50 Places in Broward and Palm Beach Worth a Saturday, and 20 of Them Are Free

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• Free, no catch
• A dollar, two dollars, or free with a library card
• Animals and gardens
• Museums and galleries
• Historic homes and sites
• Play, browse and wander
• How to actually use this list
• Sources
• Frequently Asked Questions

South Florida has a beach problem. Not that the beach is bad, but it is the default answer to every "what should we do today," and it means people live here for years without ever taking the free boat ride through downtown Fort Lauderdale, or riding a two dollar steam train through a Coconut Creek park, or standing on a 40-foot tower above a hardwood hammock in Boca.

This is the list of the other things. Fifty places across Broward and Palm Beach County, sorted by what they cost, because that is usually the first question.

Twenty are completely free. Three more cost a dollar or two. The rest are worth knowing exactly what you are paying for before you go, which is the part most roundups skip.

One standing note: hours, prices and reservation rules change constantly at small venues, and several of these are volunteer-run or seasonal. Everything below is what the venue currently publishes. Call before you drive.

One time-sensitive note: many of the paid venues on this list are participating in Broward Attractions and Museums Month through September 30, which means buy-one-get-one admission or free entry. If you are reading this in September, check that list first.

Free, no catch

The LauderGO Water Trolley

Fort Lauderdale

A free city-run boat service along the New River, stopping near downtown destinations. It is sightseeing that happens to be public transportation, and a startling number of residents do not know it exists. This is not the Water Taxi, which is the paid service.

Details: Currently daily, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., typical waits 20 to 30 minutes. Affected by weather and marine traffic. Call 954-828-8000 before a special trip.

The Deerfield Island Park boat shuttle

Deerfield Beach

The island is reachable only by boat, which turns a nature walk into something closer to an expedition. It is an 8.5-acre mangrove swamp designated an Urban Wilderness Area and a gopher tortoise refuge, with two trails, the Coquina and the Mangrove. Armadillos, raccoons, migratory birds. Picnic tables and grills.

Details: Departs the Sullivan Park dock, Riverview Road, Deerfield Beach. Free, hourly 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday, generally on the hour from 10 through 2. Weather dependent, limited space. Call 954-357-5100 the day you go.

Sullivan Park and its splash pad

Deerfield Beach

Reopened in 2017 after a $4.7 million redevelopment that won the ASCE Florida Section project of the year. Packed into 3.38 acres: a 2,200-square-foot splash pad, two shaded playgrounds split by age, a covered pavilion with grills, an 11-slip marina, a paddleboard launch, and a promenade along the Intracoastal to The Cove.

Pair the splash pad with the island shuttle, which leaves from this dock, and you have a full Saturday in one spot for nothing.

Details: 1633 Riverview Road, Deerfield Beach. Splash pad currently Monday through Friday sunrise to sunset, weekends sunrise to 4 p.m. The city notes it is not guaranteed during facility rentals and goes down for maintenance. Parking free for four hours, but register your plate at the kiosk. No dogs.

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center

Boca Raton

A 20-acre coastal preserve wrapped in a rare remnant of tropical hardwood hammock. A third-of-a-mile boardwalk runs through the forest, and Jacob's Outlook, a 40-foot tower with an ADA switchback ramp, puts you above the canopy. Outdoor marine aquariums with native fish and resident sea turtles, a butterfly garden, and an FAU marine lab with a gallery where you can watch research happen.

Free guided Island Treks run Tuesdays at 10 a.m., no reservation.

Details: 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. 561-544-8605. Donations accepted. Parking is limited and for Gumbo Limbo visitors only, with metered overflow at Red Reef West. Outdoor areas close when lightning is detected. No pets, no bathing suits.

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary

Jupiter

If you have not been since 2023, you have not been. The sanctuary moved to a new Jupiter Farms site that tripled its size and took $20 million to build. Roughly 200 animals along forest trails: Florida panther, black bear, alligator, crocodile, deer, otter, bobcat, fox and a wide range of birds.

