The Intracoastal Waterway through Fort Lauderdale is a 100-yard-wide channel running north to south between the barrier island (the beach) and the mainland, and it is essentially an open-air exhibition of Florida wealth. Millionaires' Row — the stretch along North Birch Road and the surrounding canals — is lined with private docks holding yachts that range from modest cabin cruisers to oceangoing vessels with helicopter pads. Real estate here fetches extraordinary prices precisely because every home on the water has access to the Intracoastal and, through Port Everglades inlet, the Atlantic.
The best way to see it is by water. The Water Taxi covers the main channel and some of the canals, and the narrated Millionaires' Row tour adds context to what you're looking at. If you want to get on the water under your own power, kayak and paddleboard rentals are available from several outfitters near the Intracoastal. The channel is busy with boat traffic — pay attention to wake zones near the docks — but it is wide enough that there is room for everyone. Early morning is the calmest and most photogenic time.