Itinerary for 5 days – please help

We (my husband, almost 2 years old daughter, and a grandma) will be in Fort Lauderdale for the first time for 5 days in May. Could you please help us with the itinerary鈥 am not sure what the MUST-SEE attractions would be.

We are planning to spend some time on the beach (any particular beach we should go to? - we will have a car), I was also thinking about a cruise 鈥?Carrie B and a drive to Miami (never been there, but is it really worth it?). Also, perhaps a visit to Sawgrass Park and a boat ride.

If you can think about any other things we should do/see, anything interesting for a toddler, I would greatly appreciate your help and ideas.

Thank you

Itinerary for 5 days %26ndash; please help

Having a car will def make it easier. First lets discuss the beach. while Fort Lauderdale beach is nice, I would also recommend Hollywood beach. Parking is slightly cheaper and its not as much of a ';young'; crowd. While you are there perhaps check out Jackson%26#39;s Ice Cream parlor in Dania Beach. Its a great lil, old fashioned, place that has been around for years and a winner of many awards. Fun for the whole family and nothing like cold, homemade ice-cream on a hot day.

Now when you say Sawgrass Park, I assume you mean the mall. Its a huge outlet-type mall located out west. In terms of a boat ride, if you go a little further out west you can visit the Everglades National Park and do an airboat ride there. It is hot though and can be really buggy after a rain. Just remember to pack sunscreen and bug repellent and you should be fine.

Driving down to Miami is nice, but its a drive... I would say depending on where you are staying/going 45 minutes at least each way. However while you are there you can drive down South Beach just to see the sights. While you are down that way Jungle Island is a nice little spot. It is like an interactive zoo. Birds, monkeys, places to pet the animals and many photo ops.

If you time things right, you can see a pretty decent amount in five days. Just remember driving will take up a decent amount of time. Good luck!

Itinerary for 5 days %26ndash; please help

Airboat rides are fun for school age kids, but it would depend how your toddler is around very loud noises- airboats are fast and noisy and might be frightening for one so young. Carrie B definitely I%26#39;d say. If you do take that toddler out in the sun at any time, even if it%26#39;s cloudy, don%26#39;t forget the sun is very direct here even on overcast datys- use a good sunscreen on everybody ( don%26#39;t forget places like tops of feet and don%26#39;t forget the wide brimmed hats, t shirts and lots of bottled water. And bug repellent too if you go to the Everglades- lots of bugs call it home- some visitors forget that it%26#39;s not just a tourist attraction- it%26#39;s first of all a swamp.

If you think the Everglades mioght be too stressful for your tot, they might enjoy Gumbo Limbo Nature center just north of us in Boca Raton- lots of native animals and hands on exhibits in a more controlled environment

www.gumbolimbo.com

Here in Ft. Lauderdale , the beach is one long city owned property about six miles long , so I%26#39;d suggest any part except perhaps the area right around Sebastian St, which is particularly popular with gay couples- many gay oriented guesthouses in that area.

Some people also enjoy some of the beaches in the smaller towns to our north and south like Lauderdale by the Sea and Deerfield Beach to our north, orHollywood to our south. I%26#39;m not a big fan of Pompano Beach right now (lots of redevelopment and their pier and restaurant are closed).

I don%26#39;t think you mentioned your hotel, which might help with ideas.

If you%26#39;re looking up the ice cream place Venis mentioned the correct spelling is Jaxson%26#39;s if you want to Google it.

You also might google Butterfly World , which is to our north in Deerfield Beach- it%26#39;s a pleasant outing that both grandma and the little one might enjoy.

And Venis, I think they did mean Sawgrass Park- but technically I think it%26#39;s called Sawgrass Recreation Area- one of the two more popular places in the area with Everglades airboats- the other is Everglades Holiday Park. I believe Sawgrass has an open top airboat and Everglades Holiday one with a roof. Otherwise I think they are pretty similar in price and what they provide and both get good reviews here for the most part. Some folks expect them to be sort of Disneyesque- which they aren%26#39;t- they are pretty rustic and when they get poor reviews they are usually from folks who expect something fancier.

I thought you might want to see this video to get an idea of the noise etc

travelpod.com/travel-photo/鈥pod.html

Thank you for your suggestions.

We are staying at Alhambra Beach Resort located at

3021 Alhambra Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL

by Sawgrass Park I meant Everglades Holiday Park and

www.evergladesholidaypark.com/airboats.html

but it seems like it can be too much for a 2 year old, right?

Thank you for the correction, Lulutoo. I always screw up Jackson%26#39;s Steakhouse with Jaxson%26#39;s Ice Cream Parlor.

In answer to your question Dukielka, Everglades airboat rides might be a little much for such a youngster. There are other things to do at the park though. I would reiterate what Lulu said about water, sunscreen and bug repellent.

There is also a Butterfly World out in Pembroke Pines which is a little closer than the one in Boca. In Miami you can also go to the Miami Seaquarium. Again sunscreen is a must. There are shows, petting places and other things to see. Personally I havent been there in a few years, but its a marine attraction if youre into that.

Venis, I%26#39;ve never heard of a Butterfly World in Pembroke Pines and Google only turns up the one in Coconut Creek. I know there are lots of parks out in Pembroke Pines- maybe one has a butterfly garden or aviary- but I%26#39;m thinking it%26#39;s not as elaborate- do you happen to have a website for the one you%26#39;re referring to? I%26#39;m coming up empty.

Gumbo Limbo is very nice and doesnt cost much, I think it was free or very cheap. Dont miss feeding time around 2.30 they get the kids involved and you can pet a ray.

Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park (West Palm Beach) is nice too for a 2 year old. Its not too much walking, shaded (its a small zoo) but its really beautifully landscaped and lots of animals.

Some more ideas here (geared towards young kids):

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g34227-i98-k136237鈥?/a>