Fort Lauderdale


Beachfront view at Fort Lauderdale
Photo by: Zach Klein, Creative Commons

Fort Lauderdale in Florida is one of the state’s top tourist destinations, drawing 10 million people every year. This popularity among tourists is perhaps owed to the fact that Fort Lauderdale carries the tagline of “America’s Venice” because of the intricate and expansive canal system that is set in place similar to the popular waterways of Venice. The vast amount of water surrounding the area has also made it a famous yachting district with over 42,000 yachts calling its many marinas and boatyards as home.

A city with that many tourists all year round naturally depends on the tourism sector for most of its income. Cruise ships and different water recreation activities have made the area rich and have thus drawn a more sophisticated and wealthy group of tourists, a far cry from the college spring breakers that used to flock the area.

Although it is primarily a boating region, Fort Lauderdale also boasts an assortment of beach and water activities as well as on land events that can keep any tourist busy for the duration of their stay there. The arts and entertainment sectors of the city are very diverse running the length of the beach on to the downtown area. It has different restaurants, nightclubs, and museums that cater to the varied interests of people on vacation.

Water recreation activities on the other hand still remain to be the best crowd drawers because of the nice tropical weather that Fort Lauderdale has for the most part of the year. Popular activities for the whole family include tropical sailing, which involves a tour of Florida’s East Coast aboard a catamaran, air boating at Saw Grass Recreation Park, snorkeling and scuba diving on Fort Lauderdale’s famous dive spots, and sight-seeing cruises that feature the rich and famous Fort Lauderdale residences and yachts.

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