There are a lot more reasons to head to Fort Lauderdale, Florida than to go wild on spring break. This city has a lot to offer – beaches, museums, nightlife and restaurants make Ft. Lauderdale a fabulous destination for more than just the college crowd.

Like butterflies? Who doesn’t! Ft. Lauderdale’s home to Butterfly World, the largest butterfly park anywhere (they have the nation’s biggest open-air hummingbird aviary, too). You can get up close and personal with Florida’s natural beauty by taking a riverboat cruise, snorkeling in over 69 miles of coral reef, or swimming with dolphins.

Some of us prefer a more, well, luxurious vacation experience. The world-famous Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa is getting a $25 million facelift starting in June 2007, offering new furnishings and European-style kitchens in their 35 suites, in addition to the top-of-the-line bedding and 32-inch flat screen televisions in every room. Fort Lauderdale’s also going to see the state’s first St. Regis resort complex in 2007, as well as the new Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort joining the ranks of first-class Fort Lauderdale hotels.

Fort Lauderdale’s a great destination for families, too, with plenty of kid-friendly activities like the Polynesian revue at Mai Kai restaurant, where Polynesian dancers entertain diners in an authentic recreation of a South Seas village. In nearby Sawgrass Mills, kids can play grownup at Wannado City, a 140,000 square foot “city” where kids age 3 to 13 can try out over a hundred grown-up jobs like firefighter, pizza maker, surgeon or TV host in a hands-on environment. The whole family can swim and play with dolphins with Keys Adventure Tours daytrips, just an hour from Fort Lauderdale.

You can find much, much more information on Ft. Lauderdale vacation adventures at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau website: sunny.org/ . The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport offers over 600 flights daily, with non-stop service from 40 cities, and cruises leave daily from Port Everglades ( broward.org/port/).

Stormy Knight, Certified Travel Agent, owns and operates BargainTravel.com, a site specializing in low-cost travel options and discount consolidator flights. Stop by and join the community of travel savers.
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