Used with permission from Miami Seaquarium

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

Here are some options:

• 131 Projects presents Paradise Lost at Buck 15 at 9:00 pm tonight, December 3rd: As part of Art Basel, 15 artists were invited to interpret the literary piece Paradise Lost for a showcase at Buck 15. What is Paradise Lost? It’s the epic poem by poet John Milton published in 1667 depicting the temptation of Adam and Eve by the angel.  To further go into detail, Jame Kelly published an article in Time Magazine in 1961 by that same name examining Miami as a cross between a tourist city and a crime capital, ie. loss due to temptation. Buck 15 is located at 707 Lincoln Road (above Miss Yip) in Miami Beach. There will be a performance by Jose el Rey at 12:00 am.
• Ruthless & Toothless at the Townhouse Hotel – Check out this visual interpretation of Ruthless & Toothless with works of art by Chris Garver, Darren Brass, Yoji Harada of TV’s Miami Ink, James Hamilton and Mike Walls. Doors open at 8:00 pm. The Townhouse Hotel is located at 150 20th Street in Miami Beach.
• Dolce Industry Wednesdays welcome Art Basel Miami Beach Vernisagge After Party. Get inspired by the works of Jean-Michel Basquait, Marcela Di Santo, John Berry, Thomas Brewitz, Dmitri, Laurence Gartel and Marc Marshall. Visuals will be presented by Psyberpixie and a fashion show and body painting will be presented by Baye. All of this takes place at Gemma Lounge located at 529 Lincoln Road in South Beach. RSVP to 786-285-5976.

Photo Credit: ninahale @ flickr

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

Have you always wanted to spend the day swimming with the dolphins? To feel, to touch these magnificent animals is often a dream to many, but when you live or visit Florida, the opportunity is there to experience this firsthand. From now until December 15th, the Miami Seaquarium is offering a 30% discount to Florida residents.

The Seaquarium offers 2 different experiences at Dolphin Harbor, their 12,000 square foot, 700,000 gallon dolphin pool that is home 12 Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins. The first is titled Dolphin Odyssey. It is a 2-hour experience where participants are able to touch and feel the dolphins and learn where our fascination with dolphins stems from. Participants even have the opportunity for some deep-water interaction. The Dolphin Odyssey program costs $134 plus tax per person for Florida residents (regularly $199 plus tax).

The second is something new that is geared toward those that want the dolphin experience, but to a lesser degree or for those that are a bit younger. This program also lasts 2 hours, but instead of swimming with the dolphins, guests wade out into the pool and take part in a shallow water experience. Guests are able to feed and touch the dolphins, and take part in an educational seminar explaining how dolphins are trained among other things. Guests must be at least 5 years old. The Dolphin Encounter program costs $94 plus tax per person for Florida residents (regularly $139 plus tax). For children 5-9, the cost is $68 plus tax for Florida residents (regularly $99 plus tax).

For more information, call (305) 365-2501.

Photo Courtesy of Miami Seaquarium

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

Whether you’re visiting Miami, just moved here or are a seasoned veteran, you need to check out the recently launched Miami Tour Company. This virtual information superhighway turned onboard tour company is proud to announce the daily tours of Miami and the surrounding areas in 5 languages (English, Spanish, German, French and Italian).

Instead of sitting through another boring tour led by a monotone voice, these tours are filled with entertaining stories told by professional actors along with music and sound effects. The tours give you the inside scoop that only the locals will know. Plus, all tours take place in state-of-the-art buses so being uncomfortable won’t be an issue. If you are looking to find out the story behind Casa Casuarina and why this landmark is the 2nd most photographed residence in the United States or want to find out where part of the movie Scarface was filmed, you are in luck.

Along with learning interesting facts about the city throughout the 3 1/2 hour tour, and exploring Ocean Drive, Miami Seaquarium, Vizcaya, Madonna’s House, University of Miami, Miami’s First Schoolhouse, the place where Michael Jackson filmed the “Thriller” video and more the bus makes a few stops at such locations as The Fresh Market, Biltmore Hotel, Little Havana (Cuban coffee, anyone?) and Bayside Market Place.

Even better, the cost for bus tours of Miami start at only $28. In addition, they also offer tours of both Orlando and Key West, and private transportation to and from airports, seaports and hotels in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach.