It is a working rehabilitation facility first, providing care to more than 4,500 injured animals a year, and admission has always been donation based.

Details: 17855 Rocky Pines Road, Jupiter, west of I-95 off Indiantown Road. 561-575-3399. Open daily 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., last admission 4:15 p.m. Free, donations encouraged. Closed New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The new site is less shaded than the old one until the trees mature, so go early.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands

Delray Beach

Fifty acres of constructed wetland built by Palm Beach County Water Utilities to further filter reclaimed water, which turned into one of the best bird-watching spots in Florida. The name comes from a Seminole phrase meaning created waters.

A three-quarter-mile boardwalk circuits open water, marsh and islands planted to encourage nesting. More than 170 bird species have been recorded here. Wood storks nest February through April, close enough to the railing that photographers drive hours for it.

Two things that will make or break the trip. Parking is genuinely limited and fills on winter weekends, when several hundred people may pass through in a day, so expect a wait or go on a weekday morning. And the county often performs routine maintenance in October or November, posting closure dates on its webpage. Check before you drive this fall.

If the lot is full, Green Cay is two miles away and has roughly triple the parking.

Details: 13270 Jog Road, Delray Beach. Some listings show 13026 Jog Road; the county and state use 13270. 561-493-6000. Free. Published hours vary by source between 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. to sunset, so check the Palm Beach County Water Utilities page, not the parks page. Restrooms at the trailhead. No pets, food, bicycles, jogging, skating, smoking or drones. Almost no shade, so bring a hat.

Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands

Boynton Beach

Wakodahatchee's larger sibling a few miles away, with an elevated boardwalk and an indoor nature center. Free naturalist-led half-mile tours run on selected Wednesdays through Saturdays.

Details: 12800 Hagen Ranch Road, Boynton Beach. Boardwalk daily sunrise to sunset. Nature center currently Wednesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 561-966-7000 for tour times. No food, pets, bicycles or jogging on the boardwalk.

Daggerwing Nature Center

Boca Raton

Inside Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park. Indoor habitat exhibits, a butterfly garden, and an elevated boardwalk through wetland. Rotating programs, some with resident animal ambassadors.

Details: 11435 Park Access Road, Boca Raton. Center and boardwalk free. Programs change monthly, some charge a fee and need reservations.

Anne Kolb Nature Center

Hollywood

The gateway to the mangrove estuary at West Lake Park, with a 68-foot observation tower over one of Broward's largest coastal wetlands, plus an exhibit hall and aquarium.

Details: 751 Sheridan Street, Hollywood. Exhibit hall currently daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hall, aquarium and tower free. Kayak rentals and boat tours are separate. A vehicle gate fee applies at Broward regional parks on weekends and holidays.

Children's Science Explorium

Boca Raton

A free hands-on science center in Sugar Sand Park for kids roughly 5 to 12. Physical science through play, with permanent displays plus traveling exhibitions.

Details: Sugar Sand Park, 300 South Military Trail, Boca Raton. Free. Some classes and camps charge a fee or need registration. Adults stay with their children.

Loggerhead Marinelife Center

Juno Beach

A working sea turtle hospital where you can see current patients in outdoor tanks, read why each came in, and learn what has to happen before release.

Details: 14200 U.S. Highway 1, Juno Beach. General campus admission free, currently 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Some tours are ticketed. Mostly outdoors.

Manatee Lagoon

West Palm Beach

An FPL eco-discovery center on Lake Worth Lagoon, built around the fact that manatees gather near warm water outflows in cold weather. Timing matters more here than anywhere else on this list.

Details: 6000 North Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach. Free admission and parking, currently 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Manatee season runs November 15 through March 31. Closed Mondays April 1 through November 14.

Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum

Fort Lauderdale

A volunteer-run museum in the World War II training base that stood where the airport is now. The story most people come for is Flight 19, the five Navy aircraft that vanished on a training mission in 1945.

Details: 4000 West Perimeter Road, Fort Lauderdale. Free admission, parking and tours, Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Final tour 2:30 p.m. Arriving between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. is recommended.

