Fort Lauderdale: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
The town grew up on the bends of the New River, where a trading post and a ferry crossing stood before there was a city. Today the river is lined with a paved Riverwalk, museums and yachts, and Las Olas Boulevard runs east from it towards the sea. This short walking route fills the afternoon before a sailing without a car. Water taxis stop along the river if your feet give up.
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A short history of Fort Lauderdale
In 1838, during the Second Seminole War, the US Army built forts here, named after their commander, Major William Lauderdale. The civilian settlement only grew after Flagler's railway reached it in 1896, and in 1911 it was incorporated as a city. Then canals began to be dug in the swamps, and hundreds of kilometres of canals earned the city the nickname 'the Venice of America'. The 1960 film 'Where the Boys Are' made it a destination for students on spring break. Today its port, Port Everglades, is one of the largest cruise ports in the world.
The ten best sights in Fort Lauderdale
1Historic Stranahan HouseThe town's oldest surviving building, on the river by Las Olas; guided tours only
2Bonnet HouseA 1920s artist's estate between the ocean and the Intracoastal; watch for monkeys in the trees
3NSU Art MuseumStrong Latin American and modern collections downtown, an easy hour
4International Swimming Hall of FameMedals and stories of swimming legends beside an Olympic pool on the beach
5Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens40 minutes north in Delray Beach; the best half-day out of town
6Las Olas BoulevardThe main street of shops, galleries and restaurants; most evenings start here
7RiverwalkPaved path along the New River past yachts and downtown towers
8Fort Lauderdale BeachWide sand right by A1A; the wave-shaped wall marks the promenade
9Hugh Taylor Birch State ParkA strip of coastal hammock forest between the beach and the Intracoastal, with kayak rental
10Jungle Queen RiverboatSightseeing cruise past the canal mansions; the classic first afternoon
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Fort Lauderdale →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Fort Lauderdale:
Free walking tours in Fort Lauderdale
Old Fort Lauderdale on the New River
The town grew up on the bends of the New River, where a trading post and a ferry crossing stood before there was a city. Today the river is lined with a paved Riverwalk, museums and yachts, and Las Olas Boulevard runs east from it towards the sea. This short walking route fills the afternoon before a sailing without a car. Water taxis stop along the river if your feet give up.
- Historic Stranahan House · Frank Stranahan built it in 1901 as a trading post where Seminole families traded hides and feathers; his wife Ivy, the area's first schoolteacher, later lived in it as a home.
- Las Olas Boulevard · Las olas is Spanish for the waves, and the boulevard was laid out in the 1910s and 1920s to lead from the river to the beach across the new canal isles.
- NSU Art Museum · The museum holds a large collection by the CoBrA group, the post-war artists from Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam who took their name from those three cities.
- Riverwalk · Fort Lauderdale is cut by so many canals and rivers that it calls itself the Venice of America, and the Riverwalk follows the main one through downtown.
- Esplanade Park · The town is named after Major William Lauderdale, who led soldiers to the New River in 1838 during the Second Seminole War and built the first fort here.
- Museum of Discovery and Science · The museum's lobby holds the Great Gravity Clock, a kinetic sculpture that tells the time with rolling balls.
The beach strip and its houses
Between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic runs a long, narrow barrier island, and almost everything people come to Fort Lauderdale for sits on it. This route drives it from south to north, mixing a 1920s estate, a coastal forest park, the classic beach bar and a lighthouse. Parking on A1A is metered and fills by late morning, so come early or use the garages.
- International Swimming Hall of Fame · The hall was founded in 1965 and honours swimmers, divers and water polo players from all over the world beside its own competition pools.
- Elbo Room · This corner bar on the beach has been pouring drinks since 1938 and appears in the 1960 film Where the Boys Are, which turned Fort Lauderdale into America's spring-break capital.
- Bonnet House · The artist Frederic Clay Bartlett built the house in 1920 on land given as a wedding gift by his father-in-law, Hugh Taylor Birch. His third wife, Evelyn, kept coming back to it until she died at 109.
- Hugh Taylor Birch State Park · Hugh Taylor Birch, a Chicago lawyer, bought this land in the 1890s and left it to the state on his death in 1943 so it would stay wild.
- Fort Lauderdale Beach · The white wave wall along the promenade was built in the 1990s when the city redesigned the beachfront to move away from its spring-break image.
- Hillsboro Inlet Light · The iron skeleton tower was first lit in 1907 and is one of the most powerful lighthouses on the US coast.
Gardens, glades and wildlife
Drive half an hour west from the beach and the suburbs stop at the edge of the Everglades, a slow river of sawgrass that covers much of South Florida. This route goes out to the airboats, back through an old botanical garden, and then down and up the coast to mangroves, a beach park and a Japanese garden. It is a lot of driving, so pick three or four stops if you sail the same evening.
