"The Sunshine State..." a Fort Lauderdale Travel Page by monica71

Send Photo to a Friend

Me on the beach

My first encounter with Florida

My first visit to Florida was something I have dreamed of to do for years and it became a reality in 1997. I wanted to do the best of Florida (as described in all the guidebooks) and I decided to land in Tampa, spend few days on the beach at Clearwater, go to Miami Beach for few days, Orlando for 2 days and back to Tampa for another day before going home.

Much to my surprise, I really did not like Miami Beach. It was just too much for me: crowded, noisy and not really clean (lots of construction taking place at the time of my visit there). South Beach was too loud for me at night, it was not the quiet and serene place I was hoping to find.

Orlando was nice, the visit to Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center gave me enough of the Disney experience I was looking for. I agree it is a must do, a once in a lifetime experience not to be missed.

Clearwater beach was OK, but nothing that took my breath away.

I came back to Chicago with nice memories from this vacation, but still disappointed that I did not find my perfect vacation spot in Florida. My stories of this Florida vacation were mainly geared towards the nice roads we drove on, the landscape and Orlando. Not too much I could say about Clearwater or Miami Beach. Maybe if I were in my early 20s I would have enjoyed Miami Beach much better...

I was not ready to take Florida off my traveling map yet, so I gave it another chance later the same year when I decided to go to Key West for few days. I shortly realized that I was at the opposite end of my Miami Beach experience. I enjoyed my stay in Key West, but I also realized this was not a place where I would want to spend more than 2 days.

Next year, still not willing to give up on Florida, I decided to give Ft Lauderdale a try. I read about the miles of blue waterways, the inviting soft golden sands and the gentle ocean breezes, but I could never imagine the feel of it until I got there. I shortly realized that this was the perfect Florida vacation spot I was looking for. It was a city that provided just the perfect mix for me: nice and quiet beach, very clean town, friendly people and just enough stuff to do at night for people that are past the teenager or the college years.

Send Photo to a Friend

Ft Lauderdale from the fishing pier

Things to do while you are in Ft Lauderdale

In my opinion, here are the must do's if you are in the Ft Lauderdale area:
1. Las Olas Boulevard and the beach
2. Riverwalk
3. Bonnet House
4. Stranahan House
5. Jungle Queen Cruise
6. Deep Sea Fishing (take a private shared charter for 4 hours)
7. Ft Lauderdale Beach Promenade early in the morning
8. Snorkeling Trip

Send Photo to a Friend

My favorite beach!

Summary of my trips to Florida

July 1997: Tampa/Clearwater, Miami Beach, Orlando
November 1997: Key West
May 1998: Ft Lauderdale and West Palm Beach
August 2000: Ft Lauderdale, Miami Beach and Orlando
May 2001: Ft Lauderdale, Orlando and Clearwater
May 2002: Ft Lauderdale
May 2004: Lauderdale by the Sea
August 2007: Lauderdale by the Sea and Key West