We took a road trip to South Florida in March 2022. Our itinerary included Miami, Everglades National Park, the Florida Keys, and Fort Lauderdale. On our way back home, at the northeast corner of Florida, we spent two nights in St. Augustine. This post, part three, includes Fort Lauderdale and St. Augustine (& Cocoa Beach, where I stopped before going to Miami but is between Fort Lauderdale and St. Augustine on the coast). The first two parts of our trip can be found here: a florida road trip {part one}: miami and a florida road trip {part two}: the everglades & the keys.
In Cocoa Beach, I bought beach cover-ups at Ron Jon Surf Shop. Later, we took a water taxi through Fort Lauderdale’s Inland Waterway, known as the “Venice of America,” and admired the mansions of the rich and famous. We wandered up and down Las Olas Boulevard, enjoyed dinner at Cuba Libre and happened to hit the Las Olas Oceanside Park Market on Saturday morning. We waded through the surf at Fort Lauderdale Beach. We headed north to St. Augustine, where we explored the Historic Old Town, the Castillo San Marcos National Monument, the St. Augustine Light Station and Fort Mantazas National Monument. We enjoyed a delicious lunch on the breezy rooftop of Salt Life Food Shack and saw the old Ponce de Leon Hotel that now houses Flagler College. We topped off our time in Florida at the Tini Martini Bar. On the way home, we stopped to visit Mike’s college friends, Bob and Barbara Trott, and had lunch with Sarah in Richmond.
I recommend watching on YouTube for the best experience.
Our top things to do in Fort Lauderdale, Cocoa Beach, and St. Augustine were:
8) Fort Mantazas National Monument in St. Augustine
7) Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach
6) Tini Martini Bar in St. Augustine
5) Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine
4) Historic Old Town St. Augustine and Flagler College in the old Ponce de Leon Hotel
3) Fort Lauderdale Beach and the Las Olas Oceanside Park Market
2) Las Olas Boulevard and Cuba Libre in Fort Lauderdale
1) Water taxi through the inland waterways of Fort Lauderdale, the “Venice of America”
Overall, these are our top ten favorites for our entire Florida Road Trip:
10) Fort Lauderdale Beach and the Las Olas Oceanside Park Market
9) Kayaking in Big Cypress National Preserve with Shurr Adventures Kayaking & Eco Tours
8) Airboat ride through the River of Grass at Everglades National Park with our hyperbolic guide at Gator Park
7) Las Olas Boulevard and Cuba Libre in Fort Lauderdale
6) Wynwood Walls in Miami
5) Key West
4) Water taxi through the inland waterways of Fort Lauderdale, the “Venice of America”
3) South Beach – the beach itself and the Art Deco lifeguard stations, Miami
2) South Beach Art Deco Historic District, Miami
1) Calle Ocho in Little Havana, Miami
Thank you for watching! I invite you to subscribe to my YouTube channel. 
~ wander.essence ~ 
You must be logged in to post a comment.