Three Days ... S. Fla ... What to Do?
 

At the end of a family visit, I'll be based in Ft Lauderdale with three days open ... a car ... and no idea what to do or see or do. I'd love to experience things unique to the area -- wildlife (especially marine mammals), scenery, great food. Suggestions?

it is a tough area because it is sooooo overdeveloped. go west. to the luxahachee state park (i-95 to atlantic avenue (delray) then west to sr 440), also it is not a far or bad drive to go to the keys from where you are. oh, you ABSOLUTELY must go to this restaurant:<BR><BR>Sunfish Grill. Pompano Beach. 1-95 to atlantic blvd (as opposed to avenue) east to just before the drawbridge over the intracoastal, then left into a small strip mall, where you'll find the sunfish grill looking very inconspicuous. take it from a ny'er, THE BEST seafood i've found in florida. Want the best pizza, too? Dean Anthony's in Boynton Beach.

Thank you for the suggestions, Flopmeister ... the restaurants sound perfect -- especially the fish place. Anyone else?

Can't help with wildlife but go see Vizcaya. It's a &quot;palazzo&quot; built by a big industrialist (I think the guy who started John Deere) on the water near Cocoanut Grove. The house itself is like a European Palace &amp; the grounds are amazing. Suggested it to friends who are down there now. They went yesterday &amp; were blown away. Cocoanut Grove is also fun &amp; artsy. Joe's Stone Crab is a famous restaurant on the southernmost tip of Miami. It's a scene &amp; no reservations but the food is great. South Beach is, of course unique to the area. There are good Cuban restaurants in Little Cuba.

John Deering actually founded the International Harvester Company in Chicaggo and built Vizcaya b/c he was couldn't stand the cold of Chicago.<BR><BR>Vizcaya is a must see in the Miami area. Be careful if you go to Little Havana...it's easy to take a wrong turn and be in a bad part of town

We were there in October and the highlights for me were Fairchild Botanical Garden in Miami and the Everglades. Both are a bit of a drive from Ft. Lauderdale but well worth it. I have been to dozens of gardens in the U.S., France and England, and Fairchild ranks right up there. They have a spectacular collection of palm trees. In the Everglades, we parked and walked at 3 different locations and saw 3 completely different plant communities. I don't think you will be disappointed with either of these places. :-)

Thanks for even more wonderful suggestions -- others? :)