Special Offer: They are offering free city tours now through Nov. 16th. Reserve your space today and enter code: MTC4FREE

Photo used with permission from Gus Moore, MiamiBeach411.com

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

Taishi is Morikami Museum’s Young Professionals Group. They plan events each year for professionals in their 20’s – 40’s with proceeds going to support the educational programs at The Morkiami. On Friday, they will be hosting Sushi & Sail that will take place on Lady Atlantic on the Delray Intercoastal at Veterans Park from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. This entertaining evening will allow guests to enjoy the gorgeous Florida sunset while they listen to great music, make new friends and enjoy some scrumptious appetizers.

Cost is $35 for Taishi Members and $50 for non-members. Purchase your tickets online or call 561.495.0233 ext 214.

Photo Credit: avlxyz @ flickr

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

Baby Loves Disco is taking children out of the bar/club/high end restaurant scene (until this day I will never know why kids should be in the middle of the action where liquor is flowing, music is playing – you know the scene) and giving them a place of their own. This is not just a babysitting club, rather a hip nightclub (Barney is banned)- in our case - Revolution in Fort Lauderdale. For the event, the club is transformed into an afternoon dance party where real music is spun and mixed by DJ’s featuring classic tunes from the 70’s and 80’s. The room is then filled with bubble machines, baby changing stations, a chill-out room, healthy snacks and lots of dancing. What a great change from your routine, and a chance for kids of all ages to come together – in a place that is meant for “kids.” After reading that, it made me wonder what are the other kid-friendly places to go to in South Florida:

• Lion Country Safari: I previously posted about this place here where children and their parents alike can take a walk on the wild side.
• Walt Disney World: Ok like we didn’t know that. But did you know that b5media has a blog devoted entirely to WDW? You can find it here.
• Butterfly World located in Coconut Creek
• Miami Seaquarium: Did you know that this was once the setting for the TV Show, Flipper?
• Visit animals throughout the world at The Miami MetroZoo
• Young at Art Children’s Museum: This interactive children’s museum will help them develop their creativity while learning about different cultures, history and the environment.
• Boomers! A state of the art playland for children of all ages. It includes video games, laser tag, mini golf, bumper boats, go karts, a climbing wall and more.
• Crandon Park (Key Biscayne): Combining a park and the beach into one, this 2 mile long beach is often name on the top 10 list of the best in the country and has areas set aside for picnics, grilling, cabana rentals, biking, kayaking, an amusement center and even a carousel. There’s also a marina, championship golf course and a 27-court tennis center.

Photo Credit: Sarcasmo @ flickr

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

As much as I complain about Bank of America month after month, I still manage to give them my business. Why? Initially it was convenience as I used to be able to do my grocery shopping and my banking in the same trip, but that stopped years ago when Publix closed the B of A in my local store, but I’m still there.

I recently learned of a new perk that Bank of America added to their accounts (checking, debit or credit cards) called the Museums on Us program. This program allows card holders to receive free admission to nearly 70 museums nationwide on the first weekend of every month all year long just by presenting your Bank of America card. And for those of you that tend to be a little forgetful, they even send text message reminders.

Here’s a list of museums that honor the B of A card in Florida:

• Morikami Museum in Delray Beach
• South Florida Science Museum in West Palm Beach
• Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale
• Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale
• Miami Art Museum
• Miami Children’s Museum
• Miami Science Museum

For a list of museums in other states, visit Museums on Us.

Photo Credit [Go Card USA @ flickr]

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

• Saturday and Sunday, July 19th-20th: Contestants will compete at Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. The winner will take home a brand new Nintendo Wii.
• Saturday and Sunday, July 26th-27th: Participants will have the chance to show off their racing skills in Mario Kart Wii as they do laps in hopes of receiving the grand prize of a brand new Nintendo Wii gaming system.
• Saturday and Sunday, August 2nd-3rd: Guitar III Hero here we come. Whoever has the most points over the weekend, will receive a title crown and a brand new Rock Band game.

Miami Seaquarium, open 365 days a year, is a family oriented marine life park. It provides visitors with a greater understanding of Marine Life. For more information, call 305-361-5705. Photo Credit Sizemoresr at flickr

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

The Bon Festival takes place on Saturday, August 9th from 5:00  9:00 pm. Tickets are $10, $5 for children (7-17) and free for museum members and children 6 and under.

Post from: The South Florida Traveler