My friend and I are in our 20's and will be visiting Ft. Lauderdale for 3 days at the end of April. We will have a car with us so we can drive (but we don't want to drive far...30 min max) Can anyone give me must see places, must do things and must eat at restaurants? Cost is a bit of an issue, moderately priced restaurants would be good :0) We plan on visiting the beach (what beach is best?) Ive heard about Swamp safaris, boat tours and a polynesian restaurant called Maikai? Does anyone have any information about any of these things, or anything else that might be interesting? We are open to just about anything...We are not real club or bar people by the way... Thanks so much in advance for all of your help.
:0) Joanna

> Take a ride on the Jungle Queen which will give you a tour of the waterways.
>Shop and dine at Beach Place-an open air mall across the street from the ocean.
>Get an all day pass for the water-taxi-get on and off as you please.Get off at Riverwalk for awhile. Get off at Shooters for lunch or dinner on their outside patio overlooking the water.
>Stroll down Las Olas Blvd. Lots of shops and cafe's. Very pretty.
> For dinner-very casual-go to Arubas which is North in Lauderdale-by-the-sea. It is right on the beach and has music alot of nts.
> The Mai Kai is an expensive restaurant on Rt. 1.Its worth it only if you are going to see the show.

Hi Joanna, we just got back from Ft.L this week. Stayed at the Doubletree Suites near the Galleria Mall. The Galleria Mall is worth spending a couple of hours at along with the Sawgrass Outlet Mall about 25 min. drive from Ft. L. One day, we boarded the water taxi and took the southern route to the river front. It's very much worth seeing the million dollar homes and yachts. We got off, walked to The River House and had their Sunday brunch for $25pp. There are dozens of other places to eat if you don't want to spend that much. Also, there is a movie theatre on the river front, just off Las Olas. We had dinner at Shooters one night and The Cheesecake Factory another. Both were good. We walked the boardwalk with all the crazies and spent an evening on Las Olas Blvd, which is more upscale. Tried to get close to the large cruise ships for a tour but was stopped by Port Authority. Any of the beaches are nice. Take a towel and maybe a portable beach mat or chair. We took a collapsable cooler with us on the plane and filled it with bottled waters and cokes whenever we went to beach. Did not do any swamp tours but heard the Everglade tours are fun. Hope some of this helps. You can email me direct at [email protected] with other questions.

Brenda

we will probably be staying at the Wyndham Bonaventure, were waiting for a last minute deal...Can anyone give us any suggestions for things to do at night, again, we're really not club or bar people...

thanks for all of the great suggestions so far by the way:0)

nightime suggestions...someone? anyone?

I would suggest going down to Miami Beach at night. Lots of great restaurants along Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive.

About the Mai Kai restaurant. By all means go. It is not the greatest "Polynesian" restaurant in the world. It is like something out of another era (actually the 1950's). But the food is decent, and the atmosphere is sort of "over the top". It is an experience. Go for a huge rum drink with umbrellas and straws, throw caution to the wind, and enjoy.

Hi always:

Definitely stay/go to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL (LBTS). It is a beachtown 5 miles north of Ft. Lauderdale. It is known as a walking town. El Mar Drive goes along the ocean. There are many motels that line the drive but none can be more than 3 stories so every place you stay feels close to the ocean. You could get a 1 BD suite at the Coral Key Inn for about $100/night at high season which is when you are going. If not, stay on A1A which is a little busier. There are several motels there. I'd do a website search for those motels by searching under Fort Lauderdale. I would also suggest Aruba too. Nice and roomy and right on the ocean, very busy on weekend and they have Calypso music when I went. However, got a seafood fajita there and if the MSGs in seafood bother you skip the seafood dishes, I got sick on it. There is also Mulligans on the corner of El Mar and Commerce. It's more of a bar with good bar food, like the Buffalo wing salad, they give you alot of wings with it and they have specialty drinks that are good. Both places have good looking guys (most are tanned) at them, especially on weekends, if that is what you'd like. Both places are in LBTS. There is a small mall on LBTS and a Walgreens not to far away for all your beach stuff you'll need so don't have to pack much.

I would like to add the Jungle Queen also has a day tour. It includes a ride down to Miami. This happens on certain days of the week. (not daily) Might be worth it to do this if time permits.

Go to South Beach. It's a must see for your age group. Spend a little time on the beach.
At night, the sidewalks are jammed with people and loud music.
If you don't want to spend alot for a meal, have dessert or an off-time appetizer at China Grill. It's a happening.

My suggestion: drive down to South Beach. You can hang out on the beach, have dinner at a sidewalk cafe (I recommend Larios for Cuban if you want to try that - it's less expensive than some other places down there, as much of Ocean Drive is overpriced and not that good). It's a bit more than 30 minutes away.

If you are into desserts don't miss out on either Kilwins or Cafe Europa on Las Olas ---you can smell Kilwins from a block away--great great ice cream, cones and fudge---
If you like shopping there are better malls than the Galleria---Try Adventura, or Boca Town Center----The gallaria was once a good mall, but now their isn't much left to it. Sawgrass mills can be nice but Overwhelming for some! (The parking lots even talk to you in English and Spanish).....
If you are looking for a good burger and fries type of thing try CHEEBURGER CHEEBURGER also on Las Olas....good grilled cheeses, portabellos sandwichies, fries, onion rings (or frings). Even if you don't like clubing etc it is still nice to walk along the beech at nice (fort lauderdale)....I believe either Dania or Hollywood beach has mini golf at the beach. I am 23 and grew up in Fort Lauderdale till I was 18, now I visit 1-2 a year....I am not a huge club or bar person either--hope this helps....Take a walk along river walk too!
Haven't been on Jungle Queens since I was a little kid but I remember likining it.

As far as I know though, Westin Bonaventure is in Weston or near it---not exactly Fort Lauderdale---FYI

thank you very much everyone for your very helpful suggestions