Things to Do in Fort Lauderdale

At two locally owned locations, The Electric Bicycle Store team tends to a herd of battery-powered steeds that carry riders along the smooth pathways of South Florida. The shop stocks bikes by Pedego, Sanyo, Schwinn, Stromer, Trek, and others, and the staff helps outfit riders with accessories such as helmets and solar chargers. With rental packages, riders take to bike paths with helmets, lights, locks, chargers, and baskets that can fit a few pounds of spaghetti for midride snacks.

The instructors at American Dancesport Center are trained in 23 different styles of dance, from the elegant waltz to the lively merengue. Firmly believing that everyone has the potential to be a dancer, they welcome students of all ages and experience levels into their spacious, oak wood–floored studio. The seasoned instructors offer both private and group classes and host weekly practice parties with a live DJ.

Boca Raton Children's Museum, located inside a quaint home built by hand around 1913, unfurls an array of exhibits designed to feed children's creativity and enhance critical-thinking skills. Visitors venture to Dr. Dig's Back-Porch to learn about artifacts and fossils, stage dramas in a miniature theater with hand puppets, or head to the Faces Multicultural Room to play musical instruments and play dress-up with garments from around the world. They can also wheel pintsize shopping carts through a replica of Boca Raton's first grocery store, where orange juice was invented, or chart a course across the lawn's grasses aboard an outdoor pirate-ship fort. The museum has recently added a gift and snack shop, and also offers classes that teach nonverbal tots to use sign language and summer camps that provide opportunities for play and learning in a group setting.

A Latte Fun Indoor Playground and Café brims with happy chatter, which drifts from regular classes, special events, and open playtime seven days a week.

Children frolic across multicolored carpeted floors in a 6,000-square-foot playroom, exploring climbing structures, foam pits, and a floor-level trampoline that is kept safe by rounded edges, extensive padding, and declawed teddy bears. The playground eschews video games, prize games, and violent toys, instead letting older children don animal costumes in the dress-up area, while toddlers younger than 2 romp in their own play pit and toy bins. Cool zephyrs of air conditioning sweep contented sighs away from zebra-print sofas or onyx-hued wooden tables, where adults peruse a gourmet café menu. A boutique toy store extends the center's positive attitude toward play into homes with a slew of unique gifts and rare and eclectic toys.

A private room reverberates with the youthful energy of A Latte Fun Indoor Playground and Café's classes, formal functions, and parties, which staff members provide with refreshments, cake, and decorations. At least two assistants remain on hand at kids’ events to provide full setup, cleanup, and supervision to ward off squabbles that arise when imaginary friends show up wearing the same outfits.

On April 26-28, the Deerfield Beach Wine & Food Festival unites friends and neighbors with gourmet food, fine spirits, and live music from the tri-county region throughout a three-day celebration. When not hunkering down for starlit picnics or strolling through Quiet Waters Park, attendees can expand their palates with wine-and-food pairing workshops, an around-the-world tour of wines, and seminars by an international cadre of wineries. Showcasing the rich culinary heritage of the region, the food tastings run the gamut from hearty braised-beef dishes of English-pub fare to fresh seafood dishes of South Florida to fondue. Friday invites guests to a vineyard party backed by live music, where they dig into lavish four-course feasts accompanied by glasses of wine selected by professional sommeliers. On Saturday, ticket holders stroll through the park's scenic avenues to savor decadent chocolates, top-shelf wines from Europe and the Americas, and a spread of cuisine from local Mexican, Greek, American, Italian, and fusion restaurants. The Deerfield Beach Wine & Food Festival sends patrons off with a relaxing outdoor Sunday-morning brunch chock-full of fresh seafood catches, buffet stations of European breakfast fare, and bloody marys and mimosas. As guests nibble and sip to their hearts’ content, they’re serenaded by the dulcet tones of Gyorgy Lakatos.