Stonewall National Museum, Archives and Library

Fort Lauderdale

LGBTQ history and culture through exhibitions and archives, including the largest LGBTQ lending library in the country, more than 25,000 books and 1,000 films, in a former county library branch.

Details: 1300 E Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale. 954-763-8565. General admission free. Scheduled guided tours are $10 per person and are not covered by the free admission. Generally Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free parking.

Fort Lauderdale Fire and Safety Museum

Fort Lauderdale

A 1927 firehouse holding equipment, uniforms, photographs and the city's fire-rescue history, run entirely by volunteers on donations.

The hardest one on this list to actually catch. The official listings and the museum's Facebook say the second and last Saturdays of the month, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The museum's own contact page lists only the last Saturday. Plan for the last Saturday either way.

Details: 1022 W Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale. Free. Email flfiremuseum@gmail.com ahead to confirm someone will be there.

Plantation Historical Museum

Plantation

Local history through photographs and artifacts, behind the Helen B. Hoffman Library in Botanical Gardens Park. Seminole and Tequesta artifacts, an Everglades diorama, and the city's first fire engine.

Details: 511 N Fig Tree Lane, Plantation. 954-797-2722. Free, donations appreciated. The city lists Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed Sunday through Tuesday. Some tourism listings still show an older schedule; trust the city.

Studio 18 Art Complex

Pembroke Pines

A working arts complex where resident artists keep studio space and exhibit, with eight curated shows a year. The rare chance to see a local creative community at work rather than finished.

Details: 1101 Poinciana Drive, Pembroke Pines. 954-961-6067. Free. Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed Sunday. Workshops may require registration.

The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery

Pembroke Pines

A two-story contemporary gallery inside the Charles F. Dodge City Center, with exhibitions, performances and community programming.

Call first, and here is why. The Frank's own website currently lists two different schedules on two different pages, one Tuesday through Saturday and one Wednesday through Sunday, both 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Two phone numbers are also in circulation, 954-392-9420 and 954-392-2120.

Details: 601 City Center Way, Pembroke Pines. General admission free. Seasonal exhibitions and special programs can carry a fee.

Pompano Beach Historical Society

Pompano Beach

The two Kester Cottage Museums, 1930s beach cottages moved to Founders Park and restored. One is furnished as a period residence, the other holds working-life artifacts from Pompano's farms, print shops and lumber yards.

Details: 217 NE 4th Avenue, Pompano Beach, in Founders Park. Free, but appointment only. Call 954-782-3015 at least 48 hours ahead. Do not show up unannounced.

Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum

West Palm Beach

A free county history museum on the second floor of the restored 1916 courthouse downtown. The historic courtroom carries much of the experience.

Details: 300 North Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach. Free. Hours and docent tour times change. Allow extra time for downtown parking.

A dollar, two dollars, or free with a library card

The Sugar Sand Park carousel

Boca Raton

One dollar per rider. The carousel sits beside the community center housing the free Children's Science Explorium, so you can build an afternoon where the carousel ticket is the only thing you buy.

Details: 300 South Military Trail, Boca Raton. Currently $1 per person. Hours change for maintenance and events.

The Tradewinds and Atlantic Railroad

Coconut Creek

Two dollars to ride 5,800 feet of hand-laid track, on trains built and run by a volunteer club going since 1972. Some locomotives are genuinely steam powered. It runs the third weekend of every month only.

Details: Tradewinds Park North, 3600 W. Sample Road, Coconut Creek. $2 per ticket, bring cash as a backup. Remaining 2026 dates: October 17 and 18, November 21 and 22, December 19 and 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Train questions only, 954-494-6877. The park's north side is under construction, so farm tours, walk-up pony rides and the north playground are closed. Gate fee is $3 per vehicle for eight or fewer, $20 for nine or more, free if you walk or bike in.

