Fort Lauderdale Travel Forum

Hi there! I know I should be doing my asssignment and research on my trip but this is a last minute decision and I was on the move if not working most of the time so I did not really have much time to plan my itinerary in advance. In fact, I just booked my flight last night and my flight is tomorrow at 10:30 am. So please help...

I'll be flying from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale on June 9 with a return trip on June 23. I am set on going to Orlando on June 12-19. Any suggestions for an itinerary on June 9-12 and June 19-23 in Fort Lauderdale or nearby areas? What are the must sees? I can also use your advice on must sees and must do in Orlando as this is my first time and I will be traveling alone. Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks!!

I am going to assume that you are driving. If you can, get a Florida AAA book which will do a good job of listing places to visit. You can decide better when you read the descriptions because I don't know your interests (lighthouses, beaches, museums, national parks???)

From Ft. L drive up 1A along the coast as much as possible to Cape Canaveral. On the way you will go through Palm Beach, and you can stop off at Melbourne or the Canaveral National Seashore. In the town of Titusville, you can visit the Cape and also the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. From here it is a fairly straight shot over to Orlando.

On the way back, drive down I-4 to Tampa, and then on around to Ft. Myers. Take 41 east and you can visit the Everglades at Shark River, and you will end up in Miami which is pretty near Ft. Lauderdale.

Being in Orlando really necessitates a car. Assuming you will get lots of advice on the "attractions" - so I'll skip these. My favorite things around this area are:

-Wekiva Springs State Park: http://www.floridastateparks.org/WekiwaSprings/

-Leu Garden: http://www.leugardens.org/

-and without boring you about how angry I am at what these people are charging now, Kennedy Space Center: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/
This is further out by the coast.

You can use www.mapquest.com or Google maps for directions.

Keep in mind at this time of year it tends to rain in the afternoon, but not every afternoon - so bring your umbrella. Sometimes there's lightning, but it usually stops after 1/2 hour or so.

Enjoy your trip!