Situated as it is on a dazzling coast in Florida, Fort Lauderdale is not short on outdoor activities. The main beach is fronted by a busy promenade loaded and is with shops, while fishing and boating here are very popular. There are also theme parks, bustling city parks and interesting museums to look at.

Fishing
Fort Lauderdale has some fantastic fishing options in and around the city owing to its well stocked waterways and tropical nature. The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) World Fishing Center on Dania Beach is well worth a look for fishy types, with its excellent museum and library and the virtual-reality fishing simulator. There is also a three-acre lake on-site. Phone: +1 954 927 2628.

Fort Lauderdale main beach
Fort Lauderdale boasts 23 miles (37kms) of gorgeous coastline on the southeast Florida coast and this is the biggest attraction here for most visitors. Apart from the well equipped main city beach itself, with its clear waters and sandy beaches, it also has a long boardwalk with many shops, boutiques and entertainment options.

Golf
There are dozens of golf courses in Fort Lauderdale with many price ranges and levels. The best in town is Emerald Hills on North Hills Drive, Hollywood. Emerald Hills consistently ranks among the best in the country and has a fascinating 18^th hole consisting of a two-tier green which is surrounded by water. Green fees are naturally better from Monday to Friday. Phone: +1 954 961 4000.

Mills Pond Park
Located on Northwest 9^th Avenue, Mills Pond Park is one of Fort Lauderdale’s finest green areas and has some excellent facilities for families. There are pavilions and picnic areas as well as a host of activities available, including fishing, waterskiing, remote-controlled car racing and ball games, such as baseball, softball and volleyball. Phone: +1 954 828 8943.

Museum of Discovery and Science
Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Discovery and Science on Southwest 2nd street is a great learning tool for all concerned, with excellent displays on nature and technology. There are more than 200 exhibits, many of which are interactive, and an obvious wildlife presence with bats, sharks, snakes and more. A huge IMAC theatre is also in the museum. Phone: +1 954 467 6637; website: www.mods.org.

Wannado City
Wannado City is a theme park for older kids, yet is different than your average amusement park. Wannado consists of several villages where costumed attendants teach visitors how to perform surgery, how to be a circus ringmaster and even how to investigate a crime scene. A natty souvenir shop is also on-site. Phone: +1 954 838 7100; website: www.wannadocity.com.

Fort Lauderdale is ideal for the culture vulture with its many museums and galleries, of which the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum depicting the Seminole Indians is a must see. For something totally different, join a ghost tour of the town or perhaps see the ocean floor by glass-bottomed boat.

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum
Fort Lauderdale’s most celebrated museum tells the story of the Seminole tribe that used to live in the settlement now known as Fort Lauderdale. Relics displayed in the museum describe what life must have been like for the Muskhogean people who originally lived here, with folklore, hunting and spiritualism well represented, as well as tools, clothing and jewellery items on display. Phone: +1 877 902-1113; website: www.ahtahthiki.com.

Bonnet House
Formerly home of famed artist Frederic Bartlett, Bonnet House on North Birch Road is today an interesting visitor centre for the artsy type, where guided tours take visitors around the two-storey building and large gardens. Tours last for around 75 minutes, just long enough to appreciate Bartlett's artistic verve. Phone: +1 954 563 5393; website: www.bonnethouse.org.

Fort Lauderdale Spring Break
The notorious annual Spring Break in late March/early April is the main highlight of Fort Lauderdale for those who enjoy partying hard. Party animals arrive by the carload to enjoy the antics, including beer swilling and barbecues. The more discerning traveller would be advised to stay away from Fort Lauderdale during this time as the town fills up somewhat.

Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art
The Museum of Art on East Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale is a huge place of art and culture from southwest Florida and abroad. The galleries display works from renowned US artists Calder and Warhol, as well as examples of master European painters like Picasso and Dali. The museum is also an educational institute and regularly puts on concerts.Phone: +1 954 525 5500; website: www.moafl.org

Ghost Tours
Visitors after a thrill should get on a Fort Lauderdale ghost tour, where well-informed guides take you to notorious spooky venues in the city to hopefully catch a glimpse of an apparition. Tours leave from Las Olas Boulevard and go for 90 minutes and even if you don’t get to see a headless ghost, the tour in itself is well worth the effort.

Glassbottom Boat Tours
Fort Lauderdale has some stunning coral reefs and you have the opportunity to see them from the luxury of a huge glass-bottomed boat. Participants get to see a huge variety of sea creatures as well as have the chance to snorkel among them during the two-hour long trip.

Stranahan House
Located along Southeast Sixth Avenue on Las Olas Boulevard, Stranahan House is a century-old museum which was home to Ivy Cromartie Stranahan and her husband, who traded with the Seminole Native Americans. Ivy was Fort Lauderdale’s first school teacher and you can learn all about her and the Seminoles from a tour of the restored house. Phone: +1 954 524 4736; website: www.stranahanhouse.com.

Fort Lauderdale is all about seafood, with its perfect location on the warm Florida Atlantic where local fishermen bring in the catch of the day. Popular seafood dishes here include wine-baked oysters and crab, peppered papaya and shrimp patties, lighthouse shrimp with kiwi-plum salsa, and portobello mushroom scallop salad. Barbecue restaurants and burger joints are also ubiquitous.

Las Olas Boulevard is the premier place in town to seek out a good seafood restaurant where prices aren’t too expensive but quality and choice is superb. Sunset Boulevard also has a good range of restaurants including a healthy dose of French, Italian, Chinese, and South African eateries.

There are loads of shopping malls in town, with the Galleria along Sunrise Boulevard being closest to the beach. It has many fashionable stores, including Dillard's, Macy's, and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as a Gap, Abercrombie and Fitch, and the Sunglass Hut. Sawgrass Mills in the west of Fort Lauderdale is one of the largest malls in the US and features hundreds of shops of every description.

Las Olas Shopping District is one of the smaller shopping malls in Fort Lauderdale but has a fine setting as well as boasting excellent entertainment options. Scores of shops cater mainly to fashion, with many popular American clothing stores like Deborah James, Maus and Hoffman, while restaurants, bars and nightclubs are also in abundance here.