The Palm Beach County Library Explorer's Pass

Countywide

The best-value item here and almost nobody uses it. A county library card reserves free admission to participating museums and cultural attractions, including the Cox Science Center and Aquarium, the Boca Raton Museum of Art, Lighthouse ArtCenter and the Loxahatchee River Center.

The rules that catch people: passes book only 14 days ahead, availability is limited, and each card is capped at five per year. Most admit one or two people, not a family.

Animals and gardens

Butterfly World

Coconut Creek

Tropical butterfly aviaries, a passionflower vine maze, bird aviaries and a lorikeet encounter, inside Tradewinds Park South. The most reliable photo day in north Broward.

Details: 3600 W. Sample Road, Coconut Creek. 954-977-4400. Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $32.50 adults and seniors, $22.50 ages 3 to 11, free under 2. Admission closes at 4 p.m., before the park does.

Flamingo Gardens

Davie

Sixty acres of botanical garden plus a sanctuary for native Florida wildlife: flamingos, birds of prey, alligators, panthers, bears, and the historic Wray Home Museum.

Details: 3750 S Flamingo Road, Davie. 954-473-2955. Daily 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry 4 p.m.

Lion Country Safari

Loxahatchee

A drive-through route where you stay in your own enclosed vehicle while large animals move around you, then a walk-through park with exhibits, feedings, rides and water play. The drive differs every visit.

Details: 2003 Lion Country Safari Road, Loxahatchee. Open year round, rain or shine. A current tourism listing shows 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with the last car admitted at 4:30 p.m. Buy dated tickets through the official site and confirm hours there.

Sawgrass Recreation Park

Weston

Everglades airboat rides and a reptile and wildlife exhibit on the edge of the sawgrass.

Details: 1006 N US Highway 27, Weston, two miles north of I-75 Exit 23. 954-389-0202. Boats leave every 20 to 30 minutes from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., final boat 5 p.m. Arrive by 4 p.m., the animal exhibits close at 5. Reservations required for all tour options. One note from the park: GPS often sends people to the wrong spot, so search the park by name rather than typing the address.

McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary

West Palm Beach

A nonprofit rehabilitation facility and permanent home for animals that cannot be released, caring for more than 200 animals.

Read this before booking: every visit must be reserved by phone. No walk-ins. Tours run close to two hours, entirely outdoors, on gravel and sand. Children under 5 are not admitted.

Details: 12943 61st Street North, West Palm Beach. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, start times 11 a.m. through 1 p.m. Listed at $50 adults, $40 children. Call 561-790-2116. Closed-toe shoes.

Animal EDventure Park and Safari

Boynton Beach

A roughly one-hour guided walkthrough on private property, with sloth and kangaroo encounters and feeding opportunities with llamas, alpacas, goats, sheep, donkeys and cows. The venue tells visitors explicitly not to arrive without a confirmed booking.

Details: 8545 US Highway 441, Boynton Beach. Standard walkthrough currently $25 per person. Reservation required. Premium experiences cost substantially more and carry age minimums.

Capybara Cafe

Fort Lauderdale

A ticketed, guided small-group animal encounter rather than a coffee shop you wander into. Sessions are indoors on a dry floor.

What we could not confirm: the business states it is operated by Noah's Ark Sanctuary and that visits support animal care and rescue. We were not able to independently verify that affiliation. If animal welfare factors into your decision, ask when you book.

Details: 744 NW 5th Avenue, Unit 1111, Fort Lauderdale, in the Thrive district. Advance online booking strongly recommended.

Museums and galleries

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

Delray Beach

The best hour-for-hour value in this section. Six distinct garden areas along a roughly mile-long path, plus galleries with changing exhibitions and a free audio tour.

Details: 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach. Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., final admission 4:30 p.m. Closed Mondays. $18 adults, $16 seniors and military, $14 college students, $12 ages 6 to 17, free 5 and under.

Museum of Discovery and Science

Fort Lauderdale

Hands-on exhibits, live science demonstrations, animal encounters and the AutoNation IMAX theater. The default rainy-day answer in Broward for a reason.

