A plan for Fort Lauderdale

The first inhabitants of the land were Seminole Indians who arrived in the 18th century. During the Second Seminole War, Major William Lauderdale led his Tennessee Volunteers into the area and raised New River Fort on the site of the modern city in 1838. In 1893, a young Ohioan named Frank Stranahan arrived and built a house that served as the first trading post, post office, bank and town hall of the area. The house was built near the site of the New River Fort and still stands today as a museum, Stranahan House.

Fort Lauderdale was incorporated as a town in 1911, and became the seat of newly formed Broward County. It began as a predominantly agricultural community of dairy farms and citrus groves.

More growth came with establishment of the Naval Air Station, which is now Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.

The city and its surrounding suburbs experienced tremendous growth following the end of World War II, and the arrival of home air-conditioning. In the 1960s, Fort Lauderdale became the center of Spring Break after the debut of the movie Where the Boys Are. It is now an anchor of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Metropolitan area, the nation's 6th largest metro area.

Climate

Fort Lauderdale has a tropical rainforest climate. Summers are very humid with temperatures in the upper 80s °F and low 90s lasting into early fall.

The city sees most of its rainfall in the summer (the wet season). Winter is warm and mild and mainly dry (the dry season) with mild temperatures that are occasionally broken up by some rain when cold fronts come through.

Fort Lauderdale Beach (The Strip)

The most popular section of beach is where A1A runs alongside the beach, between Las Olas Blvd north to Sunrise Blvd.

The "Elbo Room" bar, at Las Olas Blvd and A1A, was featured in the 1960s film Where the Boys Are. The movie led to the city's former reputation as a spring break mecca. The bar anchors the Southern end of the 'Strip', a strip of eating and drinking establishments that run along the land side of the beach road.

Spring Break peaked in the mid 1980s and the city now attracts a more upscale crowd. Fort Lauderdale is in the midst of a luxury condo building boom, this is displacing the hotels that once lined the beach.

The city is more cosmopolitan than most, having lots of Europeans and gay residents. The beach culture reflects the laid back nature of the community. You will find European food in the restaurants and bathers in thong swimsuits.

1 Beach Place, Located on A1A, north of Las Olas Blvd. A collection of bars, restaurants and retail stores connected to a Marriott hotel.

2 Bonnet House, 900 N Birch Rd, ☏ +1 954 563-5393. A historic house and gardens that was home to an artist couple. Very photogenic.

Downtown/Las Olas Blvd

The downtown area, especially around Las Olas Boulevard, has seen dramatic growth in the past decade, and now hosts many new hotels and high-rise condominium developments. Other improvements include a wide array of new boutiques, art galleries and restaurants.

The entertainment district runs east–west along Las Olas Boulevard. East Las Olas Blvd has a mile of upscale shops and restaurants. Across the railway lines, West Las Olas caters to a younger crowd. There are funky nightclubs and restaurants between the railway lines and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. In between East and West, there is a new set of shops called Riverside that sits on the RiverWalk. The RiverWalk runs along the north side of the new river, from the shops at Las Olas to the performing arts complex.

3 Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Ave, ☏ +1 954-522-5334. Fort Lauderdale's main performance venue, which also operates the Parker Playhouse in north Fort Lauderdale.

4 Las Olas Boulevard. An upscale collection of stores, restaurants and bars near downtown.

The beach. A prime attraction. There is parking just south of Las Olas Blvd or if that is full, there is plenty more under the Las Olas Blvd Bridge. The machines take cash or credit cards. There is more parking on A1A, North of Sunrise Blvd. Athletes enjoy running along the road by the beach in the early mornings. On Saturday mornings there is a continual stream. Best viewed from one of the numerous coffee shops or restaurants across the road from the beach. You can rent a bicycle and explore along the beach, or head inland via Las Olas Blvd, to explore the upscale shops that line Las Olas towards the downtown. From Las Olas the RiverWalk connects to the Arts and Entertainment district. Parking at some beach hotels is limited and with things quite close you will find bicycles are a good way to get around. Bicycle on the sidewalks if the traffic scares you. (updated May 2016)

Boating. You can go boating on the miles of waterways. Take the water taxi, take a ride in a glass bottom boat or take one of the river cruises like the Jungle Queen. There is also sport or deep sea fishing. If boating is not your thing, then you can just watch the boats go by from the many waterfront bars and restaurants. (updated May 2016)

