The two unmissable Fort Lauderdale experiences are both on the water. Jump on the Water Taxi — a regular hop-on, hop-off boat service that connects Las Olas, the beach, the cruise port, and the canals — and spend a couple of hours drifting past the mansions of "Millionaires' Row"; it is by far the best way to see the city. Then set aside a morning for Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, a sliver of hammock forest squeezed between the beach and the Intracoastal, where raccoons still outnumber joggers.
In town, the Museum of Discovery and Science on SW 2nd Street has a 50,000-gallon reef aquarium, an IMAX screen, and plenty of hands-on exhibits that make it a good rainy-day stop with children. The Bonnet House Museum and Gardens is a whimsical 1920s waterfront estate, a reminder of what the coast looked like before the high-rises arrived. For quieter pleasures, wander Las Olas Boulevard or take a gondola ride through the canals at sunset. And for an easy half-day out of the city, airboat tours into the Everglades leave from several operators along the 27 and Route 41.