Details: 401 SW 2nd Street, Fort Lauderdale. 954-467-6637. Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Tri-county residents get a lower rate with a photo ID and an advance reservation.

NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale

Modern and contemporary art with deep holdings in Latin American and Caribbean work, the CoBrA artists and William Glackens.

The detail that matters: everyone 17 and under gets in free, so this is an adult-ticket decision only.

Details: 1 E Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale. 954-525-5500. Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m., closed Mondays. $16 adults, $10 seniors, $8 military, $5 college students, free for 17 and under and for US veterans. Free admission and extended hours the first Thursday of every month. No backpacks or oversized bags in the galleries.

MAD Arts

Dania Beach

Immersive digital art and interactive installations in a 50,000-square-foot building, plus MAD Yard, a free outdoor space with large-scale sculpture that anyone can walk into.

Details: 481 S Federal Highway, Dania Beach. 754-239-0707. Closed Tuesdays, and its published hours have changed more than once in the past year, so check the day you go. Free on-site parking, entrance on 4th Terrace. Some experiences and cinema programming are ticketed separately.

Island SPACE Caribbean Museum

Plantation

The only pan-Caribbean heritage museum of its kind, with an archive, an art gallery and exhibits on the history, music, sport and culinary traditions of the region and its diaspora. Artifacts include shoes worn by Usain Bolt and signed West Indies cricket bats.

Details: 8000 W Broward Blvd, Suite 1202, Plantation, inside Broward Mall. 954-999-0989. Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday. $10 adults, $5 children.

Young At Art Museum

Plantation

An interactive children's art museum where the exhibits are meant to be touched, built on and added to, with art-making stations throughout.

Details: 8000 W Broward Blvd, Suite 1208, Plantation, inside Broward Mall near LensCrafters. 954-424-0085. Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday. Children under 2 free. Museums for All admission is $4 with an EBT card and photo ID.

Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts

Hollywood

Ceramics, glass and decorative art, including British pottery, studio glass, Ardmore ceramics and a significant Chihuly collection.

Details: 3250 N 29th Avenue, Hollywood. 954-376-6690. Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday. Navigation note from the museum: GPS often routes visitors to the back of the building. The entrance is on the west side of North 29th Avenue between Sheridan and Stirling.

Hollywood Art and Culture Center

Hollywood

Contemporary visual art in the historic 1924 Kagey Home in downtown Hollywood, with an adjacent arts school and a 500-seat theater.

Details: 1650 Harrison Street, Hollywood. 954-921-3274. Normally $7 adults, $4 students, seniors and children 4 to 17, free for children 3 and under. Closed Mondays. Free admission the third Sunday of every month. Published hours vary by source, so call to confirm.

History Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale

Three museums and a research library on the New River, anchored by the 1905 New River Inn, Broward County's oldest remaining hotel building and the first county property on the National Register. Six artist-in-residence studios on the third floor.

Details: 231 SW 2nd Avenue, Fort Lauderdale. 954-463-4431. Open seven days, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Docent-guided tours daily at 1, 2 and 3 p.m.

Dauer Museum

Sunrise

More than 55 preserved automobiles spanning 1906 to 2020, with Cadillac, Buick, Chrysler, Rolls-Royce and Bentley represented, plus period objects and industrial displays. Indoor and self-guided.

Details: 10801 NW 50th Street, Sunrise. Currently $20 adults, $10 children 4 through 14, free for active duty military and first responders. Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Access can change for private events.

The Wick Theatre Costume Museum

Boca Raton

Original wardrobes from more than 35 Broadway productions and revivals, including The Producers, Titanic, Once Upon a Mattress, La Cage aux Folles and My Fair Lady.

Set expectations correctly. This is not a walk-in museum. Access is tied to scheduled experiences with reservations, and tours have historically run about three hours and included lunch, at prices well above standard museum admission. Published figures for the collection's size vary widely across sources, from roughly 1.2 million pieces to more than 2 million, so treat any single number with caution.

