First Time Visitor: Off-the-beat'n track. Fort Lauderdal, Miami, Key West (airport, metro)

[miki72]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

Bamba_Boy>

There is a lot to see and do in all 3 cities. I'll break it down by city, and by the "must do/must see" things if you have a limited amount of days to spend.

Fort Lauderdale-
1. Fort Lauderdale Beach/strip is a must-see. This is where the famous spring-break spot is, and there are a bunch of shops, restaurants, and bars on the strip. Go during the day and brings your beach towels. You can park your car near along A1A near the intersection of Las Olas Blvd. Then you can walk along the strip and see all of the stores/shops. You can also set up your beach towels right there on the beach.

Also, if you want a quieter beach to just relax, you can go to the beach just about anywhere along the coast and its usually less hectic than Fort Lauderdale Beach. Pompano beach, Deerfield Beach, Dania Beach, and Hollywood Beach are neat beaches too.

2. Las Olas Blvd./downtown- This is the old section of Fort Lauderdale. There are a bunch of shops, cafe's, restaurants, and artsy places along this strip. This is also a place where I recommend you park your car and walk. You can visit night or day.

3. Sawgrass Mills- The largest shopping mall in FL, it is collosal. It is a big tourist attraction as well. If you have time it might be worth checking out. It is located in Sunrise which is located about 10 miles west of Fort Lauderdale and very close to Weston.

4. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (in Hollywood)- Even if you're not into gambling, this is a really cool place for adults to check out. On evenings the place is absolutely jumping. There are a whole bunch of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and other entertainment here. This is also where Anna Nicole Smith died of the overdose, not that it matters, lol.

5. The Water Taxi- You can take a water taxi ride in the Intracoastal Waterway for about $13. You ride in the Intracoastal Waterway and a tourguide gives you a tour of all of the sights along the water. There is so much to see, lots of rich CEO's mansions like the guy from Circuit City, Donald Trump, Wayne Huzuinga, etc.

6. FL Everglades- You can travel west from Weston only a few miles and you're in the FL Everglades. Airboat rides are a lot of fun. Also, along I-75 there are several exits where you can park your car, get out and walk, and enjoy the scenery of the Everglades. Often times you can see Alligators and exotic birds right along side of the road in canals and creeks. The only thing is I'd rather you travel down to Miami and go on the Tamiami Trail into Everglades National Park because there is more to see down there.

MIAMI-
Definately worth checking out. You are really missing out if you don't go to Miami at least for a day.

1. South Beach- The main attraction in Miami. Take a drive along Collins Avenue and Ocean Avenue, and you can see all of the Art Deco architecture. Also, park your car in a garage, get out and walk along Collins or Ocean between 1st Street and 20th Street. There are a ton of unique restaurants, shops, bars, etc. You can also bring your beach attire and sit out on South Beach during a sunny day. There is so much to see, and there is no better place to people-watch. You will see a lot of interesting people out there, lol.

2. Lincoln Road- This is more of a night place, but you can also visit during the day. Take your wife here for a good meal, to people-watch, or to get some ice cream after dinner. There are a ton of shops, restaurants, etc. and Lincoln Road extends about 6 street blocks to the beach. You can walk around the beach in that area at night and its very safe.

3. Coconut Grove- Interesting little city within a city where you should park your car and walk. There are several restaurants and bars, and a bunch of small shops. It is neat to visit at night. Another big tourist attraction is Viscaya which is a famous old Spanish hotel located near Coconut Grove and downtown Miami.

4. Bayside and Brickell (downtown miami)- I recommend you take a drive through the Brickell area in downtown. Its really a sight to see all of the tall buildings and condos. They are the same buildings you see on the show CSI Miami. Also, Bayside is a big attraction, and there is a Hard Rock Cafe there that overlooks Biscayne Bay ( a beautiful view).

Also, I recommend you take a ride through downtown Miami on the People-Mover which is an elevated rail. It takes a relatively short amount of time to ride in a circle through the downtown area and you are elevated so you have a great view of the downtown area while riding. Just ignore the sketchy people who ride it, but its pretty safe. You should be fine. Stay off of the metrorail system because it will take you away from downtown into areas you don't wanna be in.

5. Key Biscayne- A really neat drive from the mainland across the Rickenbacker Causway. You can pull over along the side of the causeway and get out and take pictures, walk, etc. The water is right there and lots of boating/recreation going on. You can picnic there too as there are tables and grills. The Miami Seaquarium is on Key Biscayne, and there are some beautiful beaches you can set up on. The most impressive sight is the drive back across the causeway to the mainland. Absolutely beatiful.

