Wannado City (www.wannadocity.com) is a trend-setting children's entertainment concept designed to inspire kids to live out their dreams in an entertaining and educational manner. It opened last summer at the gigantic Sawgrass Mills in Greater Fort Lauderdale. Upon entering, kids and their parents/grandparents are transported to a 140,000-square-foot realistically designed city - the size of three football fields. Here, they role-play hundreds of professions including firefighter, archaeologist, actor, TV or news reporter, chef, judge, airplane pilot, doctor and many more. Each "kidizen" is initially presented with their first “real” paycheck (paid in Wongas- the official currency of Wannado City ) at which time they quickly learn the value of saving, investing and spending their money. Many rush to open their own bank account, while others cash-in their first cheque and spend it on entertainment, theater tickets and even rides at the Wannado City Fair. When the Wongas run out, the kids employ themselves within Wannado City to earn more. Many try out their medical skills in the hospital and dentist's office, while others don flight uniforms and practiced flying skills by way of flight simulators located in an authentic DC-9 jet. Aspiring actors head for the Wannado City Theater, movie and television studios while others select careers in beauty and fashion, paleontology and criminal justice. Unlike any other metropolis in America, Wannado City is a complete city created from the point of view of its kidizens. The entertainment park features multiple venues including pint-sized fire and police stations, a hospital, circus, theater, television studio, fashion house, dance club and newspaper-all designed to inspire kids ages four to 11 to play grown-up and live out their dreams. If your kids are 10 or over, you can actually leave them unaccompanied while you shop. And you'll have no problem reconnecting with your party thanks to the WannaFinder locator bracelet. Kiosks throughout the park allow you to track your group members in real-time.

Wannado City has already begun working with schools, educational groups and other organizations to develop age-appropriate curriculum that meets state educational standards. Wannado City is open Monday to Friday (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and weekends (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.). Admission is $27.95 for kids, $15.95 for grownups over 14 while children under three are admitted free. Wannado City has been launched by Wannado Entertainment, an entertainment company whose vision is to empower kids through the creation of reality-based, interactive properties that entertain and educate.

I am looking for some new and interesting restaurants to explore in the Miami, Florida area?

I recently sampled three restaurants for the first time, each of which offer a fine dining experience for the adults while attending to children as well.

Start off at trendy South Beach and Joia (www.joiamiami.com). Ideally located in the heart of Miami's trendy South of Fifth neighborhood at 150 Ocean Drive, it opened six years ago but really took off when new ownership stepped in just over a year ago. Joia features world cuisine with influences from the South Pacific, Latin America and the Mediterranean, featuring a team of chefs from these regions. Using the purest and freshest ingredients, Joia presents cuisine pared down to its basic and best elements with bold flavors that engage the palate. The well-balanced wine list includes selections from international and domestic boutique wineries. A full bar is available. Recently given a facelift by designer Sharon Lewis, the 5,000 square foot restaurant has been streamlined and updated. An oversized polished wood bar welcomes patrons to gather with friends or enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail. With sand colored floors, white stone archways, and plush red banquettes, the front terrace resembles the outdoor patio of a luxurious Miami Beach home. Take a few steps inside and the breeze from the steel fans above cools the room and guides the tantalizing aromas from the ceviche and tempura bar around the room. The outside terrace is considered one of the best in Miami for dining and drinking. Joia's covered terrace allows one to savor the tropical Miami nights while still protected from those unexpected, but refreshing rain showers. This is a true dining experience, with a regular Jewish clientele. To start, we recommend your party share some appetizers such as the crispy jumbo lump crab cake or the fall off the bone grilled lamb spare ribs. There are three salads to choose from. This place also has a sushi bar, where my wife raved about the "bejo" joia roll. It is made of eel, avocado and asparagus, with sweet and spicy sauce. From the choice of entrees, the grilled veal chop with carmelized leek mashed potato is delicious. Ditto for the roasted rack of lamb, with herb goat cheese crust, minted tomato relish and rosemary potatoes. The seared wild salmon is another good choice. If there are children in your party, the chef will prepare a penne pasta entree and they'll even mix a shirley temple for cocktails. Save room for dessert. The flourless chocolate cake and warm apple crostata, with cinnamon ice cream, are both to die for. Keep in mind that there is a $30 minimum per order and a $10 split charge in effect. This is a hip locale, with great music and lots of ambiance. And you never know which celebrity will be there. The restaurant's Rosemary Staltare notes that South Beach has become the capital of the music industry, which is why the likes of Enrique Iglesias and others are regulars. Joia is open Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. For reservations call (305) 674-8871

