Fort Lauderdale Beach & Beachfront Promenade. Seven miles of warm Atlantic shoreline anchored by a two-mile wave-wall promenade lined with restaurants, water-sport rentals, and swanky hotels. Jet skiing, parasailing, paddleboarding, and sunrise yoga all share the same stretch of sand.
Las Olas Boulevard. Fort Lauderdale's vibrant main corridor stretches from downtown to the Atlantic, packed with galleries, boutiques, al-fresco cafes, and bars on tree-shaded sidewalks. The boulevard is the social heartbeat of the city and easy to spend an entire afternoon and evening exploring on foot.
Water Taxi — The Venice of America Canals. Fort Lauderdale's 300-plus miles of inland waterways earned it the nickname 'Venice of America,' and the hop-on, hop-off Water Taxi is the most effortless way to see them. Thirty-plus stops connect Millionaires Row mansions, Las Olas, the beach, and waterfront dining from 10 am to 10 pm daily.
Everglades Holiday Park — Airboat Tours. Just a short drive from downtown, this 50-year-old outfitter launches covered airboats into the River of Grass for 60-minute narrated rides through sawgrass prairies thick with alligators, wading birds, and native wildlife. A live Gator Boys alligator show caps each visit.
Bonnet House Museum & Gardens. A 35-acre art-filled estate tucked between the beach and the Intracoastal Waterway, built in 1920 by artists Frederic and Evelyn Bartlett. Guided tours reveal whimsical murals, sculpture gardens, a private beach, and a population of resident swans.
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Reef Snorkeling. A laid-back beach village four miles north of the main strip where snorkelers and divers can swim 100 yards from shore to reach a three-tiered natural coral reef system. The SS Copenhagen shipwreck — Florida's most-visited underwater archaeological preserve — lies in just 16 to 31 feet of water.
NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale. Anchoring the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District on Las Olas, this 83,000-square-foot museum holds more than 6,000 works including the nation's largest collection of William Glackens paintings and a celebrated CoBrA collection. First-Thursday evenings (until 7 pm) are free admission.
Jungle Queen Riverboat. Fort Lauderdale's longest-running attraction since 1935 offers a narrated 90-minute sightseeing cruise down the New River or an evening dinner-and-show package on a private island featuring an all-you-can-eat BBQ feast and the Polynesian fire-and-hula 'Ignite the Night' show.