SW 2nd Street. On Friday and Saturday evenings the bars and clubs along SW 2nd Street come alive with young people. If you are under 35 this is the place to be on weekend nights. Known by locals as Colee Hammock, this is the two blocks on SW 2nd St just West of the rail way tracks, near the Science Museum and Performing Arts Center. For tourists, or people over 35, there is the RiverSide complex with bars and restaurants just East of the same railway lines. (updated May 2016)

Sports

Golfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and deep sea fishing are very popular sports in the area. The metropolitan area also offers the following spectator sports:

The Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League play at Amerant Bank Arena in suburban Sunrise, Florida.

Fort Lauderdale has countless dining options. Among the most popular areas are Las Olas Blvd, Olde Town Fort Lauderdale, and the Beach.

Downtown/Old Town/Las Olas Blvd

1 Big City Tavern, 609 Las Olas Blvd, ☏ +1 954-727-0307. Great atmosphere, outside seating available. Sandwiches to steaks served.

2 Chima Steakhouse, 2400 E Las Olas Blvd, ☏ +1 954-712-0580. Excellent Brazilian rodizio. Great salad bar too.

3 The Floridian Diner, 1492 East Las Olas Boulevard. 24/7. Classic diner fare, full bar, and often live music.

4 Jalisco, 700 N Federal Hwy, ☏ +1 954-462-9695. Small, family-owned Mexican restaurant. Looks can be deceiving as excellent, yet affordable cuisine is served with a smile.

5 The House on the River, 301 SW 3rd Ave.

Near the Beach

Many of the beach resort hotels have restaurants as well.

6 Sea Watch on the Ocean, 6002 North Ocean Boulevard. Old timey Florida restaurant with great views of the ocean (updated Jul 2026)

7 Shooters, 3033 NE 32 Avenue (on the Intracoastal Waterway, south of Oakland Park Blvd), ☏ +1 954-566-2855. Very popular with the yacht crowd, as there are boat slips available. (updated Apr 2022)

Wilton Manors/Close In

8 Alibi, 2266 Wilton Dr, ☏ +1 954-565-2526. Gay bar & casual restaurant (hamburgers & sandwiches). Friendly, diverse "straight-friendly" crowd; lunch & dinner served both indoors & outside under covered patio area. Very reasonably priced.

9 Mai-Kai, 3599 N. Federal Highway, ☏ +1 954-563-3272. Fort Lauderdale institution and nationally revered tiki bar restaurant. Longest running Polynesian show in the continental United States, featuring dances from several different islands, including the Samoan Fire Dance. Expansive tiki garden with waterfalls in the back.

10 Rosie's, 2449 Wilton Dr, ☏ +1 954-563-0123. Great hamburgers and lite fare, with large outdoor seating area. Fun gay-themed restaurant, with live music on weekends. (updated Apr 2022)

11 Tee Jay Thai Sushi, 2254 Wilton Dr, ☏ +1 954-537-7774.

Lauderdale by the Sea area

12 Pomperdale, 3055 East Commercial Blvd, ☏ +1 954-771-9830. An excellent New York Jewish style deli.

13 The Village Grille, 4404 El Mar Dr, ☏ +1 954-776-5092. Great place for breakfast, lunch and dinner or just drinks. Next to the beach. $8-12. Try the banana nut pancakes.

Fort Lauderdale's former reputation was built by Spring Break, and the city still does not disappoint. There are countless places to have a drink from little 'hole in the walls' to the ultra chic.

Downtown/Old Town/Las Olas

Numerous bars are on Las Olas Blvd, from American Social to the Palm Room, along with various restaurant bars. Farther west in the arts & entertainment district (Himmarshee) there is another cluster.

1 The Wharf, 20 W Las Olas Blvd. Giant outdoor bar venue with numerous events. Has several food trucks. (updated Jul 2026)

2 Rooftop @1WLO, 1 West Las Olas Blvd. Rooftop bar with views of downtown. (updated Jul 2026)

Beach/The Strip

Beach Place is on A1A across from the beach. It has many bars and restaurants, and is very popular on the weekends. Many of the resorts have bars, and some of the ones between Sunrise Blvd and Holiday Dr (the Atlantic, Conrad, Westin, W, etc.) have huts on the beach that serve alcohol to bathers.

