After the rain... you could do THIS over the weekend 🌞

 Goooood morning... Fort Lauderdale 🌞

Heavy rain last night, but looks like it is going to be a gorgeous weekend! Hope you are excited to get out and about with many things to do.

In today's Family Friendly FTL Newsletter:

  • Lot's of activities to explore rain or shine
  • Family Fun Day caps the end of the Food Festival
  • And watch for Art on the beach (see pic below)

Shortlist of Things You Won't Want To Miss This Week:

*Stories are notated as (Free) to participate, or ($$) if they require paid access. We will always let you know if something is paid or sponsored.

>> This weekend is the 3rd Annual Greater Fort Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival (GFLFW). That's good news for all the foodies in FTL, but we are going to highlight their Family Fun Day from 12 – 4 p.m. Sunday, January 16, 2022, at Las Olas Oceanside Park. Expect to see Kid Friendly Cooking Demos, Kids Can Cook Hands On Culinary Classes, Live Entertainment, Art, the JDCH Kid’s Zone, a Curated Selection of Food Trucks and Cocktail Bars.

While Family Day presented by Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital is FREE to attend, the suggested donation for admission is one, new/unwrapped, toy that will go to patients at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. (Free)

>> Saturday, January 15th is First Market, with First Street Cars, visit a food truck, and kid-friendly activities. 9am to Noon. (Free)

>> Also on Saturday, older kids and adults might want to visit Sneakercon Fort Lauderdale. See the biggest collection of sneakers in the world. Bring your shoes to sell or trade, and make sure to use the free legit check service, at the eBay Authentication Guarantee booth. ($$)

>> Sunday, January 16th - Bike and Ride January Series for a series of storytelling-infused bike tours as we highlight art, bike sharing, public transportation, and community development. (Free)

>> On Wednesday, January 19th, visit The Parker to see/listen to South Florida Symphony presents Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” and the World Premiere of John Gottsch’s Princess Yurievskaya. ($$)

>> Want to see what riding in luxury looked like over 75 years ago? Take a rainy day visit to the Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum boasts a one-of-a-kind setting, with the largest collection of Packard cars and historical memorabilia from 1900 and on. If you love history (and cars) you will also love the array of hood ornaments, old gas station signs, carburetors, gear-shift knobs, horns, lighters & ashtrays, lamps, vintage magazines & photos, an entire exhibit dedicated to Franklin D. Roosevelt, and so much more. ($$)

>> Did you know... that the one of the first "industries" of Fort Lauderdale was actually the dismantling and scrapping of shipwrecks off the outer beaches that now make our city so popular? A trip to the History Fort Lauderdale Museum and Pioneer House is a hidden gem on the Riverwalk. Old Fort Lauderdale Village feels like an oasis amidst all the towers of the downtown. You can also stop by for the Open Air Market every Sunday from 9am-4pm.

Watch In The Coming Months As Fort Lauderdale Beach Goes Art Deco

Haitian-American artist Djerlens “DJ” Chery will soon be displaying his work on four lifeguard towers as part of a new City art project.

Other coastal South Florida cities already have some head-turning lifeguard stations. South Beach has its candy-colored Art Deco stands and Hollywood beach sports its own cheery Art Deco-inspired towers, painted a spiffy blue with white and yellow accents.

One tower will showcase a giant sandcastle. Another will be covered with vibrant green palms. The others will be swimming with sea life — a sailfish, a sea turtle, a stingray.

And Fort Lauderdale will be the first to have the work done by a local artist.

The four lucky towers getting art will be sitting pretty in the busiest part of the beach: Tower 2 at 1000 Seabreeze Blvd.; Tower 5 at 496 South Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.; Tower 6: at 296 South Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.; and Tower 7 at 126 South Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.

Classifieds:

Got a message you would like to share with the community? Drop us a note and we will work you into our Announcements section.

###

WANTED: Fort Lauderdale families who want something more for their children.

New K-12 Non-Traditional Micro School Coming To Downtown Fort Lauderdale 

Opening in February, Acton Academy Fort Lauderdale will be joining the downtown Riverwalk District at the historic Bryan House of Old Fort Lauderdale Village. 

With over 300+ Acton Academy locations worldwide, Acton is known for its learner-driven approach. Students progressively take over ownership of their own education, and are ultimately responsible for the day-to-day operations of the school. 

Founders Tobin and Martina Slaven shared, “this is the kind of approach to school that we wish we could have experienced growing up. We wanted this for our daughter and we wanted to bring it to Fort Lauderdale. It is entrepreneurial, with a focus on building the character and skills needed for the real world.” 

In December 2021, Acton Academy hosted Fort Lauderdale’s first Children’s Business Fair at Esplanade Park. For more information visit www.ActonAcademyFL.com