- Everglades Holiday Park · An airboat is pushed by a big aircraft propeller at the back, so it can skim over sawgrass and water only a few centimetres deep where a normal boat would stick.
- Flamingo Gardens · Floyd and Jane Wray started the gardens in 1927 as a citrus grove, and their 1930s house still stands in the grounds.
- Anne Kolb Nature Center · The centre protects one of the largest stretches of mangrove left on this urban coast, and a tall observation tower looks out over it.
- Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park · The park was renamed in 2016 after two civil rights leaders who organised wade-ins in 1961 to open the whites-only beaches of Broward County to Black residents.
- Butterfly World · The park raises many of its own butterflies, and in the emerging room you can watch new ones come out of their chrysalises.
- Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens · George Morikami came to Florida in the early 1900s with the Yamato Colony of Japanese farmers, and he later gave his land to the county; the museum and gardens stand on it.
Getting to Fort Lauderdale and getting around
- Port Everglades Cruise Terminals · A cruise departure port with about a dozen terminals — the ticket gives the terminal number. From Las Olas it is about 15 minutes by taxi or rideshare, from the airport about 10. Everyone in the car needs photo ID at the port security gate
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport · One of the closest airports to a cruise port anywhere; leave a buffer on sailing day anyway
- Brightline Fort Lauderdale · Fast trains downtown to Miami and Orlando; handy if you fly into Miami instead
Cheap eats in Fort Lauderdale
South Florida eats from the sea and from the Caribbean: conch fritters, grouper sandwiches and stone crab in season, with Cuban coffee and pastries from the many Latin bakeries. Fort Lauderdale also keeps a strong old diner culture, handy for an early breakfast before boarding. Expect to add sales tax and a 18-20% tip to menu prices.
- Lester's Diner · Classic diner minutes from the port, breakfast about $12-18
- Gran Forno Bakery · Italian bakery on Las Olas, panini and pastries about $8-14
- The Floridan Diner · Old-time diner on Las Olas, plates about $12-18
- Southport Raw Bar · Dockside oysters and conch fritters on the way to the port, about $15-25
- Jack's Old Fashion Hamburger House · Burgers ground in-house, about $10-15
- Primanti Brothers · Pittsburgh sandwiches with the fries inside, by the beach, about $12-16
Museums in Fort Lauderdale
- Historic Stranahan House · Guided tours of the 1901 trading post on the river
- Bonnet House · House and gardens tour, about an hour and a half
- NSU Art Museum · Downtown museum, check the temporary shows
- International Swimming Hall of Fame · For swimming fans; check if the museum is open before going
- Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens · Gardens, bonsai and a café overlooking the lake
Nature and day trips near Fort Lauderdale
- Hugh Taylor Birch State Park · Kayak the lagoon or walk the shaded trail
- Everglades Holiday Park · Airboat tours with a good chance of alligators
- Flamingo Gardens · Old trees, rescued birds and a flamingo pond
- Anne Kolb Nature Center · Boardwalks and a tower over the mangroves
- Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park · A calm beach to watch cruise ships sail out
Things to do in Fort Lauderdale with kids
- Museum of Discovery and Science · Hands-on exhibits and an IMAX screen
- Butterfly World · Butterflies landing on your hands; go on a sunny morning
- Jungle Queen Riverboat · River cruise past the mansions, with a guide's running commentary
- Dania Beach Fishing Pier · Watch the fishermen and pelicans off the end of the pier
- Fort Lauderdale Beach · Lifeguard towers and gentle surf on most days
Where to eat in Fort Lauderdale
- Rustic Inn Crabhouse · Garlic crabs cracked with wooden mallets, near the airport
- 15th Street Fisheries · Seafood on the water near the port; feed the tarpon off the dock
- Coconuts · Casual seafood on the Intracoastal, sunset tables
- Casablanca Cafe · Mediterranean dishes in an old house facing the ocean
- Elbo Room · The beach bar of Fort Lauderdale, live music most nights
Frequently asked questions about Fort Lauderdale
What is there to see in Fort Lauderdale?
The top sights in Fort Lauderdale are Historic Stranahan House, Bonnet House and NSU Art Museum. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Fort Lauderdale?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Fort Lauderdale without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Fort Lauderdale?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Fort Lauderdale, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Old Fort Lauderdale on the New River.
How do you get to Fort Lauderdale and get around?
The main ways are Port Everglades Cruise Terminals, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Brightline Fort Lauderdale. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Fort Lauderdale, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Fort Lauderdale that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Fort Lauderdale for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.