The things to do in Fort Lauderdale that we could check are Fort Lauderdale Beach, Las Olas Boulevard, the Water Taxi, Bonnet House, Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, the Riverwalk, the NSU Art Museum and an airboat ride at Everglades Holiday Park. You can cover the downtown core without a car, but not the airboat park. We read each official page on 15 October 2026.
The sights, with address, hours and price
Fort Lauderdale Beach
Address: Fort Lauderdale Beach, Sebastian Street at A1A (City of Fort Lauderdale parks accessibility page, Internet Archive copy of 16 Jun 2026, read 15 Oct 2026)
Note: Lifeguards are on duty every day of the year, including holidays, from Fort Lauderdale Beach Park to NE 18th Street, with 20 towers. The city says more than 5 million people visit the beach each year (City of Fort Lauderdale, Ocean Rescue page, Internet Archive copy of 16 Mar 2026, read 15 Oct 2026)
Hours: Not confirmed. The city's accessibility page lists "summer hours 9:15 AM-7:00 PM" and "winter hours 9:45 AM-sunset" under the beach entry, but does not say what they apply to
Price: Not confirmed. We did not read a city page with beach parking rates
Las Olas Boulevard
Wikipedia says Las Olas Boulevard runs east and west from SW 1st Avenue in the central business district to State Road A1A, about 2.5 miles, and ends at Fort Lauderdale Beach. It says the commercial stretch has bars, boutiques, art galleries and restaurants (Wikipedia, Las Olas Boulevard, revision of 7 Jun 2026, read 15 Oct 2026). Each shop sets its own hours. The street has no entry fee.
Water Taxi
Price: Pass for all routes, including Pompano Beach and Hollywood: adults $38, ages 5 to 11 $18, children under 5 free. Evening pass for adults after 5 p.m. $25. A 30-day pass is $140, and an annual pass is $349 by phone. A Pompano Beach only pass is $30 for adults and $10 for ages 5 to 11 (Water Taxi, frequently asked questions and how it works pages, read 15 Oct 2026)
Hours: Boats run 7 days a week, rain or shine, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The FAQ says a full loop of the main Fort Lauderdale route takes about three hours (same pages)
Address: Stop 1 is at 335 SE 6th Ave., in the Riverside Hotel parking garage, metered at $3.00 an hour (same FAQ page)
Water Taxi's stops page lists 10 Fort Lauderdale stops, including F2 Las Olas Blvd., F7 Fort Lauderdale Beach and F9 Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. The Water Trolley is a separate, free service from the City of Fort Lauderdale that Water Taxi runs. The same page says it runs daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with stops including the Riverwalk, Esplanade Park and Smoker Park, and a wait of 20 to 30 minutes at any stop (Water Taxi, destinations page, read 15 Oct 2026).
Riverwalk
Note: Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale describes the Riverwalk Linear Park and the Downtown Riverwalk District, which includes 10 parks and a tropical waterfront (Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale, home page, read 15 Oct 2026)
Hours: Not confirmed. The page gives no hours, length or fee for the Riverwalk itself
The home page lists a free jazz concert on the first Sunday of every month, and says Esplanade Park hosts the Sunday Jazz Brunch.
Bonnet House Museum and Gardens
Address: 900 North Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 (Bonnet House, home page, read 15 Oct 2026)
Hours: Self-guided visits Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Last admission is at 4:00 p.m., and the grounds close at 5:00 p.m. Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and during the Fort Lauderdale Air Show (Bonnet House, visit page, read 15 Oct 2026)
Price: Self-guided: adults $30, ages 6 to 17 $8, ages 5 and under free, Broward County residents with ID $25. Gardens only $15, with no access to the house. The downstairs house tour is $35 for adults and $10 for ages 8 to 16, runs about 90 minutes, and needs pre-registration. It is held Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (same page)
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
Address: 3109 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. Phone 954-564-4521 (Florida State Parks, park page, Internet Archive copy of 21 Sep 2026, read 15 Oct 2026)
Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year (same page)
Price: $6 a vehicle with up to eight people. $4 for a single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle. $2 for a pedestrian, a cyclist or an extra passenger (Florida State Parks, hours and fees page, Internet Archive copy of 17 Dec 2025, read 15 Oct 2026)
The park page says the floating dock has been closed since 11 May 2026. It also says the large pavilions and the Banyan and North End restrooms have been closed for construction since 22 September 2025. The live state site blocked our reader, so we used the Internet Archive copies above.
NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale
Address: One East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 (NSU Art Museum, home page, read 15 Oct 2026)
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays (same page)
Price: Adults $16, seniors $10, military $8, college students with ID $5. Students 13 to 17 are free, as are children 12 and under, US veterans and their dependents, and members. Prices may change for special ticketed exhibitions. The first Thursday of each month is free, with hours 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (NSU Art Museum, hours and admission page, read 15 Oct 2026)
Everglades airboat ride at Everglades Holiday Park
Address: 21940 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33332 (Everglades Holiday Park, hours and prices page, read 15 Oct 2026)
Hours: Open 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. The last full 60-minute airboat tour leaves at 4:00 p.m. The last boat, at 4:30 p.m., is a 30-minute ride. The page says to arrive 30 minutes early and that hours can shift with daylight saving time and weather (same page)
Price: Adults 12 and over $41.99. Children 3 to 11 $29.99. Both are plus tax and a FareHarbor booking fee. The page says prices may change without notice (same page)
Everglades Holiday Park is a business that sells its own tickets. It is not a National Park Service site. For the national park and its entrance fee, see our Miami guide. We did not read the park's page on transit, so we do not know if a bus reaches it.
Port Everglades
Address: Port Administration, 1850 Eller Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 (Port Everglades, location page, read 15 Oct 2026)
Getting there: The port has three entrances: SE 17th St. at Eisenhower Blvd., State Road 84 just east of U.S. 1 at Spangler Blvd., and I-595 East at Eller Dr. Local bus service stops at the Northport section on SE 17th St. The airport is "just minutes away" on U.S. 1. The page puts an average taxi fare from the airport to the port at $18 to $21 (Port Everglades, getting here page, read 15 Oct 2026)
Your cruise line will tell you which terminal to use. We did not read terminal addresses, so we give none. The port suggests at least 45 minutes between your flight landing and cruise check-in. For ID, CBP says a US citizen on a closed loop cruise, which starts and ends at the same US port, can come back with a birth certificate and a government photo ID. You may still need a passport for the countries the ship visits. Our cruise passport guide has the details.
Brightline Fort Lauderdale station
Address: 101 NW 2nd Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 (Brightline, Fort Lauderdale station page, Internet Archive copy of 24 Sep 2026, read 15 Oct 2026. The live Brightline site blocked our reader)
Hours: The station page lists Monday to Friday from 5:45 a.m. to the last train departure. The parking garage is open 24 hours a day (same page)
Getting there: Brightline runs an airport shuttle from FLL Terminal 1 (Ground Transportation Zone B), Terminals 2 and 3 (Zone F) and Terminal 4 (Zone B). It runs daily 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and costs $12 a guest plus a $3 fuel surcharge (same page)
The station page says the station is within walking distance of top downtown destinations. Our Miami guide lists Fort Lauderdale as a Brightline stop between Miami and Orlando, with Aventura, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. Fares show only after you search a date, so we give none. We did not find a ride time to Miami.
Free things to do
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Las Olas Boulevard: no entry fee.
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NSU Art Museum: free on the first Thursday of each month, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and free every day for ages 17 and under.
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Water Trolley: a free City of Fort Lauderdale service along the Riverwalk, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
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Riverwalk: a free jazz concert on the first Sunday of every month.
Things to do with kids
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Bonnet House: ages 6 to 17 $8, ages 5 and under free.
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NSU Art Museum: free for ages 17 and under.
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Water Taxi: ages 5 to 11 $18, under 5 free.
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Everglades Holiday Park: children 3 to 11 $29.99.
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Hugh Taylor Birch State Park: $6 a vehicle with up to eight people.
Where to stay in Fort Lauderdale
We did not check any hotel's rate or room list for this page, so we give no prices. Rates change by season and event, so look up your own dates.
| Area | What it is near |
|---|---|
| Beach | Fort Lauderdale Beach, the end of Las Olas Boulevard at A1A |
| Downtown and Las Olas | Riverwalk, NSU Art Museum, Brightline station, Water Taxi stop 1 |
| Near Port Everglades | The SE 17th St. bus stop and the cruise terminals |
| Near the airport | The airport is minutes from the port on U.S. 1 |
Downtown suits a car-free stay, because Brightline, the Water Taxi and the Riverwalk are close together. The beach suits a swim, and Las Olas Boulevard links it to downtown. Pick the port area for an early sailing. We did not check how far each area is from Bonnet House or the state park.
