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

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 is home to 300 miles of inland waterways, and 24 miles of golden-sand coastline. Here you can balance lounging on idyllic beaches with taking leisurely gondola rides – and that’s just for starters. For a stay within easy reach of all the area has to offer, B Ocean Resort or W Fort Lauderdale place you right in the heart of Fort Lauderdale Beach.

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 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.

Every August and September, the culinary notch gets taken up a gear with Dine Out Lauderdale, a two-month-long event where over 100 local eateries offer cut-price lunch and dinner menus.

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.

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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