Last month, we had the wonderful opportunity to explore the sunshine state of Florida! While there are many attractions there, we found Fort Lauderdale to be a nice pick for us to travel to. As usual, I did all my research and found a few activities we knew we wanted to do. But, in contrast to other trips we've taken, we didn't fully book out itinerary. This allowed us to be flexible (especially during rainy days) and to truly enjoy ourselves without rushing. Moving forward, we'll definitely be planning out trips that way.
While we didn't necessarily do much or stay there for long, we truly enjoyed each and every activity we did. If you're in the area and are up for some of these things, I highly recommend you to add them to your trip plans!
Bonnet House & Gardens
I honestly did not know what to expect going into this part of our trip. We love visiting gardens and historic homes during our trips, but this one was different. It wasn't owned by anyone prominent that I had heard of and it was both a garden, museum AND art display! It actually turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip. I learned so much about the Bartletts (original owners of the house). I especially appreciated seeing their artwork displayed throughout the house and in different forms. When/if you got, you'll see what I'm talking about.
Because of it's plantation-style appearance, it definitely had me feeling like I was somewhere else. But the trees and plants that surround the home felt very much like we were in a different country. I'm not sure if it was the fact that we were in a tropical state or that we were in a historic home that's been preserved. Either way, I loved our visit there and highly recommend it!
Flamingo Gardens
This place has to be unlike any other I've seen before. It's a crossover between a botanical garden, a wildlife sanctuary and a farm. It's original owners, the Wray family, dedicated this 60 acre land to preserving wildlife. This included animals as well as sub-tropical plants and trees found on the property.
But of course, the name does not disappoint. You can find, flamingos, yes FLAMINGOS at this sanctuary!
We took full advantage of everything they had to offer here at Flamingo Gardens. This included the guided tram tour along the wetlands as well as the "Wild Life Encounter" informational show that gives you an in depth look at how some of the animals came to live on the property.
Kilwins Chocolate & Ice Cream
I regret that I didn't get two scoops of this delicious-ness! Yes, I'm talking about my ice cream from Kilwins. Now, if you live on the East Coast, I'm sure you've either been to or heard about this spot. I was so happy not only find an ice cream spot on Las Olas, but one that was familiar to me. And they happened to have my favorite flavor "Toasted Coconut". Seriously, do your self a favor and go try it!
River Walk & Las Olas Blvd
This was the perfect spot for us to visit after our outing at Bonnet House. Not only was it only 15 minutes away, but it had many cute activities we could do as well. Besides walking alongside the river, we could have taken the Water Taxi or booked a gondola tour. Because of the rainy weather, we decided to cancel our gondola tour. But, heard many great things about Riverfront Gondola Tours.
A few days later, we ended up taking the Jungle Queen Riverboat tour which was a very relaxed way of being on the water without actually getting in. Plus, we got to learn more about the homes that sit alongside the riverfront. AND we were able to explore River Walk once more.
I love a nice downtown scene! I especially love it when there are plenty of great restaurants to choose from. That's exactly what Las Olas is!
If we had enough time, we'd probably have been to every one of them. However, we only stopped by Casa Sensei which was a nice Spanish-Asian fusion restaurant. I was happy that we got there right in time for happy hour. We started off by ordering their Spicy Tuna sushi rolls on their specials menu. I then ordered the Korean BBQ Bulgogi meal and my husband ordered their Korean Steak Chimichurri. They were both good! But, if I had to choose again I’d want to try their LA Street Tacos. Perhaps next time!
We had also heard that Louis Bossi was a great spot for Italian food as well! But, there were so many great spots to choose from. You definitely won’t be disappointed if you visit.
Hollywood Beach Boardwalk
We love being alongside the water. It truly is so relaxing! So imagine our excitement when we found a beach with a boardwalk. Hollywood Beach Boardwalk has all the usual boardwalk activities AND a theater stage for live performances in the evenings! Unfortunately, we had to leave just as they were setting up. But, we still got to enjoy our time on the boardwalk.
One of our new favorite things to do together is go biking... especially alongside the beach. So, we walked into Sun & Fun Cycles and rented out some bikes.
I think this was the first time I was able to rent a bike in the color I like! This pretty pink bike was definitely a fun addition to our lovely evening at Hollywood Beach. If you're in the area, be sure to try it out.
We rented our bikes not to far from our dinner spot at Nick's Bar & Grill. I ordered their chicken wings and my husband ordered the Shrimp basket. They were delicious! And they paired perfectly with their drink options.
We had a really great time in Florida and can't wait to go back and visit other area! Comment down below your favorite cities to visit in this sunshine state. Who knows, it might be our next vacation stop.
1 comment:
Love it!!
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