Ft. Lauderdale is one of the premier boating destinations on the eastern United States coast. Ft. Lauderdale has always seen itself as a boating town. The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) stretching south to Miami, and the waterfront homes which line it, have earned Greater Ft. Lauderdale its reputation as the “Venice of America.”
Greater Ft. Lauderdale is home to a multi-billion-dollar marine industry with more than 42,000 registered yachts. Celebrity-owned, eight-figure mega-yachts ease along the New River and dock in luxurious digs like the 250-slip Bahia Mar Resort & Yachting Center, which can accommodate up to 100 mega-yachts. For those with slightly more modest tastes, boat slip rentals are both readily available and easily affordable at the many marinas available in Ft. Lauderdale.
Crisscrossed by the (ICW), a handful of rivers, and hundreds of canals and lakes bordering the Atlantic Ocean, Ft. Lauderdale is as much afloat as it is aground. All this water and tropical weather, along with a history of boatbuilding and easy access to the Caribbean, have also made Fort Lauderdale the megayacht capital of the world. Appropriately, it is home to the largest megayacht show in the world, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, held each year in the fall. Whether your boat is big or “just right,” Ft. Lauderdale has something to offer everyone, and virtually everything in the city is accessible from the water.
More than 3.6 million people cruise out of the modern Port Everglades each year, making it one of the world’s largest cruise ports, and the one with the most five-store ships. More than 50 ships depart from the port, destined for the Caribbean and points south.
The annual Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade is one of the biggest tourist attractions Ft. Lauderdale hosts. 850,000 viewers line the ten mile parade route along the water and more than 200 boats register to participate. Of course, the water offers more than amusement – it is also a transportation artery. In 2001, the privately owned Water Taxi made its fleet part of Broward County Transit and now offers scheduled rides on large, bio-diesel fueled “Water Buses.”
The city offers many options for dining, entertainment, and shopping. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts features many Broadway shows throughout the year. On Las Olas Boulevard you will find a multitude of art galleries, eclectic boutiques, and sidewalk cafes. Dining options range from Cuban-American cuisine to fresh seafood caught in the Atlantic Ocean.
There are literally thousands of boat slip rentals and boat slips for sale in Ft. Lauderdale. Numerous marinas house boats of all sizes, and marina boat slip rentals are readily available. If you are interested in renting or purchasing a marina slip, please view our article on the five advantages to marina slips.
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Happy boating.
