Looking for the best things to do in Fort Lauderdale? Known for its beaches and canals — the “Venice of America” — Fort Lauderdale pairs a classic beachfront with a lively dining scene on Las Olas. Locals point to the beach and promenade, Las Olas Boulevard, the Riverwalk and water taxi, and the tropical grounds of Bonnet House and Hugh Taylor Birch State Park.

Things to do in Fort Lauderdale

The Beach & Promenade

Miles of sand and the wave-wall promenade along A1A — swimming, strolling, and beachfront dining.

Las Olas Boulevard

The city’s dining-and-shopping heart, connecting downtown to the beach, with restaurants, galleries and bars.

Riverwalk & Water Taxi

The Riverwalk along the New River, the arts district (Broward Center), and the fun water taxi that cruises the canals past mega-yachts and waterfront mansions.

Parks & Gardens

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park and the historic Bonnet House Museum & Gardens for a tropical break from the beach.

Things to do in Fort Lauderdale at night

Las Olas and the beach strip lead for restaurants and bars, plus shows at the Broward Center and waterfront spots best reached by water taxi.

Free things to do in Fort Lauderdale

• The beach and promenade
• Strolling Las Olas and the Riverwalk
• Canal and beach sunsets

What Fort Lauderdale locals actually recommend

Which beach spots and Las Olas restaurants are worth it, the best canal cruises, what’s on locally — that comes from people who live here. On Neighborhood Nurturers’ Fort Lauderdale community, real neighbors answer “what should I actually do this weekend?” Join your Fort Lauderdale neighbors free →

Fitting it into a day in Fort Lauderdale

The best days here mix the well-known spots with the places only locals frequent. What sets Fort Lauderdale apart is how close everything sits together. Start near the Las Olas Riverwalk, work in one of the spots from this guide, and you are minutes from Fort Lauderdale Beach if you want to keep going. Locals often round out a full day out with a detour to the Bonnet House grounds or a quieter stop at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. Because the distances are short, you can improvise as you go rather than lock the whole day down in advance.

The two attractions that define Fort Lauderdale

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, 3109 E Sunrise Blvd is the best-value thing to do in the city and the one most visitors miss. It sits on a strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway and protects the last Tropical Maritime Hammock in all of Broward County – four distinct natural communities inside a city. It opens 8am to sunset, 365 days a year, and entry is $6 per vehicle for up to eight people, $4 for a single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle, and $2 per pedestrian or cyclist, with under-sixes free. Bring a bike or walk the loop road, and cross to the beach afterwards.

Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, 900 N Birch Rd is a few blocks south and part of the same story – this land was once part of Hugh Taylor Birch’s estate too. It is a historic house and subtropical garden a short walk from the beach, open Tuesday to Sunday 11am to 4pm and closed Mondays. The two together make an excellent half-day and explain why this stretch of barrier island looks nothing like the hotel strip a mile south.

Downtown museums and culture

NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, 1 E Las Olas Blvd sits at the western end of Las Olas, which means you can pair an exhibition with dinner without moving the car. Museum of Discovery and Science, 401 SW 2nd St is the one to build a day around if you have children, and it has an IMAX attached – more in our kids guide. Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW 5th Ave is where touring productions and concerts land, and it sits right on the Riverwalk.

The history most visitors walk past

Historic Stranahan House Museum, 335 SE 6th Ave was built in 1901 as a trading post, became the Stranahan family home in 1906, and is the oldest surviving structure in Broward County. Guided tours run at 1, 2 and 3pm most Tuesdays through Fridays, take under an hour, and are the single most efficient way to understand why the city exists where it does – a trading post on a river, long before anyone built a beach hotel. Just up the boulevard, the Riverside Hotel, 620 E Las Olas Blvd opened in 1936 as the Champ Carr Hotel and is the building the rest of Las Olas grew around.

