Ft. Lauderdale Hotels - Fort Lauderdale Area Beaches in Brief

Fort Lauderdale Area Beaches in Brief

The southern part of the Gold Coast, Broward County, has the region's most popular and amenities-laden beaches, which stretch for more than 23 miles. Most do not charge for access, though all are well maintained. Here's a selection of some of the county's best from south to north, and Fort Lauderdale Hotels - Ft. Lauderdale Hotels are plentiful.

Hollywood Beach, stretching from Sheridan Street to Georgia Street, is a major attraction in the city of Hollywood, a virtual carnival with a motley assortment of young hipsters, big families, and sunburned tourists who dodge bicyclers and skaters along the rows of tacky souvenir shops, T-shirt shops, game rooms, snack bars, beer stands, hotels, and miniature golf courses. The 3-mile-long Hollywood Beach Boardwalk, modeled after Atlantic City's legendary boardwalk, is Hollywood's most popular beachfront pedestrian thoroughfare, a cement promenade that's 30 feet wide and stretches along the shoreline. Popular with runners, skaters, and cruisers, the boardwalk is also renowned as a hangout for thousands of retirement-age snowbirds who get together for frequent dances and shows at a faded outdoor amphitheater. Despite efforts to clear out a seedy element, the area remains a haven for drunks and scammers, so keep alert.

If you tire of the hectic diversity that defines Hollywood's boardwalk, enjoy the natural beauty of the beach itself, which is wide and clean. There are lifeguards, showers, bathroom facilities, and public areas for picnics and parties.

The Fort Lauderdale Beach Promenade, along the beach, underwent a $26 million renovation, and it looks fantastic. It's especially peaceful in the mornings when there's just a smattering of joggers and walkers, but even at its most crowded on the weekend, the expansive promenade provides room for everyone. Note, however, that the beach is hardly pristine; it is across the street from an uninterrupted stretch of hotels, bars, and retail outlets. Also nearby is a megaretail and dining complex, Beach Place, on Florida A1A, midway between Las Olas Boulevard and Sunrise Boulevard.

Just across the road, on the sand, most days you will find hard-core volley ballers, who welcome anyone with a good spike, and an inviting ocean welcoming swimmers of any level. The unusually clear waters are under the careful watch of some of Florida's best-looking lifeguards. Freshen up afterward in any of the clean showers and restrooms conveniently located along the strip. Pets have been banned from most of the beach in order to maintain the impressive cleanliness not commonly associated with such highly trafficked public beaches; a designated pet area exists away from the main sunbathing areas.

Especially on weekends, parking along the oceanside meters is nearly impossible to find. Try biking, skating, or hitching a ride on the water taxi instead. The strip is located on A1A, between SE 17th Street and Sunrise Boulevard.

Dania Beach's John U. Lloyd Beach State Park, 6503 N. Ocean Dr., Dania (tel. 954/923-2833) is 251 acres of barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, from Port Everglades on the north to Dania on the south. Its natural setting contrasts sharply with the urban development of Fort Lauderdale. Lloyd Beach, one of Broward County's most important nesting beaches for sea turtles, produces some 10,000 hatchlings a year. The park's broad, flat beach is popular for swimming and sunning. Self-guided nature trails are great for those who are too restless to sunbathe.

We are your Guide to Ft. Lauderdale Hotels and Discount Hotel Reservations in the Fort Lauderdale Florida Area.