We started by parking our rental car at the Galleria Mall (one of 10 stops on the water taxi – hop on and hop off tour).\
We saw mega wealthy houses, heard interesting stories about the houses, heard some jokes, and were entertained with a comfortable ride. I enjoyed seeing the back stories about the mansions and how much the houses are for sale. We saw how Wayne Huizinga (previous owner of BlockBuster Video) bought his neighbour’s homes when they complained when he took his helicopter to his office. It was impressive to see the canals and various homes and opulence.
The Water Taxi routes run between Oakland Park Boulevard and Southeast 17th Street along the Intracoastal waterway, and west along the New River into downtown Fort Lauderdale as far as the Las Olas Riverfront complex.
We ended up at the Las Olas Riverfront complex after about a 45 minute water taxi ride and stopped for a lunch break and baby break. We did a small walk and checked out some interesting art and shops on Las Olas.
We took the 1:55 PM water taxi back to the Galleria stop.
Make sure that you save your ticket because the Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi provides a variety of Cruise & Save partners providing small discounts with display of ticket.
The Water Taxi ticket lets you on and off its stops all day while taking in the sights along Fort Lauderdale’s world famous waterways, which have earned the city the nickname, “The Venice of America”.
I recommend this to all visitors to Fort Lauderdale and the staff is really nice and friendly. Our daughter was getting restless (too long a trip for her), but the captain recommended a stop at Hollywood beach and the stops are well planned with restaurants nearby.
Make sure you check the schedule prior to planning your day though.
