Enjoy life on the water in Florida's Greater Fort Lauderdale

Lifestyle | Travel | Worldwide Holidays
At a glance: Fun on the water in Greater Fort Lauderdale
Where: Greater Fort Lauderdale and its surrounding area, a well-connected nautical hub on Florida’s south-east coast
Best for: Beaches, dockside dining and waterway exploration
Don’t miss: Hopping on a water taxi to spot super-yachts and impressive mansions
Road trip highlight: Popping north up to Palm Beach or south down to Miami – both are close by
Getting started: Fly into Miami with British Airways, and Greater Fort Lauderdale is just a 30-mile drive away
There are plenty of places to visit if you're after beautiful beaches, or scenic waterways, or ocean cruises, but there aren't many places like Greater Fort Lauderdale, which combines all three.

Sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and tropical wetland, this expansive region has been dubbed the Venice of America for its yachting culture and sprawl of inland canals.

Greater Fort Lauderdale’s boat-based culture
While you can't miss the towering cruise liners departing from Port Everglades, one of the world’s busiest cruise ports, boats here aren’t just a luxury – they're an everyday mode of transport.

Locals hop onto water taxis to shuttle them to shops, restaurants, offices, the beach and attractions like peaceful Hugh Taylor Birch State Park.

Join them in boarding one of the popular yellow-and-white vessels, and you’ll not only beat the road traffic but get an unofficial cruising tour.

The highlight?

Spotting the impressive mansions and super-yachts along Millionaires’ Row.

Waterfront living and dining in Fort Lauderdale
Waterfront dining comes as standard in the region, from sampling freshly landed snapper or lobster at a seafront restaurant to enjoying straight-from-the-oven pastries and coffee at a dockside café in one of the areas many neighbourhoods.

Late October, meanwhile, is the annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), which welcomes thousands of attendees onto dry land to marvel at the latest in yachting and marine technology.

Even if you aren’t in the market to buy a super-yacht, attending is a fascinating experience.

Discovering the Florida Everglades
While one side of Greater Fort Lauderdale faces onto the rollers of the Atlantic and said 24 miles of golden-sand beach, the other is flanked by the world-famous Florida Everglades – one of the state’s most essential wildlife areas.

This vast expanse of natural flooded grasslands comprises lakes, prairies and pine flatwoods.

A great way to truly experience the area is by taking an airboat ride through Sawgrass Recreation Park, located in the north-east of the Everglades, where you can cruise just above the grass-flecked waterways.

Nestled among the south-west neighbourhoods of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Secret Woods Nature Center is a mature forest with laurel oaks, strangler figs and cabbage palms along with wetland-loving plants such as mangrove and bald cypress.

One of Greater Fort Lauderdale’s other draws is its proximity to so many other state highlights, making the region an obvious stop on a wider Florida road trip.

It’s easy to make the half-hour drive south to Miami for galleries and nightlife, or the hour-long journey north to exclusive Palm Beach, known for its grand mansions and high-end shopping malls.

Alternatively, travel via Brightline, a high-speed train route that connects South and Central Florida, and you can reach Miami in just 38 minutes and West Palm Beach in 36 minutes, and not have to worry about finding a parking spot.

Once you've had your fill exploring elsewhere, the seductive waters and laid-back pace of Greater Fort Lauderdale will be waiting to welcome you back.

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