SIGHTSEEING IN FT. LAUDERDALE (Courtesy of the Travel Channel)
Despite Fort Lauderdale’s building boom, visitors can still find traces of Old Florida along the New River and Las Olas Boulevard downtown. Start your tour where early settlers and Seminoles once traded. Las Olas Boulevard parallels the east-west direction of the New River as it meanders past shops, hotels, restaurants and marinas toward the A1A beaches and the Atlantic. The 2-mi/3-km promenade on the north bank of the New River is called Riverwalk; it fronts the Arts and Science District, a historic area with restaurants, bars, galleries and street life. At its western border is one of the city’s most striking attractions, the Museum of Discovery & Science. Museum exhibits simulate a ride to the moon and an e xploration into the human body. There’s also a five-story 3D IMAX Theater. (The museum is open Monday-Saturday 10 am—5 pm and Sunday 1—6 pm; US$6 adults, US$5 children, children under age 3 free; 401 S.W. 2nd St., phone 954-447-6637.)
For a more historical perspective of Fort Lauderdale, you can visit the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society Museum on the Riverwalk in the Arts and Science District. It houses memorabilia from the days of Seminole Indians through World War II. (Open Tuesday-Friday 10 am—4 pm; US$2 adults, US$1 seniors and children; 219 S.W. 2nd Ave., phone 954-463-4431.)
At the west end of Las Olas developers are creating Riverfront, a US$50 million entertainment and retail complex with everything from a sports bar to bumper cars and a 24-screen cinema. An aquarium is to be added in 1999.
The Museum of Art, which houses a major collection of works from the COBRA (Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam) art movement, is also in this area. Other permanent collections i nclude Native American works, West African and Oceanic ethnographic art. (Open Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday 10 am-5 pm, Friday 10 am-8 pm and Sunday 1-4 pm; US$6 adults, US$5 seniors, children under age 5 free; 1 E. Las Olas Blvd., phone 954-525-5500.)
Within strolling distance of Las Olas is the
Stranahan House, the oldest structure in Fort Lauderdale. It used to be
the home of pioneer businessman and city founder Frank Stranahan. Today it’s
a museum filled with period furnishings. (Open Wednesday-Saturday 10 am-4 pm
and Sunday noon-5 pm; US$5 adults, US$2 children under age 12; 1 Stranahan
Place, phone 954-524-4736.)
At the eastern edge of downtown (within walking distance) is the Las Olas Boulevard shopping district, Fort Lauderdale’s own Rodeo Drive. Lined with upscale boutiques and shops in Spanish colonial buildings, the street is a great walking street, full of restaurants for lunch or a restorative cup of coffee. Nighttime is active with jazz pubs, cafes, art galleries and people wa tching. (On Las Olas Boulevard from S.E. 6th Avenue to S.E. 11th Street.)
Las Olas dead ends into the ocean near the International Swimming Hall of Fame Museum and Pool, which Olympic gold-medal winner and champion diver Greg Louganis helped put on the map. The 10-lane pool is where serious swimmers and divers meet and train. Inside, a museum (above several gift shops) contains swimming costumes, computerized displays and memorabilia from such greats as Esther Williams, Mark Spitz and Johnny Weissmuller. (The museum is open daily 9 am—7 pm; US$5 families, US$3 adults, US$1 students, seniors and military personnel; 1 Hall of Fame Dr., phone 954-462-6536.)
Across from the swimming complex is the US$26 million Beach Promenade (formerly known as the Strip), where you can stroll, jog, cycle or in-line skate alongside one of the prettiest beaches in Florida.
The area around Port Everglades has some of its own attractions, if you have extra time before or after your cruise. You can stroll around the do cks and gawk at the flotilla of mammoth vessels berthed there. You’ll see the Broward County Convention Center, which has an 85-ft/25-m-high atrium lush with tropical plants. Also nearby are renovated warehouses, and the beginnings of a US$80 million, 500-room Crowne Plaza hotel scheduled to open in 2000.