Lantana, FL Outdoor Activities

This year marks the second annual Boca Burger Battle, and the competition is heating up. The reigning champs from Rebel House took home both the Judge’s Pick and the People’s Choice last year, but the runners-up from Gimme A Burger don’t plan to go down without a fight. Dark horse Justin Flit from the newly opened Jazziz Nightlife trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, and Morton’s offers up the burger that inspired founders Arnie Morton and Klaus Fritsch to go into business in the first place. Non-beef entrants include fish sliders from Sea Level Restaurant and Ocean Bar and vegan patties from Darbster and 4th Generation Organic Market and Cafe.

Though burgers are the stars of the showdown, they aren’t the only refreshments on exhibition. There will be craft beers, summer wines, and top-shelf spirits from far and near, as well as an array of summer food samplings like gourmet french fries, onion rings, tropical salads, chicken wings, rum cakes, liquor infused ice cream, and apple pie. Meanwhile, judges such as Mo and Sally from KOOL 105.5, Sef “Burger Beast” Gonzalez, and The Glamorous Gourmet author Stephanie Miskew will be on hand to offer their insights into what makes a burger stand out from the pack.

Mobile Gaming Events’s owner Jessy gives a new definition to "playing outside." With stations that can be set up beneath tents, his team of gaming experts let party guests play Xbox 360 and Wii consoles amid fresh air and spectating squirrels (game stations can also be set up indoors). Thirty-six-inch TVs or projector screens beam the familiar faces of characters from dozens of games, such as Halo 3 and Mario Kart. Mobile Gaming Events crew also brings along dance pads so players can master DDR and microphones so they can belt out karaoke.

During the Superhero Scramble, racers of all fitness levels tear across arduous terrain littered with body- and mind-challenging obstacles. Participants must wade through mud and, to reach the finish line, persevere through a barrage of Super Slime generously donated by retired Ghostbusters.

Upon completing the race, athletes ride their endorphin high into a party stocked with ice-cold beer. There, they can mingle with other contestants, sway to live music, and see awards doled out to the fastest runners in each age bracket. Male and female Scramble Gamble contestants compete for a cash prize that can cover the cost of replacing the engines in their sneakers. The benefits of the race extend beyond the Gamble winners, too—the organizers donate 5% of each registration fee to charity.

At the center of Playtown Cafe’s child-size indoor town, servers escort gourmet sandwiches, wraps, and flatbreads to parents and kids seated at café tables. As their parents continue to munch and mingle, children frolic in and out of small storefronts painted in bright colors, pretending to run a bakery, create masterpieces in an art gallery, and shoplift from La Boutique. Youngsters dress up as superheroes and princesses in the boutique; play air hockey, arcade games, and dual Nintendo Wiis inside the garage; and manipulate a train set in the building zone, which is designed to resemble an unfinished house.

To burn off boundless stores of energy, kids can cross the play-city’s traffic-free road to cavort in a turf-floored indoor park, where staffers monitor them as they scale climbing walls, cross blue climbing bars, and shoot down wavy orange slides. Playtown’s staffers show an additional commitment to safety as they oversee a separate play area and ball pit designed just for toddlers, which is free of boogie monsters.

A frigid oasis amid Pompano Beach's tropical heat, Glacier Ice and Snow Arena hosts everything from public ice-skating to snowball competitions within its 40,000-square foot facility. Throughout the week, skaters of all ages share the arena with programs such as the Sharpshooters Hockey Club, birthday parties, and weekly lessons. A fully stocked pro shop proffers equipment for various styles and sizes, and a snack bar keeps visitors energized with soda, pizza, and popcorn, at least until the ice fishermen manage to reel anything in from their hole in the center of the rink.

For a decade, LunaFest has raised awareness about breast cancer and connected women across the U.S. by screening short films made by, for, and about women. Each year, the nine selected films range in genre from comedy to drama and explore themes such as body image, childbirth, and gender identity. The profits from each LunaFest screening benefit the Breast Cancer Fund and other local nonprofits nationwide. To date, the festival has featured more than 92 filmmakers and raised nearly $1.2 million dollars for charity.