Keep kids busy, cool, fed and entertained
Hurricane Irma spared South Florida a “catastrophic” blow, but cleanup isn’t easy, and schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties will remain closed at least through Friday.
That leaves a lot of students with days of extra time on their hands, and parents scrambling for entertainment, since kids’ preferred activity — exploring South Florida’s altered landscape and playing in storm debris — isn’t a safe option.
Kids can often entertain themselves — if they have power. If you don’t have power restored yet, call friends and family. Not only will visiting another family give your children some company for the day, but it will also allow your family to cool off in air conditioning and possibly get a warm shower, a hot meal and Internet access in the deal.
Thankfully, businesses are starting to open as power is restored to the region.
Many malls are open, giving families a great option for air conditioning and a hot meal at their food courts, including Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, The Galleria in Fort Lauderdale, CityPlace Doral, Miami International Mall, Pembroke Gardens in Pembroke Pines, Coral Square in Coral Springs, Town Center at Boca Raton, The Gardens in Palm Beach Gardens, the Mall at Wellington Green and the Boynton Beach Mall.
In Miami, Dolphin Mall and Mall of the Americas are closed until further notice, but Aventura Mall opens today.
The Miami Children’s Museum, 980 MacArthur Causeway, will open today at noon. Young At Art Museum in Davie has notices on its website for “No School Day” one-day camps today and Thursday if the museum has power. Please call 954-424-0085 to confirm.
But many other museums and zoos remain closed until further notice, including the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale, the Frost Museum of Science in Miami, the Palm Beach Zoo, Sugar Sand Park and the Children’s Science Explorium in Boca Raton, and the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach.
Zoo Miami, Jungle Island and Miami Seaquarium all sustained significant damage in Hurricane Irma and will remain closed for some time.
In Palm Beach County, Lion Country Safari plans to reopen its drive-through section on Thursday. Because the walk-through section of the park will not be open, admission is reduced to $10 per person.
Some Broward County libraries have opened from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., including Century Plaza/Leon Slatin Library at 1856 W. Hillsboro Blvd. A in Deerfield Beach; Hollywood Library at 2600 Hollywood Blvd.; Lauderdale Lakes Library at 3580 W. Oakland Park Blvd.; Lauderhill Central Park Library, 3810 NW 11th Place; Margate Catharine Young Library, 5810 Park Drive; North Lauderdale Saraniero Library, 6901 Kimberly Blvd.; Tamarac Library, 8701 W. Commercial Blvd.; West Regional Library, 8601 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation; and Weston Library, 4205 Bonaventure Blvd.
The Main Library at 100 S. Andrews Ave. in Fort Lauderdale and the Davie/ Cooper City Branch Library at 4600 SW 82nd Ave. will open today. More library openings will be announced at Broward.org/library.
Both the downtown and Spanish River branches of the Boca Raton Public Library (myboca.us/957/Library) will reopen at 9 a.m. today, although their wi-fi is still down.
The Palm Beach County library system has not made an announcement about reopening.
Ikea Sunrise opens today but Ikea Miami remains closed until further notice. Another family shopping destination, Bass Pro Shops, was closed in Dania Beach and Miami on Tuesday. Check their websites for reopening information.
City parks divisions will be reopening this week, and many provide programs for children. Check your local park website for options.