3 Elbo Room, 241 South Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd (At the corner of Las Olas Blvd), ☏ +1 954 463 4615. Su-Th 11AM-2AM Fr-Sa 11AM-3AM. The most famous spring break bar, and one of the few remaining from that period. Almost always has live music. Cash only. Several bars in a row are next to it (Rock Bar, Señor Frog's, Cafe Ibiza). (updated Sep 2026)

4 The Shorely at Marina Village, 849 Seabreeze Blvd, ☏ +1 954 991-1729. Charming bar on a (stationary) boat at Bahia Mar's Marina Village, which also has another bar and several food stands. (updated Jul 2026)

Wilton Manors/Gay & Lesbian

5 Georgie's Alibi, 2266 Wilton Dr. At the Shoppes of Wilton Manors. Wilton Dr. and NE 6 Ave.

Flagler Village

6 Glitch Bar, 905 NE 5th Ave. Arcade bar. Buy one drink and you have access to all the games. (updated Jul 2026)

7 No Man's Land, 666 N US1. Speakeasy-style cocktail lounge with small plates. (updated Jul 2026)

The east side of Fort Lauderdale, between down town and the beach, is criss crossed with canals. It doesn't matter if you are in a car, on bicycles, or on foot, you have to cross the canals where the bridges are. This is one town where a good map can save you a lot of backtracking. Surprisingly the best road map of the East side of town is the 'Dolphus Waterway Map".

The US 1 does not intersect with Las Olas Boulevard. Your map is wrong if it says otherwise. The US 1 passes under the river in a tunnel and goes under Las Olas too, re-emerging only at Broward Blvd. to the north. This confuses many people who are trying to navigate around Fort Lauderdale.

By car

The easiest way to get around Fort Lauderdale and South Florida is by car. If you are renting—all the major national chains, and several local ones, can be found here—it is substantially less money to rent a car from a location outside of the airport. The city is set up on grid system and is fairly easy to navigate. Downtown is roughly two miles west of the beach. You need to consult a map when on the East side of town because the canals divide up the city and you need to find the bridges.

Broward County is served by three major Interstates (I-75, I-95, I-595) and some U.S. Highways including U.S. Highway 1, US 27 and US 441. It is also served by Florida's Turnpike and State Highway 869, also known as the Sawgrass Expressway.

By taxi

Taxis are generally expensive, but available at almost any time and place.

Yellow Cab, ☏ +1 954-777-7777. The largest company in the city.

LauderGO! Micro Mover/Circuit. Every day 8AM-8PM. A ridesharing shuttle offered by the city, callable using the "Ride Circuit" app, that operates downtown and in certain other areas (see website for map). Free. (updated Jul 2026)

By bus

Broward County Transit (BCT), ☏ +1 954-357-8400. The county bus system. BCT provides connections with the bus systems in other parts of the metropolitan area: Metrobus in Miami-Dade County and Palm Tran in Palm Beach County. Buses are available, but often slow and inconvenient. There is a push to increase bus service.

LauderGO! Community Shuttle, ☏ +1 954-828-8000. A free shuttle serving the downtown, beach, and convention center areas. It also provides a link from downtown to the Broward Blvd Tri-Rail station. (updated Jul 2026)

Fort Lauderdale can be very safe but there are some parts of town you should probably avoid if you are on foot at night. Like all cities, you should ask advice on what areas are safe and what to avoid. The areas likely to be frequented by the tourists, along the beach, shopping along Las Olas and down town are safe. This would be the NE and SE parts of the city. You should use more caution if the address is on the West side of the city NW or SW. The intersection of Andrews Ave and Broward Blvd designates the NW NE SW SE sections of the city. Avoid the NW and SW areas, especially at night. The central part of Broward County West of Andrews Ave to the Florida turnpike is not a place for tourists. Suburban cities that should be avoided include Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill and especially Sistrunk.

Rental cars stand out as obvious targets for thieves, so never leave valuables in a visible place (put any purchases or valuables in the trunk) and always lock your car doors.

Tourists may find South Florida drivers get impatient with the heavy traffic during high season. Try to plan your route before setting off and remember that US1 tunnels under Las Olas Blvd and the river. It may look like the two intersect on a map but they don't. South Florida has quite a few senior citizens on the road mixed in with their crazy teenaged offspring, so be alert.

Emergency telephone number for fire, police and rescue emergencies is 911.