While some would view fall as merely the transitional period between summer and winter, in Southern Florida, it’s when some of the most popular festivals and activities occur! Whether you enjoy independent films, live music, gourmet food, German beer, expensive boats or Halloween candy, at least one event is available to match your interests!

Sports
Fall is the season that winds down summer sports and gets you pumped for winter ones. As the Florida Marlins take a break from hitting the bat, get in line for tickets to football, hockey and basketball!

For Florida Panthers hockey tickets, visit here.

For Miami Heat basketball tickets, visit here.

For University of Miami Hurricanes football tickets, visit here.

Inside Activities:

Between October 1 and November 12, Dine Out Lauderdale includes 35 restaurants that offer three-course meals for $35. Check to see if your favorite local restaurants are offering this deal!

Between October 23 and November 8, visit Cinema Paradiso for the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival! This fest combines outdoor family movies, documentaries, student film competitions, seminars, celebrities and more!

At the Fort Lauderdale History Center through February 7, 2010, you can view scale models and drawings of the home that Frank Lloyd Wright was supposed to build on the New River in 1939. Also on exhibit, learn more about other buildings that Wright did build, and his connections with Fort Lauderdale.

Learn more about contemporary art! At the Museum of Art, through January 10, 2010, three local individuals share their knowledge of contemporary art while displaying over 100 works in their exhibit.

At the Museum of Discovery & Science, through December 2, travel to all spectrums of the universe! Travel to space as the pilot of a spaceship in the realistic Aviation Station. Travel to the darkest, most exotic areas of the ocean in a 3D film. Travel around the earth’s ground while touching numerous natural minerals and making a volcano erupt! And travel to Hogwarts, the school for wizardry and magic, in the traveling Harry Potter Exhibit available through October 30.

Outdoor Activities:
Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night, enjoy music and dancing under the stars! Head to Hollywood Beach Theatre between 7:30 and 9 p.m. for an array of live music, from country to rock. Every Friday, enjoy live jazz, blues and pop music while all of the boardwalk’s restaurants offer food and/or drink specials.

Every Sunday, wind down from the weekend at the Riverwalk in Downtown Fort Lauderdale. You can enjoy the sounds of jazz from four different stages between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

On October 10, head to Las Olas Boulevard for the first ever Glam-a-thon, which raises funds for the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., enjoy an array of activities, crafts and entertainment, also suitable for children. At 3 p.m., enjoy the Glam Doll Strut, showing off Florida’s most chic divas in their wardrobes. The night ends with cocktails, food and gambling under the stars.

On October 16 in Downtown Fort Lauderdale, celebrate your German heritage, or just show up for live entertainment and beer! Rocktoberfest combines German and American heritage by providing loads of beer samples and food for you to enjoy while listening to live rock bands.

For a more authentic Oktoberfest, visit Las Olas Boulevard on October 24-25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for art and beer! The Las Olas Art Fair with Oktoberfest Beer Garden features over 150 artists, while supplying European Microbrews in the Beer Garden.

Between October 29 and November 2, attend the 50th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which is the largest boat show in the world! At six different sites, you can view over a billion dollars worth of boats and yachts from every marine manufacturer in the world!

On October 31, celebrate the holiday of Halloween while also helping local charities! Downtown Fort Lauderdale provides a Halloween Party for all ages, including a costume contest, food, drinks and candy! All proceeds go to local charities.

Through December 26, 2010, enjoy fresh produce and baked goods from Josh’s Organic Garden Green Market. One of the true pluses of living in the warm state of Florida!

Theatre, Shows and Concerts:

• Paula Cole, October 3, Broward Center for Performing Arts
• Fiddler on the Roof, October 6-18, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
• Stone Soup, October 6, Parker Playhouse
• David Garrett, October 8-9, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
• Laura Pausini, October 14, Hard Rock Live
• Super Scientific Circus, October 15, Parker Playhouse
• Celtic Crossroads, October 17, Parker Playhouse
• Robin Williams, October 21-22, Hard Rock Live
• Tanguera-The Tango Musical, October 21-25, Broward Center for the Performing Arts

Charlotte’s Web, November 6, Parker Playhouse

• Legally Blonde, November 12-22, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
• New Shanghai Circus, November 17, Parker Playhouse
• The Music of Led Zeppelin, November 24, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
• Roger Daltrey, November 29, Hard Rock Live