Getting around Fort Lauderdale
Price: Broward County Transit: one-way cash fare $2. All Day Pass $5, sold on the bus. 3-day pass $12. 7-day pass $20. 10-ride pass $20. 31-day pass $70. Reduced one-way fare $1 and reduced all-day pass $4 for seniors, youth 18 and under and riders with a disability, with proof. The page shows "Updated Aug 13, 2026" (Broward County Transit, fares page, Internet Archive copy of 2 Oct 2026, read 15 Oct 2026)
Water Taxi passes are in the sights section above. The FAQ lists passes only, with no single-ride fare.
Airport to downtown and the beach
Getting there: Route 1 runs from Aventura Mall to the Broward Central Terminal along Federal Highway (US 1). Its timetable lists Aventura Mall, Hallandale Beach Blvd. and US 1, Young Circle, the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Broward Health Medical Center and the terminal. The timetable we read is effective 27 April 2025 (Broward County Transit, Route 1 timetable PDF, Internet Archive copy of 21 Sep 2025, read 15 Oct 2026)
Note: We did not confirm a bus route from the airport to the beach, the ride time on Route 1, or how the Broward Central Terminal connects to the Riverwalk. Brightline's shuttle from the airport to its station is the other option we read, at $12 plus a $3 fuel surcharge
Do I need a car in Fort Lauderdale?
For the downtown core, no. Brightline, the Water Taxi, the Water Trolley and Las Olas Boulevard sit close together, and Brightline's page says the station is within walking distance of downtown sights. For the beach, the Water Taxi has a Fort Lauderdale Beach stop (F7) and a Hugh Taylor Birch State Park stop (F9). We did not confirm a bus from the airport to the beach, so plan on a taxi or a ride from the airport. For Everglades Holiday Park, we found no transit information, so plan a car or a tour. If you are sailing, the port says a local bus stops at its Northport section and a taxi from the airport averages $18 to $21.
Best time to visit Fort Lauderdale
NOAA 1991-2020 monthly normals for Fort Lauderdale Hollywood airport (station USW00012849), read from the NCEI data service on 15 October 2026:
| Month | Average high | Average low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 75.6 F | 60.9 F | 2.90 in |
| April | 82.9 F | 69.9 F | 3.02 in |
| July | 90.0 F | 77.6 F | 5.41 in |
| October | 85.4 F | 74.4 F | 7.37 in |
The same data gives June at 88.4 F with 9.55 inches, September at 88.3 F with 8.02 inches and December at 77.7 F with 2.78 inches. Our reading is that January to April is the driest and coolest stretch. The National Hurricane Center says the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, that its peak is September 10, and that most activity falls between mid-August and mid-October (NHC, climatology page, read 15 Oct 2026). Check the National Hurricane Center before you book for late summer or fall.
What we checked and what can change
Read on 15 October 2026: the City of Fort Lauderdale's parks accessibility page (Internet Archive copy of 16 Jun 2026) and Ocean Rescue page (copy of 16 Mar 2026); Wikipedia's Las Olas Boulevard entry; Water Taxi's FAQ, how it works and destinations pages; Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale's home page; Bonnet House's home and visit pages; the Florida State Parks pages for Hugh Taylor Birch (Internet Archive copies of 21 Sep 2026 and 17 Dec 2025); the NSU Art Museum's home and hours and admission pages; Everglades Holiday Park's hours and prices page; Port Everglades' location and cruise getting here pages; Brightline's Fort Lauderdale station page (Internet Archive copy of 24 Sep 2026); Broward County Transit's fares page (copy of 2 Oct 2026) and Route 1 timetable (copy of 21 Sep 2025); the National Hurricane Center's climatology page; and NOAA's NCEI normals.
Not confirmed: the beach's hours, rules and parking rates; the Riverwalk's length and hours; Water Taxi times at each stop; a bus route from the airport to the beach and the Route 1 ride time; the Brightline fare and ride time to Miami, and the live Brightline station page (we used a 24 Sep 2026 copy); cruise terminal addresses; whether a bus reaches Everglades Holiday Park; the live Florida State Parks pages, which blocked our reader; and any hotel rate. Prices and hours change, so check the operator's page for your date. We did not visit Fort Lauderdale for this page.
