Southeast Florida - Florida - page 432

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea & Deerfield Beach

In the late 1800s southern Florida was a wild frontier, home to a few dozen Seminole fam-
ilies and some hardy settlers. Remnants of this early history can be found in the flow of
beachside communities north of Fort Lauderdale along the Intracoastal Waterway. The
high-rises thin out, giving way to the sleepy, family-oriented communities of Lauderdale-
by-the-Sea, Pompano and Deerfield Beach.

Sights

Deerfield Beach Historical Society MUSEUM

( 954-429-0378; www.deerfieldhistory.org ; 380 E Hillsboro Rd; 10am-2pm)
This volunteer-run organization oversees several sites from Deerfield Beach's early days in
the 1920s. Back then the community was 1300 people strong and the town consisted of
four or five stores, a lodge, a post office and two hotels. The Old Deerfield School, Kester
Cottage and the Butler House museum are all open for tours on the first and third Saturday
of the month.

Butterfly World NATURE RESERVE
( www.butterflyworld.com ; 3600 W Sample Rd, Coconut Creek; adult/child $25/20; 9am-5pm Mon-

Sat, from 11am Sun; )
The first indoor butterfly park in the US is also one of the largest butterfly exhibits any-
where. It features thousands of live, exotic species, such as the bright-blue morphos or
camouflaged owl butterfly. Various exhibits highlight different creatures - from butterflies
to hummingbirds. Butterfly World is an excellent place to spend the better part of a day,
especially with wide-eyed children or trigger-happy shutterbugs.

Activities

Wherever you go along this coastline you'll be spoilt for choice for beaches. The best of
the bunch is Deerfield Beach.