6. Coral Gables- If you have time it is interesting to ride through Coral Gables which is another city within the city of Miami. There is lots of interesting architecture to see, and you can park your car and get out and walk. Its a very ritzy/wealthy area.

7. Tamiami Trail/Everglades- If you travel west away from Miami you eventually can access the Tamiami Trail which takes you through Everglades National Park. This highway is far more scenic than I-75/Alligator Alley, and you can pull over and park just about anywhere as there is lots of interesting nature. You can take airboat rides which are really fun from several different places along the Tamiami Trail. Also, you can see Seminole Indian Reservations. This highway eventually leads to the west coast of FL, but you don't need to go that far outside of the Miami-Dade metropolis to see lots of nature.

8. Take a long drive along Miami Beach from the heart of South Beach all the way up to Fort Lauderdale. It takes about an hour, but you see so much. You drive on A1A through each of the little towns like North Beach, Surfside, Bal Harbour, Haulover Park, Sunny Isles Beach, Hallandale Beach, and Hollywood. Its really cool as you get a real taste of FL beach lifestyle.

KEY WEST/The other Keys-
The drive is long, but might be the most beautiful/scenic drive you've ever taken. 7-mile bridge is really cool on the way, where you are driving on top of nothing but ocean for 7 miles. Key West is a neat place to walk around, and you will need to spend a night in a hotel there since it is too far to drive back at night.

1. The Southernmost Point of the U.S. (in Key West)- is a landmark on Key West. You are exactly 90 miles from Cuba.

2. Duval Street- this is the main strip in Key West. Spend a night walking around Duval Street. There are a ton of restaurants, bars, and entertainment including Fat Tuesdays, etc. Key West has a New Orleans/Bourbon Street feel to it, but its also slightly different. You can also sit out at the beaches during the daytime, but they are not very nice beaches compared to Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

3. Key Largo- This is the biggest and first FL Key you hit on your drive down. You can pull over and eat at a good seafood place. You can visit John Pennekamp State Park and go snorkeling. There is great fishing here and snorkeling/diving.

4. Marathon- Another interesting Key located about halfway between Key Largo and Key West as you're driving down. You might only spend a few minutes here, but the beaches are nice.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE-
If you are interested in seeing the 3rd biggest lake in the U.S., take a drive out to Lake Okeechobee. You will see lots of alligators and wildlife. This may be the last destination I'd recommend out of all of the options I laid out for you, but its interesting nevertheless.

Dear Nolefan34,
I am really impressed by your knowledge of the are (I've increased your reputation :-)
I'm leaving in CT but my company is asking me to move to Miami. Our office is in Hollywood and I need to find a place to live and commute...
I leave alone and I'd love to find a nice and safe place, possibly near the sea (water view) and near to a nice area where is "easy" to meet people and make some friends (this is the main problem here in CT...). I was thinking about the Brikell, someone suggested Ft Lauderdale...what's your suggestion knowing so well the area?
Many many thanks,
Miki

[Nolefan34]

BambaBoy>

Glad you enjoyed your visit here. You should take another trip here sometime in the next few years and try to hit a few more of the things you missed last time. There is plenty to do here, so you don't even need to visit so many places. Just bring a bathing suit and go to restaurants. That's fun enough let alone all of the tourist attractions.

[Just1Lion]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

5. The Water Taxi- You can take a water taxi ride in the Intracoastal Waterway for about $13. You ride in the Intracoastal Waterway and a tourguide gives you a tour of all of the sights along the water. There is so much to see, lots of rich CEO's mansions like the guy from Circuit City, Donald Trump, Wayne Huzuinga, etc.

Oh my god! i was so sick of hearing about Wayne Huzuinga by the end of the day, i wanted to throw up. who the hell cares about Wayne Huzuinga! that whole shpeal about him and his family ruined my ride on the water taxi. ruined it. so he's rich. how friggin exciting. the water taxi sites were beautiful, but the employees were annoying between begging for tips and talking about these rich old folks. "Wayne Huzuinga Wayne Huzuinga
Wayne Huzuinga Wayne Huzuinga Wayne Huzuinga Wayne Huzuinga ". thats is what the water taxi ride sounds like.

