Overview

Fort Lauderdale, with its well-known strip of beautiful beaches, restaurants, bars and shops, has undergone a major transformation. Once famous for hosting spring break, it now attracts a more affluent crowd. Its 300 miles of navigable waterways and innumerable canals permit thousands of residents to anchor boats in their backyards. On land, institutions like the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale and Museum of Discovery & Science give the city cultural resonance.

Plan to spend at least an afternoon or evening cruising the Fort Lauderdale waterways by water taxi. Stroll the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk for a people-watching parade of young hipsters, big families and skaters and for rows of souvenir shops, game rooms and snack bars. Head to peaceful Fort Lauderdale Beach to sun and swim in the unusually clear waters or hike the nature trails at Lloyd Beach. Get in 18 holes of golf at Emerald Hills or see multicolored sponges on a dive off Pompano Beach.

Shoppers should head for Hallandale Beach Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard for great bargains and to Dania for collectibles and antiques. For upscale boutiques, browse the only beachfront mall, The Gallery at Beach Place. Fort Lauderdale has an eclectic selection of earthy and sophisticated bars and clubs, especially downtown on Las Olas Boulevard. Las Olas Boulevard has so many eateries, from fusion and southwestern to Caribbean and seafood, that it's impossible to go hungry.