May 24, 2018

Do-It-Yourself 5-Hour Layover Tour at Fort Lauderdale Airport; things to do

Do-It-Yourself 5-Hour Layover Tour at Fort Lauderdale Airport


When you book a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, you might find yourself getting off the ship in the morning, and with a flight that doesn’t leave until late in the afternoon, like I did.  Cruise lines usually offer some kind of shore excursion to fill that time--perhaps Sawgrass Recreation Park, like my Holland American Line cruise did.  But I’d already been to that venue and wanted to see more of Fort Lauderdale.  So I planned my own itinerary, and it turned out that it worked very well.  Here is how I spent that airport wait time to see more of Fort Lauderdale.

First up was dropping my luggage at the airport.  It is possible to check your bags for a fee, but since I did this after 10 a.m. I was able to check in my bags with my airline--Jet Blue--at no charge.

I kept my carry-on with me and headed out to the transportation area, where I called an Uber.

1.  I was dropped off at the NSU Art Museum (I was almost foiled here, because it didn’t open until 11 a.m.).

Frank Stella show at NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Frank Stella show at NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida


2.  After viewing the show, we headed down a few blocks to the lively center of Las Olas Boulevard and strolled for a while, browsing shops and galleries.

Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, Florida


3.  We stopped for lunch at Louie Bossi’s Ristorante for my husband’s birthday lunch.  We did some people watching and enjoyed a tasty meal.

interior of Louie Bossi's Ristorante in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
interior of Louie Bossi's Ristorante in Fort Lauderdale, Florida


4.  Though I had wanted to tour the 1901 Stranahan House Museum--it is the oldest house in Fort Lauderdale--the timing was not right for us, so instead we rested on a bench under a huge sea grape tree in the front yard and called for an Uber pick-up.  We returned to the airport a little early.

exterior of Stranahan House Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
exterior of Stranahan House Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida


The Uber cost about $11 each way.




1 comment:

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