★ Vitamin Sea
You can experience the beach life with bicycles and Segways or with paddleboarding, kayaking (Sunrise Paddleboards), tours by paddleboard, yoga by paddleboard (SUP PUP), and surf lessons (Hang Loose Surf School). If you want to enjoy the water from your own boat, beachy drink in hand, check Coastal Yacht Tours, YOLO Boat Rentals, Tiki Time Party Boats, Pontoon Party, or Cruisin Tikis Fort Lauderdale. One of the best ways to see the city is via the Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi, which provides visitors with a fun hop-on, hop-off way to explore the canals without committing to a full tour (think those double-deckers in big cities, but a boat!), while Jungle Queen Riverboat leans into classic sightseeing with a side of dinner and entertainment. Las Olas Gondola really commits to the Venice nickname with romantic and group gondolas on Fort Lauderdale's waterways. Avast! Pirate wannabes should try Bluefoot Pirate Adventures, where you can set sail on a pirate ship and search for treasure. For fishing enthusiasts, Fort Lauderdale has plenty of charters such as Fish Local Knowledge, Action Sportfishing, Lady Pamela Sportfishing, and more.

★ Culture Club
Fort Lauderdale isn't all sun and surf, it's also distinguished in arts and culture. For a view of Old Florida, the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens offers a mix of art, history, architecture, and tropical gardens on a 35-acre estate near the beach, with orchids, courtyards, and monkeys. History lovers should see the Historic Stranahan House Museum, the city's oldest surviving structure and former trading post along the New River. Art fans should make a trip to NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, which boasts one of the best modern art collections in the area.

★ SEA FOOD, EAT IT
When you're so close to the water, you've got to get your seafood on, and Fort Lauderdale has no shortage of options: Shooters Waterfront, Ocean Prime, 15th Street Fisheries, Southport Raw Bar, Catch & Cut, Truluck's. We very specifically suggest that you don't Google Coconuts Scoobies (garlic-and-herb sautéed blue crab claws served with toasted bread for soaking up the sauce) while you're hungry.

★ Brews Cruise
There are plenty of breweries to satisfy your thirst, including LauderAle Brewery (we love a punny name), Funky Buddha Brewery, and Gulf Stream Brewing Company. For a good craft beer, check out the ale trail map from Visit Lauderdale.com to plan a brewery crawl. Paddle Pub Fort Lauderdale offers a unique experience: they organize floating BYOB paddle cruises through the canals (don't worry, there are engines for when you can't paddle any longer), while the Fort Lauderdale Beer Bus makes it easy to sample multiple taprooms.

RANDOM FUN FACT:

One winter in the 1930s, Colgate University swim coach Sam Ingram brought his team from New York to train in Fort Lauderdale's Casino Pool, the first Olympic-sized pool in Florida. Other college swim teams soon followed, and the spring break tradition stuck.