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

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

• Baskin Robbins: Free 2.5 oz scoop of ice cream on your birthday (you must sign up for their club online)
• Buca di Beppo: Free birthday dessert (join their online club)
• Cold Stone Creamery: Free Creation (join their online birthday club)
• Gaucho Rodizio: Free Rodizio dinner (join online VIP Gaucho Club)
• Sephora: Free birthday item (join the Sephora Beauty Insider)
• Stein Mart: 20% off single item (Join Preferred Customer Program)
• Olan Mills: Free 8×10, 5×7 and 4 Wallet Birthday Portraits (join online birthday club)

Check out the site to find out more and contact the retailer to make sure everything is still valid.  Don’t you love birthdays?!

Oh, and if you would like to follow me, here’s my twitter info: twitter.com/DineMag

Photo Credit: mrcd@sbcglobal.net @ flickr

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

When did bowling alleys become the trendy place to go – with delicious food, art on the walls and even a dress code? Lucky Strike Lanes reminiscent of the original Hollywood Star Lanes is as they like to call it “America’s First True Bowling Lounge.” Combining retro decorations such as the beloved “Hollywood” sign with modern accents, Lucky Strike is the place to be seen for celebrities and the locals alike.  The menu here goes beyond the typical bowling alley fare and features such things as:

• Key West Chicken dusted with a citrus/herb spice and served with a sweet chili sauce
• Warm brie served with brown sugar syrup and carmelized walnuts
• Lucky Stripe Club made with turkey, apple smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, mayo and a fried egg
• Caramel bananas foster
• along with typical bowling alley fare such as burgers, pizzas, fries, etc.

Lucky Strike Lanes also showcases art on the video screens at the end of each lane with the majority of the work coming from established artists, but they are always looking for and showcasing underground new talent. Lucky Strike Lanes is located at 1692 Michigan Avenue in Miami Beach. 305-532-0307 It is open until 1 am Sun-Thurs and until 2 am on the weekends.Photo Credit [DB King on flickr]

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

Today is one of the days that it is just hot out. All I can think about is eating popsicles and swimming in the pool. Earlier I wrote about South Florida A to Z and included the Venetian pool in the line up, but it is definitely worthy of a feature especially on a hot day like today.

Located in Coral Gables, the Venetian Pool is a historic landmark filled with 820,000 gallons of fresh spring water. It was built sporting Venetian-style architecture and features waterfalls, caves and grottos. It also has a 3-story observation tower. This pool used to be a quarry pit, but through the help of George Merrick, the Dade County Commissioner of the time, the city of Coral Gables including the Venetian Pool was transformed into a visitor’s attraction.

It started off with locals swimming in the pool, local dancers entertaining guests poolside and tourist visiting to see what this beauty was all about. Today its grown and over 100,000 visitors a year come to check it out. Every day, its 800.000 gallons of water are replenished to maintain the clear water the Venetian pool is famous for. One might think that this is a waste would be surprised and happy to find out that the water is recycled through a natural ground filtration system.

The pool is open year round, but the hours change slightly from season to season.

From now until August 12th the following hours are in effect:

Monday – Friday 11:00am – 7:30pm

Saturday – Sunday 10:00am – 4:30pm

The cost to get in is $10/day (non-residents of Coral Gables) and $4.50 (residents of Coral Gables) for adults. For children under 12, it’s $6.50 for non-residents and $3.50 for residents.

The Venetian Pool is located at:

2701 De Soto Blvd

Coral Gables, FL 33134

(305) 460-5306

Photo Credit [How Stuff Works]

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

Stuart, Florida – located in Martin County has a history that goes back to the 1700’s. This is when several Spanish galleons were shipwrecked due to a hurricane. These ships were carrying large quantities of gold and silver. Over the years, some of this treasure has been recovered, but more importantly this found treasure gave this area its name – Florida’s Treasure Coast.

This summer the Martin County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) will go back to Martin County’s roots and launch a new program titled, ‘Summer Treasures’ for visitors to the area. This will give visitors a chance to find the hidden treasures of Martin County including such places as the beaches, places to go snorkeling, nature preserves and County Parks.

When guests book a “Summer Treasures” package at a participating hotel, they will receive a treasure map with a list or clues. The package will also include special discounts for things to do in the area.

Here’s a sneak peek at what they have in store:

1. X Marks the Spot: This self-guided treasure hunt will take guests from coast to coast discovering historical points, landmarks and area attractions. Participants will be eligible to wine a 6-day, 5-night vacation at the Hutchinson Island Marriott Resort and a $500 gas card.
2. During the month of July, 4 treasure chests will be hidden each day at various locations throughout the county. Should a visitor find one, all that they need to do is return it a special location, and they will receive special offers and discounts and be entered to win some”Treasure” jewelry.
3. Geocatching Treasure Hunt: Taking place on July 26th, treasure hunt fanatics will be using their GPS devices to find treasures throughout the city. Participants will have a chance to win a 3-day/2-night stay at Caribbean Shores Resort.

Click here for more information.

Photo [complimentary of Regan Communications]

Post from: The South Florida Traveler