Continue along the promenade (or the shore) and you’ll hit calmer Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Head north along the shore and you’ll reach popular Las Olas Beach and its bustling promenade lined with beach bars and souvenir shops. In Fort Lauderdale proper, Fort Lauderdale Beach Park features a playground, volleyball and basketball courts, and picnic areas. Greater Fort Lauderdale boasts 23 miles of beautiful, wide, golden-sand beaches. And when the sun goes down, lively stretches of beach bars, dance clubs, and salty dives light up the night. While you could spend all your time sprawled out on the soft-sand beach, there are also historic homes, excellent museums, nature centers, and state parks within easy reach.

Be sure to stroll the Riverwalk, located in a popular arts and culture district, and hop on the Water Taxi, which brings you from the beach to the trendy shops and restaurants of the Las Olas neighborhood. The city’s 165 miles of waterways have earned it the nickname the “Venice of America,” and you’ll likely stay or dine along the water.

There’s still a certain level of luxury to be found here - the waterfront mansions and mansion-sized yachts are proof of that - Fort Lauderdale is more laidback than its big-name neighbors. Glitzy Miami and posh Palm Beach may buzz with celebrity sightings, but visitors more interested in relaxing in Southern Florida’s legendary sunshine gravitate to Fort Lauderdale in Broward County.

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