Fort Lauderdale Tours & Things to Do — 2026

For most visitors it's a sightseeing boat cruise — Fort Lauderdale is the Venice of America, and a narrated cruise up the New River and the Intracoastal past Millionaire's Row and the Las Olas mansions is the signature way to see it. Close behind is an Everglades airboat trip out to the sawgrass just west of the city, on your own or with round-trip transport. The hop-on water taxi is the easy way to work the waterfront, and the coral reef offshore makes for easy first-timer snorkeling.

It's the classic Fort Lauderdale sightseeing cruise. The city has more than 300 miles of navigable canals behind the beach, and the tour runs the New River and the Intracoastal Waterway past 'Millionaire's Row' — the stretch lined with mega-yachts and waterfront mansions — and around the Las Olas Isles, with the history of the city and its yachting scene narrated along the way. It runs from relaxed riverboat and water-taxi rides to sandbar and party-boat runs, several times a day, and the late-afternoon departures catch the best light.

Yes — it's one of the signature trips from the city. The airboat parks sit just west in Broward County, close enough to reach on your own, and an airboat ride skims the sawgrass for alligators and wading birds, usually with a wildlife exhibit and naturalists along the way. If you'd rather not drive, full-day safari and express tours add round-trip transport from Fort Lauderdale. Mornings usually have the calmest water and the most active wildlife.

Yes — this is one of the easiest places in Florida to reach a reef. Fort Lauderdale sits on a three-tiered coral reef system that runs just off the beach, with the inner reef shallow enough for a short boat trip or even a swim from shore, and deeper ledges and artificial reefs offshore for divers. The calmer morning water usually has the best visibility. We're still lining up vetted reef operators to book through us — check back soon; the boat cruises and Everglades airboat trips are ready now.