Get on the water – the thing to actually prioritise

Fort Lauderdale has roughly 300 miles of navigable canals, which is why it has been calling itself the Venice of America since a New York investor named J.C. Turner suggested the name to the Fort Lauderdale Herald. If you do one thing here, do something on the water.

The cheapest version is free: the city’s LauderGO! Water Trolley runs the New River with eight stops, daily 10am to 10pm, at no charge. The best sightseeing value is the Water Taxi, running 10am to 10pm with boats about every 30 minutes; an all-route day pass is $38 for adults and $18 for ages 5 to 11, or $25 after 5pm. Riding north up the Intracoastal past the yachts and canal-front houses is the best-value few hours in the city. And gondolas genuinely operate on the canals, docking at Casa Sensei on Las Olas. Full routes and fares in our water taxi guide.

The beach, and the Riverwalk

Las Olas Beach, where the boulevard meets A1A, is the central stretch and the most convenient. It is backed by a wide promenade and the low white wave wall that is the city’s most photographed feature. Right there, Las Olas Oceanside Park hosts a market Saturdays 9am to 4pm and Sundays 10am to 4pm year-round.

The Riverwalk is the landscaped path along the New River through downtown, linking Esplanade Park, the Broward Center, the Museum of Discovery and Science and a run of riverside terraces. It is free, shaded in parts, and the best walk in the city that is not on sand. It is also the route of the Winterfest Boat Parade on 12 December 2026 – see our events guide.

A first weekend in Fort Lauderdale

Saturday morning: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, then cross to the beach. Saturday afternoon: the market at Las Olas Oceanside Park, then Bonnet House if the heat has broken. Saturday evening: dinner on Las Olas – see our restaurants guide – arriving by Water Taxi to skip the parking. Sunday morning: brunch, then the Stranahan House at 1pm. Sunday afternoon: the Water Taxi north up the Intracoastal, or the free trolley and a walk along the Riverwalk. If it rains, swap in the NSU Art Museum and the Museum of Discovery and Science.

When the weather does not cooperate

Two weather realities shape a Fort Lauderdale itinerary. In summer, roughly June through September, afternoon thunderstorms are close to a daily event – they arrive fast, drop a great deal of rain, and usually clear within an hour. The local habit is to plan outdoor activity for the morning and keep the afternoon flexible, rather than to cancel. In winter the risk is the opposite: an occasional cold front can drop temperatures and whip up wind, which makes the beach unpleasant and the boats choppy. The indoor fallbacks worth holding in reserve are the Museum of Discovery and Science with its IMAX, the NSU Art Museum, an afternoon tour of the Stranahan House, and a long lunch somewhere on the New River where you can watch the water without being on it.

More Fort Lauderdale guides

Fort Lauderdale rewards people who dig a little deeper. These related guides map the same neighborhoods from different starting points: Free things to do in Fort Lauderdale, Best restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, undefined Fort Lauderdale — enough to plan a whole day or two.

Get a local’s take

Guides are a starting point; the current, on-the-ground details come from people who live in Fort Lauderdale. Hours shift, favorites change, and residents always know what is genuinely worth it now. Ask Fort Lauderdale neighbors directly or join your town community free to hear from real locals.

Frequently asked questions

What are the top things to do in Fort Lauderdale?

Enjoy the beach and promenade, dine and shop on Las Olas Boulevard, ride the water taxi through the canals, walk the Riverwalk, and visit Bonnet House or Hugh Taylor Birch State Park.

What is Fort Lauderdale known for?

Its beaches and its canals — nicknamed the ‘Venice of America’ — along with Las Olas Boulevard’s dining and the water-taxi network.

What are free things to do in Fort Lauderdale?

The beach and promenade, strolling Las Olas and the Riverwalk, and canal and beach sunsets are all free.

Is Fort Lauderdale worth visiting?

Yes — for its classic beach, the canals and water taxi, and the Las Olas dining scene, it’s a favorite South Florida destination.