Café Prima Pasta (www.cafeprimapasta.com), a local favorite in an emerging North Miami Beach neighborhood at 414 70th Avenue, is a real gem. I'd have to rank it as one of the best Italian restaurants I have ever dined at. Now entering its 12th year of operation and often referred to as the "Getaway of South Beach," this Italian-Argentine hotspot started off as a 28 seat eatery and has grown into a 156 nationally renowned locale. It offers homemade pasta and fresh seafood in one of four cozy dining rooms or an outdoor garden terrace. You'll find the usual Italian recipes like lasagna, ravioli and other pastas in addition to chicken, fish and beef entrees. Over the past decade, the family-run business has seen Arturo Cea and his wife Carla lead the staff while their two sons, Gerry and Fabian, have taken the reigns to ensure the best customer service for their loyal patrons and keep the restaurant a popular culinary destination. Regular pasta lovers include the likes of Lenny Kravitz, John Travolta, Enrique Iglesias, Joe Pesci and Britney Spears to name a few. Chef Arturo's innovative menu boasts some fabulous dishes. Start off with some appetizes. The crispy fried calamari and carpaccio di manzo (thin slices of filet mignon with olive oil, lemon and parmesan cheese) topped my party's choices. The insalata tri color (arugula, endives and radicchio slices of parmesan in a mustard vinaigrette dressing) went over well. Then came the main course. For the children, a half portion of angel hair pasta with marinara sauce and basil is superb. The pollo limone e basilico, chicken breast sauteed with lemon, white wine and basil and the vitello picata are outstanding. And the same can be said for the ozzo bucco. Fish lovers have a few salmon dishes to select from. And if you ask, the salmon can in fact be prepared specifically to your own liking. Main courses are served with sides of penne pasta with marinara sauce. Save room for dessert. The crispy apple tart with caramel and the tiramisu are delicious. And the kids will gobble up the tartuffo white chocolate served with hot chocolate sauce. Reservations are strongly recommended. You can usually avoid the crowd by dining before 8 p.m. For reservations call (305) 867-0106. If you can get Pedro as your waiter, you have really lucked out. Full of personality and fluent in seven languages, this native of Belgium makes it a point to get to know the regulars and can be seen giving the ladies two cheek kisses as they leave.

Finally, while I do not have any Donald Trump sightings to report, I did venture into the 32-storey, 390 room Trump International Sonesta Resort (www.trumpsonesta.com) in Sunny Isles Beach and its signature restaurant, Neomi's, which overlooks the ocean and pool deck with indoor and patio dining. This impressive project, open just more than year ago, was developed by Trump and the father and son team of Michael and Gil Dezer. It is managed by Sonesta International Hotels Corporation and marks Trump's first development in Miami. Manager At Neomi's the menu offers a blend of contemporary American and tropical fare. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Neomi's seats 90 indoors and 50 on the outside patio. Appetizers are described as before-play," and are highlighted by the lobster nori-roll and the springrolls. "For the soul" features the b.l.t. soup, a unique blend of light tomato fennel cream and a mini bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. There are four salads, referred to as "from the earth" while entrees are listed as "air, land and sea." The sea bass lasagna is a mix of pan seared bass, sweet pea gravy, fresh pasta layers amd roasted tomato ensalada. Meat lovers will feast on the filet mignon while the scallop romagnoli hits the spot as well. All menu items may be prepared to meet special dietary needs. Don' leave without sampling the dessert choices such as the cheesecake, chocolate mousse and a unique preparation of pistachio tarts. There is also a children's menu, shaped in the form of a sun visor. It has lots of selections, from an all beef hot dog and fries to chicken fingers, mini pizza, macaroni and cheese or sandwiches. The little ones will top things off with a hot fudge sundae or warm hot fudge brownies. This resort has a specific Just Us Kids program. A high energy program for children aged five to 12, a wide array of activities and excursions take place throughout the day highlighted by the Trump Reality Circus Camp.