Last updated on April 9th, 2024
Visit Fort Lauderdale – Jungle Queen
Take a cruise along the the Intercoastal Waterway on the Jungle Queen up the New River. Start at the Bahia Mar marina when you Visit Fort Lauderdale. See exclusive waterfront properties from the water and cozy up to expensive yachts. The Jungle Queen has excellent narration, but they stop at their own island for concession stands and caged animals instead of letting passengers wander through the Las Olas Riverfront.
Those looking for a less touristy experience may prefer the Water Taxi or the Carrie B paddle-wheel boat, which starts in Las Olas and goes down the New River instead. You can also take a Water Taxi near the beach and ride to town for lunch.
Visit Fort Lauderdale – Museums
Stranahan House – early 1900s settlement home, NSU Art Museum, Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, Museum of Discovery and Science, IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum, International Swimming Hall of Fame, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens – 35 acre estate with a home converted to a museum.
Visit Fort Lauderdale – Other Sights
- Fort Lauderdale Beach
- Broward Center for the Performing Arts
- Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop – the largest Drive-In movie theater and daily Flea Market in the world.
- Secret Woods Nature Center
- Buehler Planetarium & Observatory
- Tree Tops Park – over 200 acres.
- Flamingo Gardens
- Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino
Fort Lauderdale Hotels
- Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel
- Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Ft Lauderdale Airport/Cruise Port
- Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina
Sights near Fort Lauderdale
- Butterfly World – 15 minutes from downtown.
- Travel west 25 minutes to Sawgrass Recreation Park for an airboat excursion and alligator viewing.
- Travel south a half hour along the coast to Miami on the Tri Rail. It’s very inexpensive. Brightline offers rail service to Miami service with fewer stops, which takes less time.
- Take a day trip south to Key West.
- Travel north 3 hours to Orlando in central Florida to visit Disney World, Epcot, SeaWorld and Universal Studios. Brightline offers rail service to Orlando.
- Travel north 3 hours along the coast to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex at Cape Canaveral.
Fort Lauderdale Weather
The best Fort Lauderdale weather starts with the tourist season in December and lasts through April. During this period, the rainfall decreases and Fort Lauderdale weather is excellent. Expect average winter highs of 78 F (25 C) and average lows of 60 F (16 C). The summer months in Fort Lauderdale are hot and humid with frequent thunder storms.
Get to Fort Lauderdale
When you get to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport, it’s a short cab ride to the beach and the port. Port Everglades is the largest cruise ship harbor in the United States and is the starting point for many Caribbean cruises. The cruise terminal, in combination with nearby Fort Lauderdale Beach, makes for lots of hotels within easy reach of the airport.
Miami Airport
The other nearby airport is in Miami, just over a half hour away. The Tri Rail and Brightline rail both join Fort Lauderdale to Miami. So there are lots of options for travel by air.
Fort Lauderdale Sun Trolley
Once you get to Fort Lauderdale, it’s hard to beat the Sun Trolley. The Sun Trolley bus is very inexpensive. There are no predetermined stops on its routes. The Sun Trolley will stop for anyone who flags it down.
Visit Fort Lauderdale – Background
Fort Lauderdale is on the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, 23 miles north of Miami. Less than 200,000 people live in Fort Lauderdale, but more than 5 million people live in the urban area that also includes Miami. The city derives its name from a series of fortifications built by Major William Lauderdale in the Second Seminole War during the 1830s. Today Fort Lauderdale is sometimes called the Venice of America, because of the intricate system of rivers and canals that the city is built on. Many famous wealthy people have chosen to live along the waterways of Fort Lauderdale.
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