The classic Fort Lauderdale day trip is into the Everglades. Airboat operators line US 27 and the Tamiami Trail; a two-hour ride will get you a near-certain alligator sighting, plus great blue herons and — if you are lucky — a glimpse of a manatee. From Fort Lauderdale it is also very easy to go south to Miami (45 minutes by car or Tri-Rail) for South Beach, Little Havana, and the Wynwood street-art district. In the other direction, West Palm Beach and the island of Palm Beach are an hour up the coast; further afield, the Florida Keys begin a couple of hours south, and Key Largo, with its glass-bottom-boat reef trips, is a realistic long day out.