tool, one beginner’s bonsai tree, bonsai pot, and use of wire and bonsai soil.

Advance registration is required, and you can do so on-line.

Loxahatchee Everglades Tours – Wild Lyle is a great tour guide.  He has been doing these tours for years.  The tours depart on the hour, starting at 10 a.m. and with the last one starting at 4 p.m. You will see the animals in their natural habitat and you will be gliding over a river of grass.  Location?  15490 Loxahatchee Rd., Parkland, FL 33076.  Tel. 561-482-6107.  They open at 9 a.m.  Website?  http://www.evergladesairboattours.com.

If you are departing from Delray Beach, just take I-95 South to Hillsboro Blvd. (west exit).  Go all the way to the end and take a left on Loxahatchee Rd.  Follow the road to the end.

The best time to take these tours is on a hot and sunny day.  It seems the animals come out to get warm.  If you would like to check the weather, please call 561-482-8026.

Please note that these tours are not for children 3 years of age and younger.  Also, please note that there is a 25% discount coupon on the website.  You can print it and bring it in.

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center – With a Mission “To increase public awareness of coastal and marine ecosystems through research, education, and conservation”.  It is located at 1801 North Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton, FL 33432.  It is very easy to find.  If you are traveling on A1A from Delray Beach, go south and cross Spanish River intersection.  The Nature Center will be on your right; about 1/4 mile.

You will find Children’s Programs, Family Programs, Adult Programs, Events, Group Tours and Field Trips and School Programs.  You can check the schedule of events by visiting http://www.gumbolimbo.org. Tel. 561-544-8615.

Palm Beach Pack & Paddle Club is in West Palm Beach…This is “The eating club with a camping, canoeing, kayaking, bicycling, backpacking, and hiking disorder”.  They encourage and support conservation, and protection of the natural environment.

It is full of activities year-round.  It is a club but non-members may participate in up to 2 trips before becoming members.  More info?  Please visit http://www.clubkayak.com/pandp/.

Hey, have a great time!!  Talk to you later….

October 24th, 2011

What’s Going On?, Delray Beach, Florida, Activities, Events, Entertainment, Village by the Sea, Palm Beach County, South Florida

The beginning of November marks that time of the year when the “snowbirds” are either getting restless or too cold.  I know some of them that are already there and some that already have their date on their schedule.

Delray Beach, is that Village by the Sea that has had 2 designations as “All American City”.  It is the only city in Florida to have won it twice.  They have so many activities and events year-round.  But, they really step it up more than a few notches when the season kicks in. 

Already more events and activities are found.  Here a some, if you happen to be in Delray Beach or in Palm Beach County.

Delray opened this year their new bed and breakfast; the Historic Hartman House located at 302 NE 7th Ave.  If you are looking for a place to stay, check them out.  Website? www.delraybeachbedandbreakfast.com.  They are a great addition to the Delray community and are already immersed in this unique coastal town.

Delray has the beaches, the restaurants, the shops, and plenty of roadway for exercising.  At times, if you want to get away from it all, you can catch a cruise, right there on Atlantic Avenue and the Intracoastal.

Delray Yatch Cruises has a schedule, including menus that can be accessed by visiting www.delraybeachcruises.com.  You can also call them for reservations or questions at 561-243-0686.

There is a Sunday Brunch Cruise that leaves at 10:30 a.m. going northbound.  That part of the intracoastal is beautiful and quite wide at different spots.

If you are going to be in Delray during Thanksgiving, check their schedule since they will be having special Thanksgiving Day Cruises and Dinner Cruises.   Being that it is a holiday, you should make the reservations way ahead of time.

Cruising on the intracoastal from Delray Beach started in 2003.  One of their yatchs, the Lady Atlantic, was designed for South Florida’s Intracoastal Waterways. 

Friday, 10/28 – It is the 14th Annual Pineapple Grove Bed Race in the Art District of Delray; Pineapple Grove, at NE 2nd Ave. at Atlantic Ave.  The race will be f rom 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

A new addition this year will be the Beer Tent and the popular Food Trucks.

The Bed Race will be followed by a free concert from “Hard Liquor” on the Old School Square Pavilion.  “Hard Liquor” is a high energy South Florida band whose genre is Classic and Hard Rock.  They play popular rock songs from the 60s until today.

What can I say?  Some of the teams have been doing this race every year.  If you have a favorite, well, by all means go and be a cheerleader!!

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 10/28-10/30  –  Haunted Halls of Horror at the Delray Beach Community Center located at 50 NW 1st Avenue.  It is presented by Hugs Not Drugs in conjuction with Delray Beach Parks and Recreation.

Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. with last ticket to be purchased by 10:30 p.m.

Sunday from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. with last ticket to be purchased by 9:30 p.m.

$10 per person.  Family Fun from ages 8 to 80 years old.

This is a spine tingling charity event.  It is an interactive walk through a haunted house with thrills and chills around every single corner. 

More info?  Check out the website www.hauntedhallsofhorror.com.  Or, call 561-585-7771.

Saturday, 10/29 – Kidsfest of Delray & Halloween Festivities in Downtown Delray Beach at Atlantic Avenue, starting at 11:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. – Trick or Treat along the Avenue (between Swinton and the Intracoastal).

1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. – Halloween Parade – Line up at Old School Square at 1:00 p.m.  Parade starts at 1:30 p.m. and marches through Atlantic Ave. to Veterans Park (right by the Intracoastal).  More info? Call 561-279-1380 x17.

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Kidsfest of Delray at Veterans Park.  A free family event.  Live entertainment.  More info? Call 561-243-7277 or e-mail Beardsley@mydelraybeach.com.

Another place that I enjoy when I want to get from it all is the Morikami and Japanese Gardens.  Believe me they are so peaceful. 

The gardens are “an invitation to stop momentarily and ponder anew what we are, where we have been, and where we are heading”.

The address is 400 Morikami Park Rd., Delray Beach, Florida.  Website? www.morikami.org.  Tel. 561-495-0233. 

From Delray Beach you can go west on Atlantic Ave., turn left on Jog Road and head south for a bit and you will see the entrance on the right hand side.  It is also the entrance for the Orchid Society.

The Park honors the Yamato Colony, a farming settlement of the early 1900s.  It also celebrates the living Japanese culture. 

My favorite garden is the Karesansui Late Rock Garden.  Karesansui means “dry landscape”.  In this style of garden, the rocks were arranged in a bed of raked gravel, while plants took a secondary role.

As the weather gets more comfortable in South Florida, these gardens are a great place to relax.

I hope you take advantage of some of these activities and events.  Delray Beach, that little Village by the Sea, is also full of restaurants.  I like a lot of them and I do have my favorites.  I have written about them in the past, and just like I do at the Delaware Beaches, I will visit them again…you never know what unique dish will be on their menu….AboutMyBeaches…yes this is one of my favorite beaches, as well.