Details: 7901 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton. Call 561-995-2333. Box office currently Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Historic homes and sites

Bonnet House Museum and Gardens

Fort Lauderdale

A 35-acre estate tucked behind the beachfront, with the former home of artists Frederic and Evelyn Bartlett, its hand-painted interiors and subtropical gardens. The most surprising thing in Fort Lauderdale given what surrounds it.

Details: 900 N Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale. 954-563-5393. Self-guided admission Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Mondays, holidays and during the Fort Lauderdale Air Show. Guided and specialty tours are priced separately.

Historic Stranahan House Museum

Fort Lauderdale

Built in 1901, the oldest surviving structure in Fort Lauderdale. Trading post, post office, town hall and family home before it became a museum to city pioneers Frank and Ivy Stranahan.

If you live in the city, read this: Fort Lauderdale residents get free admission every Wednesday through September 30, 2026, using the code FORTLOCAL at checkout with an ID showing a city address.

Details: 335 SE 6th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale. 954-524-4736. Admission is tour-based and capacity is limited, so book ahead. Typical hours 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., last tour accepted 3:15 p.m. Parking is limited; use the lot at 620 SE 4th Street and walk about 150 yards.

Old Davie School Historical Museum

Davie

Broward County's oldest existing school building, opened in 1918 to 90 students on the site it still occupies, designed by August Geiger and on the National Register since 1988. The campus includes a 1909 pioneer home and a historic village.

Details: 6650 Griffin Road, Davie. 954-797-1044. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Self-guided admission $10 adults, $7 for children 5 to 12 and seniors 65 and over. Guided tours by appointment.

Sample-McDougald House

Pompano Beach

A restored 1916 Colonial Revival home built by pioneer Albert Neal Sample, moved to Centennial Park in 2001 and listed on the National Register.

Details: 450 NE 10th Street, Pompano Beach. 754-307-5446. Tours Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m., on the hour, last admission 3 p.m. $5 per person. Free for members, children under 5, active military and John Knox Village residents with ID.

Play, browse and wander

Puttshack

Dania Beach

Mini golf that tracks itself. Trackaball technology scores every shot automatically, which removes the one genuinely annoying part of mini golf. The Dania Pointe location opened in August 2025 as the brand's 22nd venue and second in South Florida, running 25,000 square feet with four nine-hole courses, two full bars and an outdoor patio. It brought the Florida debut of the Challenge Hole, in six dedicated suites.

It is a bar and restaurant as much as a course. Afternoons are families, later is closer to a night out.

The deals are the value: All You Can Putt runs Sunday through Friday, starting around $15 for kids, and Saturday has nine holes for $9 after 9 p.m. with matching $9 drinks and shareables. Happy hour Monday through Friday.

Details: 1825 Way Pointe Place, Dania Beach, inside Dania Pointe. 954-758-7888. Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday to 1 a.m., Sunday to 10 p.m. Free parking. Book ahead on weekends.

Silverball Retro Arcade

Delray Beach

A pinball and arcade collection where everything runs on free play. You buy time instead of feeding quarters. Machines span the mid-century through today, plus skee-ball and shuffleboard.

Current status matters. The main arcade floor is temporarily closed for renovation. Silverball says the venue stays open daily with free admission, bar and kitchen running, and a limited selection of games. Some listings claim a specific number of machines still operating; we could not verify any of them.

Details: 19 NE 3rd Avenue, Delray Beach. 561-266-3294. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday to 1 a.m. Entry may be free during renovation, but playing requires a pass.

Cinema Paradiso Hollywood

Hollywood

A 72-seat art house theater in downtown Hollywood screening independent, international and classic films. Worth knowing: it is owned and operated by the Hollywood Art and Culture Center, which took it over in June 2025, so the gallery and the theater are one organization at two addresses.

Details: 2008 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood. Showtimes vary by week. General inquiries go through the Art and Culture Center at 954-921-3274.

Old Florida Book Shop

Fort Lauderdale

Rare books, antique maps and vintage magazines, run by William Chrisant and Sons since 1978. High wooden shelves, rolling ladders, rugs, antique furnishings. Browsing is the activity.

