For Lauderdale, Florida, is a popular cruise port. In fact, on my first cruise ever (the one that took me, my mom, and my sister to Bimini), we found ourselves in Fort Lauderdale for 24 hours before our cruise hauled off.
I am no stranger to Florida, my parents spending winters in the Fort Myers area, but I wasn’t exactly excited about Fort Lauderdale. Miami gets so much daydreaming, and its “twin city,” as I think of it, tends to get overlooked.
Plus, we were in Fort Lauderdale for a transition, to wait for our true vacation. Fort Lauderdale wasn’t our destination.
But, as you can imagine, we had a blast in Fort Lauderdale! What a fun city!
Fort Lauderdale has over 150 miles of manmade canals and calls itself the “Venice of America.” Given its location – it sits 30 miles north of Miami on the Atlantic Ocean – it has also become a major luxury boating hub, known worldwide as a yachting capital.
Because of this (or due to it?), downtown Fort Lauderdale is dripping with wealth. I was gobsmacked so many times to see the wealth on display. One of the homes we went past, not even the owners’ primary residence, had an Andy Warhol hanging in the window, for example.
Fort Lauderdale is a huge city (the tenth most populous in Florida), so clearly there are going to be many different neighborhoods with different vibes. But the downtown area was its own place, and where we spent most of our time.
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How to Spend 24 Hours in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
After a lot of research, we decided to devote our tourism time before our cruise to Las Olas Boulevard, especially the Las Olas neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale.
The best thing we did was a sunset cruise with Riverfront Gondola tours. (You can also go on a slightly bigger cruise like this one.)
The boat tours were a wonderful way to get local knowledge and see the huge mansions. Our tour operator had lived in Fort Lauderdale for a while and had lots of strong opinions. We loved hearing about the city and people through her eyes.
The small boat also felt intimate – allowing us to bring our own beverages and snacks and have our own playlist going.
Tipsy Salon Bar was a nail salon and bar that we were able to get last-minute reservations for, off Las Olas Boulevard. This was great fun: a full-service bar, large pedicure chairs, friendly service, and lots of nail colors to choose from! Plus, our Blue Ridge Mountain-based toes were then ready for the beach. Find Tipsy Salon Bar online at tipsyfortlauderdale.com.
We got in some beach time with a day pass to a beach club. We used the Resort Day Pass and secured a day pass to the B Ocean resort. For the daily use fee, we had access to the pool, beach with umbrellas and chairs, and a restaurant with an outdoor cafe. It was a wonderful way to spend the day. It did get crowded midday, but we had arrived early enough to get chairs.
The main beach we found and enjoyed people watching at was Las Olas beach – a free public beach across from Lulu’s and Elbo Room. This place was packed with people of all ages and lifestyles enjoying the standard Florida beach life.
With More Time:
Items on my list I wanted to see but we didn’t have time for:
- The Bonnet House
This historic home was designed and loved by a 1920s artist couple from Chicago. The home is open for visits and tours. See the Bonnet House online at www.bonnethouse.org.
- Flamingo Garden
This is a botanical garden, established in 1927, complete with wildlife (flamingos, obviously) and an Everglades learning center. See them online at flamingogardens.org.
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Note that it is possible to head to the Everglades from Fort Lauderdale, with a lot of people making this a day trip.
We did the Everglades (and an airboat tour outside the official Everglades National Park, as they are not allowed inside the protected waters…something to think about) from the other side of the Florida panhandle.
Where to Eat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Louie Bossi. I stumbled on this blog post at Hand Luggage Only and was so impressed with their review that I decided to try it. I grabbed reservations about two weeks in advance (a MUST here), and we went after our small boat canal cruise. It lives up to all of its hype. I absolutely loved this meal – the food, the atmosphere, the menu, the service. It was all worth every penny.
Despite the “pizzeria” moniker, it is an upscale place, so expect fancy (and corresponding pricetag).
View Louie Bossi online and make reservations at www.louiebossi.com.
Lulu’s Bait Shack. Honestly, this was a total party bar (sticky floors and ridiculously sized fruity drinks) that we had lunch at after rolling in, exhausted from our early morning arrival. Which did nothing to stop us from trying the ridiculously sized fruity drinks. The point here is that you need to hop into one of the standard Fort Lauderdale beachside bars. We sat on the open-air deck with a view of the Fort Lauderdale Las Olas beach and all the people going by below. Nothing felt more Florida-city than that.
Find Lulu’s online at www.lulusbaitshack.com. (The locally renowned party/spring break spot Elbo Room is right down the street.)
Nanou. We had breakfast at Nanou French Bakery and loved the large pastries, strong coffee, and runny eggs. While it was busy when we walked in, we were able to find a spot to sit just fine.
Where to Stay in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
We stayed at The Pillars Hotel, recently renamed The Birch House.
I highly recommend staying in the Las Olas neighborhood regardless of which hotel you stay at. There are many boutique hotels and popular chains. You will find something to fit your style and your budget.
This hotel was on one of the interior canal waterways, and made for lovely spots to sit and enjoy the views. We also had a pool complete with cabanas. While we had a spring breaker show up drunk at 4 am and bang incessantly on a hotel room below us, other than that, this hotel experience was lovely and comfortable.
While we were breezing through town on the way to our cruise ship and our adventures on the seas, Fort Lauderdale delivered exactly what we needed. Our girls’ trip in this big Florida city was short, but Fort Lauderdale had all the right feels: luxury, a party scene, delicious eats, gorgeous homes, ocean water, sand between the toes, and, of course, ridiculously sized fruity drinks.
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