Florida Travel Guide
Fort Lauderdale
Founded as a trading post and military base in 1837 Fort Lauderdale has grown to become the 'Venice of the USA'. A slight over exaggeration but the place has an undoubted appeal part of which is derived from the canals that criss-cross the city.
The other major appeal of Fort Lauderdale is as a Yachties haven with pleasure craft moorings, large and small, all over. The port, 'Port Everglades' is the base for many major cruise line companies plying the Caribbean routes. This has all added to the image of Fort Lauderdale as a place of some prosperity, further fuelled by the million dollar residences of the rich and famous that line the waterfront.
Water Taxi
There are just over 150 miles of man made, palm-lined waterways winding their way round the city. The best way to see the sights is on one of the Water Taxis that operate on a kind of hop on - hop off basis. This enables the visitor to enjoy the water, see the big houses, the luxurious yachts and stop off for a beer or cocktail at one of the many excellent bars that are never far from the water.
Shopping
Second only to the Mouse's Empire in Orlando the biggest draw for visitors in Florida is the Sawgrass Mills Mall, a veritable shoppers paradise. All the big name international stores and labels are represented here amongst over 2 miles of shops. More central is Las Olas Boulevard, a bustling place with numerous bars, restaurants, galleries and boutiques.
The Beach & Spring Break
Spring Break is gone now. This rite of passage for libidinous US college kids has become a victim of a new Puritanism. No longer do thousands of teenagers make their way to Fort Lauderdale to go bananas every spring. Fort Lauderdale used to be the premier location for this Bacchanalian binge but sadly no more. Apart from anything else, Spring Break brought huge amounts of money to the town enabling it to become what it is today.
Despite this Fort Lauderdale is still a great place to head for if you are looking for a wild time.
Apart from a liberal attitude towards alcohol and sex the other reason for Fort Lauderdale being such a magnet for the nations hormonal youth was the beach. The sand is white, sea and sky are blue and the beach stretches for just over 6 miles along a palm-fringed shore. The bars that used to throb with Spring Break excess are still there; a little more sedate now but the beach is still a major tourist attraction.
Culture
As a break from shopping, boozing or the beach Fort Lauderdale has a number of diverting attractions of a slightly more cultural nature.
The pick of these is the Museum of Art mostly this consists of 20th art with a particularly good section devoted to works from the CoBrA movement (1960's from Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam).
The Museum of Discovery and Science may have enough 'interactive' and 'hands on' stuff to prevent the kids from going cold turkey after a trip to Disneyland. For information on local history, pay a visit to the Old Fort Lauderdale Museum of History.
For peace and quiet and a glimpse into a Florida long since vanished then take a trip to the Stranahan House or the Bonnet House, the latter has a beachside nature trail.
Eating, Drinking and Sleeping
There are bars to suit all tastes on every corner or waterfront and a bar crawl by Water Taxi is a mighty fine way to pass an afternoon.
Restaurants also offer a wide choice of different cuisines from across the globe but local caught and cooked seafood is always worth it.
Although it has gone upmarket, there is still plenty of good priced accommodation available especially in the old Spring Break areas by the beach.
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