Boca Just Opened an 11-Acre Tortoise Preserve, and It's Free

The city cut the ribbon on the Gopher Tortoise Preserve in late July, at 10 W Hidden Valley Blvd off Dixie Highway in northeast Boca. It is 11.27 acres of sand pine scrub with a quarter-mile walking path, 900 feet of it paved and ADA accessible, plus real gopher tortoise burrows and an educational kiosk at the trailhead. The lot holds six spaces and one bike rack, so go early. There is no shade out there, so bring water, and leave the dog at home because pets are not allowed.

Taiko, Bon Dancing, and Obon Weekend at Morikami

Fushu Daiko plays three taiko sets a day in the Morikami Theater, at 11:30, 12:30 and 2:30, and those seats are a separate $10 ticket for non-members or $5 for members on top of admission, with online presales closing Friday, August 14. The free part is the good part: a bon dance workshop at 3:30 in the theater, then everyone moves out to the terrace to dance it for real from 3:50 to 4:20. Saturday adds a lantern craft in the Sakai Room from 11 to 4, free with paid admission. One thing worth knowing before you plan around it: Morikami notes that lanterns are not floated during the day, and Sunday evening's ticketed dinner is sold out. Admission is $18 adults, $12 kids 6 to 17, free for 5 and under.

Urban Roast: Coffee From 9 AM, Cocktails Until 1 AM

The D.C. cafe-lounge opened on Datura Street in late July, one block south of Clematis. Espresso and laptop seating during the day, then the same room shifts into a cocktail lounge at night, running to 10 p.m. early in the week, 11 on Thursdays, and 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. That late close is the reason to know about it, since most of downtown is dark well before midnight. Reservations are accepted at urbanroastdc.com.

The Boomers Pass That Drops $26 If You Walk In After 6

The Unlimited Attractions Pass at Boomers Boca is $59.99 Friday through Sunday. Walk in on a Sunday after 6 p.m. instead and the same access to the go-karts, laser tag, bumper cars, bumper boats and mini golf is $33.99, with a $10 arcade card included. The catch is that Sunset at Boomers is an in-park purchase only, so buying on your phone in the parking lot costs you the discount. Hours shift week to week, so check the hours page the morning you go.

Phở Boca: Seven Days a Week, and a Two-for-One Nobody Posts About

A small Vietnamese room in the plaza at 9181 Glades Road, just west of the Turnpike, open every day of the week. Order the Phở Tái Chín on a first visit, since the rare beef finishes cooking in the broth at your table. Two things regulars know: the weekday combo lunch starts at $14.95 from 11:30 to 2, and wine and beer are two-for-one Monday through Friday from 1 to 5. This is a sit-down room with servers, not a counter, and the space is genuinely small, so they take reservations and recommend using them on weekends. Details at phoboca.com.

The Boca Dining Room You Needed a Show Ticket to Enter

There is a dining room inside The Wick Theatre on North Federal, and until the end of July you could not book a table there unless you held a ticket to a show or an event. That rule is gone, and The Tavern at The Wick now serves the public three nights a week. The room was built to echo Tavern on the Green in Manhattan, and it sits inside a museum club that holds the largest collection of Broadway attire in the country, so you are eating a few steps from real costumes from real productions. The kitchen is seasonal and leans on local sourcing: watermelon gazpacho to start, veal scallopini in a wild mushroom cream sauce, and a chateaubriand bouquetier carved at your table, which is not something Boca has much of anymore. Themed nights with their own curated dishes and entertainment run alongside the regular menu, so the calendar is worth a look. Get there early enough to walk the collection before you sit down, and book at thewick.org/tavern.

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That's the scoop for Issue No. 023.
Have a great week, 561.