south florida

South Florida trip

Leslie and I are vacationing in south Florida in late April, 2011

	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Tuesday, April 26		Loxahatchee Queen riverboat (3:00 PM, 2hr, map)	Dinner with Jacki at Two Georges at the Cove (7:30 PM, map) Drive to hotel (map)
Wednesday, April 27	Morning at Haulover Beach (map)	Lunch at Sea Watch (11:30 AM to 3:30 PM, map) Shopping at To the Moon (10:00 AM to 11:00 PM, map) Afternoon at resort (map)	Dinner at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant (map) Jai alai at Dania Jai Alai (7:00 PM, map)
Thursday, April 28	Drive to Key West (4 hr, map)	Lunch at Garbo's Grill (map) Key West attractions	Dinner Sunset Celebration (map) Drive to hotel (2 hr, map)
Friday, April 29	Fruit and Spice Park (map)	Lunch at Cheen Huaye (map) Driving tour of Opa-Locka (map) Check in to hotel (map) Venetian Pool (11:00 AM to 5:30 PM, map)	Dinner at Palacio de los Jugos (map) South Beach Segway rental (by 6:30 PM, no reservation needed, map)
Saturday, April 30	Art deco walking tour (10:15 AM, no reservation needed, map)	Lunch at Otentic (map)	Sunset catamaran cruise (6:30 sharp, map)
Sunday, May 1	Visit Cool Stuff, Inc. store in Orlando (11:00 AM to 8:00 PM, map)

The best option for airboats seems to be Everglades Holiday Park. Rides last about an hour and cost $18 per person with coupon from the website. Well rated on Trip Advisor. Thirty minutes from Fort Lauderdale, forty from Miami
The Fruit and Spice Park is exactly what it sounds like: a botanical garden focused on fruit and spice bearing plants. They claim to have over five hundred different specimens, many of which you can taste. Out of the way of our hotels, but right on the route to and from Key West. $8 per person

The Pa-Hay-Okee overlook is recommended as a place to see a sunset in the Everglades. The one-way drive from Miami is about an hour and a half, but it might be a good thing to do on the way back up from the Keys on Friday.
Flamingo Gardens is a botanical garden and animal sanctuary. It's a little pricey at $17 a person, but it's well reviewed and is just half an hour from our Fort Lauderdale hotel.
The Loxahatchee Queen riverboat is a neat way to see a little backcountry and wildlife. It sounds very similar to the boat trip we took at the gardens near Mobile. It's a little pricey at $19 a person and we'd definitely want to do it as we arrive on Tuesday, as it's located an hour and a half north of Fort Lauderdale. Trips leave at 1:00 and 3:00 PM
The Morikami Museum and Gardens are well reviewed and only cost $12 per person. They're a little out of the way at a 45 minute drive from Fort Lauderdale. Open 10:00 to 5:00 (sharp)
Dolphin Research Center costs $17 per person with coupon from website. Open 9:00 to 4:30 and located at mile 59 in Grassy Key. Most of the reviews on TripAdvisor are glowing, but they're for the full-on swimming with the dolphins program. What's left for spectators may or may not be worth the price.
The Turtle Hospital costs $15 per person and is located at mile 48.5 in Marathon. If we want to visit and take the full tour, we need to make a reservation
Markham Park's observatory is open for free stargazing on Saturday nights (map)

West Palm Beach Sunfest, a music and arts festival, runs from April 27 to May 1. Tickets, however, are $30 a person and there's no one act on the schedule I think we're dying to see.
Cap's Place is a historic restaurant on an island reachable by water taxi. By all reports, however, its heydey is long over. Entrees run about $30 apiece and they're only open for dinner.
The Jungle Queen riverboat in Fort Lauderdale seems overpriced for what it is: an $18 per person ride up the New River, looking at the mansions and spending time at a tourist trap private island. I think we'd enjoy looking at the houses more by car, deciding on our own when we've had enough.