With kids · Fort Lauderdale · United States
Fort Lauderdale with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Pictured: Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, Fort Lauderdale · Photo: Dtobias, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Fort Lauderdale suits families who want beach time with easy extras: lifeguarded beaches, a science museum, Water Taxi rides and wildlife parks within half an hour. Strong summer sun and afternoon storms mean early starts and indoor back-ups. Top picks: Fort Lauderdale Beach and the A1A promenade, Water Taxi and Museum of Discovery and Science. Families usually base themselves in Galt Ocean Mile.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 8
- Best area for families
- Galt Ocean Mile
- Rainy-day options
- 1
- Busiest months
- January–March
Plan a trip to Fort Lauderdale
Compare flights, places to stay and rental cars, then book with the provider you choose.
Best things to do with kids
Beach · Fort Lauderdale Beach
1.Fort Lauderdale Beach and the A1A promenade
The city's main beach runs for several kilometres along A1A, with lifeguard towers, showers and a promenade behind a curving white wave wall. Las Olas Beach, where the boulevard meets the sea, was the 1960s spring-break scene made famous by the film Where the Boys Are; today it is a family and resort beach.
Head north towards Sunrise Boulevard and beyond for more space; the stretch near Las Olas is the busiest.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
Experience · New River and Intracoastal
2.Water Taxi
Yellow hop-on, hop-off boats run along the New River and the Intracoastal Waterway, linking downtown, Las Olas, the beach hotels and, on some routes, Hollywood. Captains narrate along the way, pointing out the mansions and superyachts of the 'Venice of America'.
Buy a day pass and use it as your transport between the Riverwalk, Las Olas and the beach; sit outside on the upper deck.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Couples
- Kids
- Photo spot
Museum · Las Olas and Downtown
3.Museum of Discovery and Science
Downtown's science museum has hands-on galleries on the Everglades, the sea and space, a large gravity clock in the atrium and a giant-screen theatre. Live animal exhibits include otters and reef fish, and there is a dedicated area for under-sevens.
Use it as your rainy-afternoon or hottest-hour plan; it is on the Riverwalk next to a Water Taxi stop.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Garden · Coconut Creek
4.Butterfly World
Inside Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, about 25 km north-west of downtown, this park has screened aviaries where thousands of tropical butterflies fly around visitors, as well as a hummingbird house and a lorikeet feeding area.
Visit on a sunny morning, when butterflies are most active, and wear bright colours.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Photo spot
Garden · Davie
5.Flamingo Gardens
A botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary in Davie, about 25 km west, with champion trees, a walk-through aviary, native Florida animals such as panthers, bobcats and black bears that cannot be released, and the flock of flamingos that gives it its name.
Ride the narrated tram tour first for an overview of the gardens, then walk the aviary.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Nature · Western Broward County
6.Everglades airboat ride
Airboat parks on the western edge of Broward County, about 40 km from the beach, run fast, loud rides across the sawgrass of the Everglades, often with stops to see alligators and wading birds and a wildlife show. It is the quickest way to see the Everglades from Fort Lauderdale.
Book a morning ride, when the wildlife is more active and before afternoon storms; bring ear protection for small children.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Kids
- Active
Park · Fort Lauderdale Beach
7.Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
A rare patch of protected coastal hammock and mangroves squeezed between A1A and the Intracoastal Waterway. A paved loop suits cycling and inline skating, short trails pass through the hammock, and a tunnel leads under A1A to the beach.
Paddle the park's freshwater lagoon by kayak or canoe for gopher tortoises, herons and iguanas.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Active
Experience · Fort Lauderdale Beach
8.Jungle Queen Riverboat
A paddle-wheel-style sightseeing boat that has cruised the New River and the Intracoastal since the 1930s, passing the waterfront mansions of 'Millionaires' Row' with a narrated commentary. Some cruises stop at a riverside attraction with an alligator show.
Choose the shorter sightseeing cruise for children; the evening dinner cruise is longer.
- Time needed
- 1.5–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Views
- Iconic
Rainy-day ideas
- Museum of Discovery and Science — Use it as your rainy-afternoon or hottest-hour plan; it is on the Riverwalk next to a Water Taxi stop.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for quiet stays, families and beach
Galt Ocean Mile
North of Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, Galt Ocean Mile is a line of condominium towers and a few hotels facing a less crowded beach. It suits longer stays, families renting apartments and visitors who want the ocean without the main strip's bars.
- Good
- Quieter beach; Apartment rentals with kitchens; Easy access to the state park
- Watch out
- Few restaurants in walking distance; Little nightlife
- Nearby
- Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Galt Ocean Mile Reef
Family travel tips
- Swim near lifeguard towers and check the flag colours; Atlantic rip currents can be strong.
- Purple flags warn of jellyfish or Portuguese man o' war, which sometimes wash ashore in winter and spring.
- Galt Ocean Mile and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea have apartment rentals with kitchens and quieter beaches.
- Bring ear defenders for young children on airboat rides.
- Plan indoor time around 2–4pm in summer, when heat and storms peak.
Day trips for families
- Everglades National Park (Shark Valley) (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car) — Shark Valley on the park's northern edge has a 24 km paved loop through sawgrass prairie, covered by a narrated tram or by rented bike, with an observation tower at the halfway point.
- Key Largo and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (About 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours by car) — The first of the Florida Keys has the underwater John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, with snorkel trips, glass-bottom boat tours and diving to the reef and the bronze Christ of the Abyss statue.
When to go with children
The best months overall are November–April. January–March are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Fort Lauderdale good for kids?
Fort Lauderdale suits families who want beach time with easy extras: lifeguarded beaches, a science museum, Water Taxi rides and wildlife parks within half an hour. Strong summer sun and afternoon storms mean early starts and indoor back-ups.
+What can kids do in Fort Lauderdale?
Fort Lauderdale Beach and the A1A promenade, Water Taxi, Museum of Discovery and Science, Butterfly World and Flamingo Gardens.
+Where should families stay in Fort Lauderdale?
Galt Ocean Mile: Residential condo towers on a quieter stretch of north beach.