[hOlliewood Boi]

Originally Posted by miki72

Dear Nolefan34,
I am really impressed by your knowledge of the are (I've increased your reputation :-)
I'm leaving in CT but my company is asking me to move to Miami. Our office is in Hollywood and I need to find a place to live and commute...
I leave alone and I'd love to find a nice and safe place, possibly near the sea (water view) and near to a nice area where is "easy" to meet people and make some friends (this is the main problem here in CT...). I was thinking about the Brikell, someone suggested Ft Lauderdale...what's your suggestion knowing so well the area?
Many many thanks,
Miki

I live in Hollywood and highly recommend it. Ft Lauderdale and Miama are just a hop, skip, away. Hollywood Beach is a great place to meet people. Once the sun starts setting, the promenade becomes alive with folks young, old, and families.

Also, Hollywood is quiet. Not the busy bustle like Ft Laud or Miama.

What company, or more precisely, where will you be working?

If you are looking for an apartment, I'd look the new building on the corner of Hollywood BLVD and US1 (NW corner). Maybe rent a room in a house east of US1. If looking to rent, or buy a house, look into Hollywood Hills. It's the area west of I95 between Sheridan St and Hollywood BLVD.

[downtown1]

Hi Nolefan34 & Floridans,

We'll be visiting Ft. Lauderdale on 08/26 this month and staying at the Wyndham Pam-aire until 08/30.

I have a few questions and hope you guys can help.

1) What are the recommended beaches (clean for swiming & snorkeling)? Should we just concentrate on Pompano beach, Dania beach, Deerfield beach & Hollywood beach? I had an amazing evening at the Hollywood broadwalk last year during my visit to Miami, but did not have a chance to try out the beach. I heard the best site for snorkeling is somewhere in Boca Raton. Is that true?

2) What is your recommendation for the Florida Everglades tour? According to several sites, it seems some of the popular tours are the Billie Swamp Safari, Swamp Buggy Eco Tour, Cypress Lake Airboat Rides and Eco Tours. Which one should we pick? Is it necessary to book them in advance? I heard there are quite a few airboat companies in the Everglades, and their tours are cheaper. Or should I follow Nolefan's suggestion to take the airboat & eco tour at the Tamiami Trail/Everglades?

Many thanks in advance.

[crisan]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

Bamba>

There's a town called Clewiston and there's a good BBQ restaurant there.

Do you happen to know the name of the BBQ restaurant? Maybe it is the only one. Hubby and I want to ride around Lake O on bikes and BBQ would be nice afterwards.

[HollywoodNights]

Stop by Sushi Rock on Las Olas Blvd. AMAZING designer sushi and not expensive at all. Great neon light atmosphere and quaint crowd. When I think of Las Olas, I think of this place all the time. It has a great energy, because people eat here before they go out for the night life.

[SAFLTX]

Hey, I know it's a tad late to reply to this post but it's quite a coincidence; I rencently moved from Ft. Lauderdale area to Houston, Tx a few months ago and I still don't get used to it here completely.

South Florida has tons of places to visit, probable too many to post here anyway. From north to south I'd say you should visit Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach county, also the beautiful city of West Palm Beach (in which many rich people have beautiful mansions, including Bill Gates), in Broward county you can visit the beautiful beaches of Ft. Lauderdale, by Las Olas and in Hollywood. There are also many parks you can visit, you can take boat tours that'll take you thru the cannals of the Venice of America (the nickname given to Ft. Lauderdale for its many cannals and channels), it is a mind blowing experience. Weston is a very good city by the way. Broward is probably my favorite county in SFL, but I can't seem to remeber all the fun stuff that I did on it for some reason right now. In Miami-Dade county you obviously know about the world-known city of Miami, it's downtown, bayside in biscayne boulevard is a very good place to visit, it has a great view and many high quality restaurants. Miami Beach is obviously the place for great beaches, nightlife, clubing, etc. Farther south in Monroe county is where the Florida keys are located. They are just incredible, it's beyond mind-blowing man You travel on a long road thru small and incredible "islands" (keys) and a few that stand out are Marathon, Islamorada, Key Largo, and obviously Key West. Here you'll pass through the 7-mile bridge, a bridge built over the sea (it's called the overseas highway) and you'll see the old bridge that was left after a new bridge was built. Key west has plenty of beautiful destinations, antique-looking houses, and exquisite restaurants.

You'll love Florida, just like I do, and so many people more do.

Enjoy Florida to its best, it has a lot to offer.

[fauve]

safltx,

Not too late to reply to this thread. Stickied this thread because I believed it would be helpful to all first time visitors of Florida and those who live here looking for stay-cation ideas. Thanks for your contribution.

[pb1]

Dear All,

Travelling from Miami airport to Fort Lauderdale. Is there a route that avoids the interstates/freeways as I don't like the traffic?


Many thanks.