The practical warning: posted hours vary across its listings, and the shop has described its own schedule as hours by chance. Call first.

Details: 3426 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale. Call or text 954-319-1441 before making the trip.

Bedner's Farm Fresh Market

Boynton Beach

A working farm with a produce market attached. Depending on season you may find U-pick strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and sunflowers. Weekend tractor rides typically run fall through spring, and special events add a pumpkin patch, corn maze and food vendors.

Details: 10066 Lee Road, Boynton Beach. Market generally 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The U-pick area closes an hour before the store and is closed Tuesdays. Closed-toe shoes. One quirk: Bedner's publishes its seasonal event dates inside image graphics, so they often do not turn up in search. Call 561-733-5490.

How to actually use this list

Free Saturday, no budget: Water Trolley, then walk to lunch downtown. Or Wakodahatchee early, before the heat and while the birds are active.

Kids under 10: Sullivan Park does splash pad plus island boat for nothing. Sugar Sand covers an afternoon for a dollar.

Free days worth planning around: NSU Art Museum is free the first Thursday of every month. The Hollywood Art and Culture Center is free the third Sunday. Fort Lauderdale residents get Stranahan House free on Wednesdays through September 30.

November through March: Manatee Lagoon moves to the top. The rest of the year it does not.

Third weekend of the month: the Tradewinds train. It only runs then.

Last Saturday of the month: the Fort Lauderdale Fire and Safety Museum. Also the only reliable window.

You need a reservation: McCarthy's, Animal EDventure, Sawgrass, Capybara Cafe and the Pompano Beach Historical Society will turn you away without one. The Wick requires one.

It is raining: MODS, Dauer Museum, Silverball, Puttshack, the Explorium, Island SPACE, WMODA, the NAS museum.

Date night or a group of adults: Puttshack after dark, Cinema Paradiso, or Silverball once the main floor reopens.

Photographers: Wakodahatchee at sunrise, and February through April for wood stork nesting. Butterfly World midday, Gumbo Limbo's tower for the hammock, Bonnet House for the grounds.

🔗 Related: Mermaids, Mallets and a Boat to Dinner: 30 of the Most Fun Places to Eat and Drink in Broward and Palm Beach

Sources

• City of Fort Lauderdale, LauderGO Water Trolley
• Broward County Parks
• City of Deerfield Beach, Sullivan Park
• City of Boca Raton, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
• Busch Wildlife Sanctuary
• City of Boca Raton, Children's Science Explorium
• City of Boca Raton, Sugar Sand Park Carousel
• Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum
• Stonewall National Museum, Archives and Library
• Fort Lauderdale Fire and Safety Museum
• City of Plantation, Historical Museum
• City of Pembroke Pines, Studio 18 Art Complex
• The Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery
• Pompano Beach Historical Society, Kester Cottages
• Palm Beach County Water Utilities, Wetlands
• Palm Beach County Parks, Green Cay
• Palm Beach County Parks, Daggerwing Nature Center
• Loggerhead Marinelife Center
• Manatee Lagoon
• Palm Beach County History Museum
• Palm Beach County Library System, Explorer's Pass
• Tradewinds and Atlantic Railroad
• Butterfly World
• Flamingo Gardens
• Lion Country Safari
• Sawgrass Recreation Park
• McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary
• Animal EDventure Park and Safari
• Capybara Cafe Fort Lauderdale
• Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
• Museum of Discovery and Science
• NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale
• MAD Arts
• Island SPACE Caribbean Museum
• Young At Art Museum
• Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts
• City of Hollywood, Art and Culture Center
• History Fort Lauderdale
• Dauer Museum
• The Wick Theatre and Costume Museum
• Bonnet House Museum and Gardens
• Historic Stranahan House Museum
• Old Davie School
• Sample-McDougald House
• Puttshack, Dania Beach
• Silverball Retro Arcade, Delray Beach
• Old Florida Book Shop
• Bedner's Farm Fresh Market