Day
Trips from Fort Lauderdale
By definition a day trip means a desirable location
to which you can drive, experience to some degree, and
return in a single day. The outer limit of such a trip
is probably about 200 miles or a three hour drive.
1. Take a trip to Naples. No trip to Florida would be
complete without driving across Alligator Alley. I-75
runs from Fort Lauderdale crosses through Florida Everglades
National Preserve and Naples only 108 miles from Fort
Lauderdale, it ends in one of the most beautiful and
picturesque cities in all America. South of Naples is
Marco Island which boasts beautiful vistas, powder white
beaches, and aqua blue waters.
2. Drive to Key West. It is 190 miles from Fort Lauderdale
to Key West. In order to get there you drive across Key
Biscayne, Elliott Key, Key Largo and Big Pine Key which
are all interconnected with a causeway. You can also
fly there in about an hour or reach it via Greyhound
Bus. You can look forward to seeing the most beautiful
sunsets in the world and tour a number of famous watering
holes, such as Captain Tony’s Saloon, where Jimmy
Buffet used to perform and the nearby Margaritaville
Café. Visit the Ernist Hemmingway home and museum,
or visit President Harry Truman’s “little
white house.”
3. Visit Boca Raton and West
Palm Beach. The world famous
Breakers Hotel is located in Palm Beach which is approximately
50 miles from Fort Lauderdale. It is a destination in
and of itself. Also not to be missed is the Palm Beach
Hotel and Country Club located in Boca Raton, one of
the ritziest areas in America.
4. Take a drive to Orlando. Orlando is located some
213 miles north and west of Fort Lauderdale. A three
hour drive will bring you to Walt Disney World, Epcot
and all of its other attractions. If you leave early
in the morning you can spend most of the day there and
still get back to Fort Lauderdale before bedtime.
5. Take a trip to Kennedy Space
Center. The John F.
Kennedy Space Center is located on Merritt Island is
188 miles of Fort Lauderdale. While you are in the vicinity,
take advantage of the opportunity to visit the Astronauts
Hall of Fame.
6. Take a cruise on the Love
Boat. Port Everglades holds
the record for embarking and disembarking the most passengers
in a single day. This is the port of origination for
all of the major cruise lines – Princess, Carnival,
Norwegian, and Radisson. The original Love Boat makes
a day trip from Fort Lauderdale out to the Atlantic and
back.
7. Spend a day in Miami Beach. You can easily spend
several days exploring Miami Beach and Key Biscayne.
The hottest area for both shopping and nightlife is South
Beach. Once known for its dense population of older Americans,
today it is known as a haven for hip people of all ages.
8. Stop at the Big Cyprus Seminole
Reservation. Some
64 miles west of Fort Lauderdale visitors will find Big
Cyprus Indian Reservation. Try the Billie Swamp Safari
which involves travel by airboat to see such wildlife
as alligators, ducks, buffalo, wild pigs, bears and panthers,
among other animals. Don’t forget to stop by the
Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum where you can learn and appreciate
the colorful history of the Seminole Indians. You can
even stay overnight in a Tiki hut.
9. Go scuba diving in Jupiter
Beach. If you have ever
had the fantasy to go diving for buried treasure, you
might want to go to Jupiter Beach, which is 64 miles
north of Fort Lauderdale. In 1988, a lifeguard named
Peter Leo out for a morning swim found an anchor and
cannon from an 18th century Spanish galleon. The wreck
has since produced ten more cannons and over ten thousand
gold and silver coins. Please be cautioned that Mr. Leo
owns the mineral rights to the wreck, so that anything
valuable that you might find belongs to him.
10. Take a trip to the Bahamas. It is a short flight,
less than an hour, from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas.
A new hotel called Atlantis is all the rage. This property
is in the imagination of some architects what the lost
city of Atlantis might have looked like. It, of course,
includes a casino.
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