I find it interesting that people who travel a lot sometimes forget the cool things right outside their front door. Until Will and I got together I didn’t look at South Florida as a “tourist.” But now, every time we go back to my parent’s house I try to show him something new and I usually find something new too! A few weekends ago we went back to see my sister off to Germany and here are some cool local things to do in Ft. Lauderdale.
Pink Submarine, Wilton Manors
When Will went to his bachelor party in Key West his buddies took him to the best sub place in Ft. Lauderdale. He really wanted to take me so we swung by on our way home. I was really confused what could be so good about it at first but I quickly jumped on the bandwagon once inside.
Before you even take a bite you know it’s going to be good! The combinations of things to put between two pieces of bread went beyond my expectations without being too weird. I had the “First Mate” Sandwich (ham, brie, Granny Smith apples, honey mustard, & balsamic vinegar) and Will got “The Beacon” (turkey, gouda cheese, bacon, garlic aioli, guacamole, roasted red peppers, & lettuce).
The Details
- Address: 2041 Wilton Drive
- Hours: Everyday??? 11:00am-4:00pm
- Website: thepinksubmarine.com
Novel Teas, Wilton Manors
I fell in love with this place the moment we stepped inside because they had a whole huge, beautiful wall of loose teas. 🙂 I finally settled on a Lavender tea and it was to die for. Will got a Cafe con Leche (shocker there…lol) and we easily fell into conversation with the bar tender/owner. I am so glad we found this spot and I cannot wait to go back!
The Details
- Address: 20413 Wilton Drive (right next to The Pink Submarine)
- Hours: Everyday??? 11:00am-4:00pm
- Website: novelteafl.com (everything says this is their website but it keeps taking me to this weird Asian website…so idk)
Museum of Discovery & Science, Downtown
I have fantastic childhood memories of the Museum of Discovery & Science. The exhibits were always fun and interactive and the IMAX theater was cool. My favorite thing to do here as a kid was the orange manufacturing line (I promise its way cooler than it sounds, but I am not sure if that exhibit is still there).There were a lot of families going in as we walked by; it’s great for little (and big) kids!
The Details
- Address: 401 SW Second Street
- Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00am-5:00pm, Sun 12:00pm-6:00pm
- Website: mods.org
NSU Art Museum, Downtown
I really wanted to visit the art museum again but they didn’t open until 11 am on Saturday and we were already on out way out of downtown to go to my parents house. Next time!
However, the exhibits that I have seen in the past always blew me away! My family and I went to a King Tut’s exhibit (holy gold Batman!), a Vatican treasures exhibit, and one about antique cars (can’t remember anything more specific than that). It’s not a huge museum which is nice because you can actually do it and NOT rush to see it all. Totally worth it, especially if they have an international exhibition going on!
The Details
- Address: 1 E Last Olas Blvd
- Hours: Tues-Sat 11:00am-5:00pm, Sun 12:00pm-5:00pm
- Website: nsuartmuseum.org
Las Olas & Riverwalk, Downtown
We parked our car at a parking garage on one end by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and just walked along the river front. I was honestly surprised by how dead it was and quite saddened to see that Riverfront was empty, I remember it busy and lively. : (
There were these really pretty turn of the century houses on the river front that were being renovated (the turn of the 19th century, not the 20th FYI…lol). We had a nice, hot and humid morning stroll while Will was catching lots of Pokemon…lol
You can take this walk decently far but don’t expect to walk to the beach from here unless you are in for the long haul.
The Details
- Address: Corner of SW Fifth Avenue and SW Second Street (the address is for the parking garage)
- Hours: always open although technically the “park” is closed from 2:00am-6:00am which shouldn’t be a problem for most people lol
- Website: goriverwalk.com & lasolasboulevard.com
The Beach
Miami Beach and South Beach get all the international attention but I think Ft. Lauderdale is right up there with them! I usually don’t make it to the part of the beach that is right by downtown because Hollywood Beach is much closer to my parents home but I love the feel of Ft. Lauderdale beach. Yep, it is just as gorgeous as the photo below!
The Details
- Address: walk East until you hit the water 🙂
- Hours: technically always open I guess
- Website: myfortlauderdalebeach.com
The Flower Bar
This was a cool looking decor/florist/coffee shop that I largely decided to go into because I wanted AC and of course while we were there we sat down for a drink. I was disappointed by the food but the tea and coffee we had were really good. I may have gotten unlucky with the Vegetable Empanada I got so I would definitely go back. Pricey drinks but hey what can you expect in downtown Ft. Lauderdale?
The Details
- Address: 1003 E Las Olas Blvd
- Hours: Mon-Thurs 8:30am-9:00pm, Fri-Sat 8:30am-10:00pm, Sun 10:00am-6:00pm
- Website: can’t find one…weird
Think about what you may be neglecting in your hometown! As my dad says, “Every where has something.”
JMF
P.S. Location information is correct as of 07.28.16 & may change without notice.
P.P.S. This is obviously not EVERYTHING you can do in Ft. Lauderdale, so don’t get bent out of shape if I didn’t mention something. Better yet, if you feel I missed something, comment below!
Enjoyed reading your blog- looking forward to visiting some of the places mentioned that we haven’t been to. You are always welcome to stay in one of our “daughter’s rooms” in your “parent’s house” 🙂
haha thanks for the invite mom, I think we will be back for the **free** room and board soonish 🙂