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.).
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.
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.
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.
The Uber cost about $11 each way.
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 | 
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 | 
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 | 
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 | 
The Uber cost about $11 each way.
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what a great informative blog. I really like this blog and i'm also going to recommend it to other people
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