13 Fort Lauderdale Family Vacation Ideas

Fort Lauderdale is Miami’s easy-breezy family-friendly neighbor to the north. Locals refer to it as “Venice of America" for its extensive canal system, which adds a dose of boating fun without big waves. 

Families favor friendly Fort Lauderdale for affordable hotels with beach access and amenities that keep kids in mind. Crowds are usually light, with smaller lines, easy parking, room for families at area eateries and a relaxed vibe.

Nature activities and beaches are perfect for pint-sized travelers, with space to explore or throw frisbees without bothering blanket-to-blanket beachgoers and free waterfront concerts. Even the easy-to-navigate airport is a simple 15-minute drive to the beach and area hotels.

Read on to explore top Fort Lauderdale family vacation ideas, including beaches, museums, parks, natural wonders and coastal towns perfect for pre- or post-cruise stays to create an ultimate family cruise vacation. 

Fort Lauderdale Families Go Wild for Nature

Miami is known to be the wild life of the party, but Fort Lauderdale is perfect for fans of actual wildlife and nature. In this coastal charmer, you'll find easy access to unique, engaging activities on your Fort Lauderdale family vacation. 

● Cruise Port: Port Everglades. 

● Distance to Port: 5-24 miles. 

● Note: Many tours offer area hotel pick-ups. 

● Ages: All ages. 

1. Stand Up Paddleboard Tour to Snorkel Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Reef

Beginners and seasoned snorkelers can paddle to the coral reef to enjoy warm, clear seas while meeting the local marine life. Tropical fish and colorful corals are the main sea creatures to enjoy, but keep an eye out for sea turtles, dolphins and manatees. 

The patient guides at Sunrise Paddleboards welcome kids who are comfortable in the water, and those who are new to SUP get lessons.

2. Gator Boys at Everglades Holiday Park

3. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

Best Family Beaches In Fort Lauderdale

Kids with window seats will clamor to get sandy before they even land, with a long, glowing white shoreline beckoning beach babies for a day of salty fun. Fortunately, families can take their pick with a bevy of beaches minutes from the port. Bustling boardwalks are a bonus for parents of stroller-tots and give big kids a chance to shake off some sand on the way back to the car or hotel.

● Cruise Port: Port Everglades.

● Distance to Port: 5-7 miles. 

● Ages: All ages. 

4. Fort Lauderdale Beach and Las Olas Boulevard Esplanade

Fort Lauderdale Beach Park is a major draw for families, with clean ocean (and facilities!), a wide swath of sugary sand and a beach playground with several basketball courts and volleyball nets. Picnic tables with grills are an option, but the entire beach park is across from a string of restaurants and hotels if you don’t feel like packing snacks.

Las Olas Beach, a small stretch of shore at the north end, includes an amphitheater and splash pad. The paved esplanade makes it easy to access area eateries if kids are in strollers. 

5. Hollywood Beach and Boardwalk

6. Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale

Traveling With Kids Can Be a Perfect Science

7. Museums of Discovery and Science (MODS)

Local-flavored learning adds to a Fort Lauderdale family vacation, with MODS exhibits such as Florida EcoScapes and Aquarium, or the FLL Architecture and Ocean Paper Sculpture. Build on that fun with a visit to the Magnatiles Studio or LEGO Build the Change exhibit, or dip into the world of dinosaurs at a holographic theater. Discovery Spot sizes down the science for 0-6 year olds, while older kids catch nature or mainstream features at the museum’s AutoNation 3D IMAX Theater.

● Cruise Port: Port Everglades.

● Distance to Port: 5 miles. 

● Ages: All ages, infants free.

Take Classic Family Fun to the Next Level with Tech Enhancements

8. Lights, Camera, Action Park

Xtreme Action Park, Florida’s largest indoor entertainment center, is packed with a massive arcade, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, a 7D movie-ride, laser tag, VR games, a roller rink and gas-powered go karts with a half-mile track. On-site Evolution Escape Rooms deliver special effects through traditional puzzle-solving rooms or VR-designed stories to solve together

● Cruise Port: Port Everglades.

● Distance to Port: 9 miles. 

● Ages: All ages. 

9. Fort Lauderdale Gives Great Golf, Par None

Fort Lauderdale encourages family tee times with local courses such as Hollywood Beach GC, and Colony West GC even lets kids up to 16 play for free. However, if your little duffers need to spice up their games, consider GPS-tracking balls and a trip to Top Golf, where Angry Birds-themed games and kid-friendly challenge options level the playing field.

Retro-meets-tech at Puttshack, which adds literal bells and whistles with a mini-golf arena filled with funky challenges and super-chute bonuses. Both venues have all-ages sports bars for eats and libations.

● Cruise Port: Port Everglades.

● Distance to Port: 5-14 miles. 

● Ages: All ages. 

10. City Sights With a Side of Speed

Selling kids on sightseeing isn’t a slam dunk. Rev up their engines for exploration by spicing up tours with speed. You can explore downtown Fort Lauderdale by Segway or electric bike tours. Canal cruise by electric boat or zip through Millionaire’s Row on a jet ski canal tour.  The Jungle Queen Riverboat sails the New River by day, with a “Ignite the Night” Polynesian fire dancing show and dinner on a private island at night.

● Cruise Port: Port Everglades.

● Distance to Port: 3 miles. 

● Ages: All ages. 

Fort Lauderdale Brings Big Boat Bonding

One of the best Fort Lauderdale family vacation ideas in the “yachting capital of the world” is to explore its 300-mile maze of waterways, canals and marinas. Dive into a unique boat culture where “parking” requires tossing lines rather than feeding a meter. Even if you don’t rent a boat, you can get in on the yacht life action with the family.

● Cruise Port: Port Everglades.

● Distance to Port: 3-4 miles. 

● Ages: All ages. 

11. Floating Fun for the Whole Family

Pontoon rentals on the New River let families book a boat for the day to swim at the sand bar or simply enjoy being on the water. Tailor your perfect trip with extras such as a licensed captain, floating mats or a waterslide. Eco-friendly electric gondolas sail with six or fewer for a private tour of the canals and waterways of Fort Lauderdale, with dinner cruise options. Snorkeling and diving fans can try their hand at Seabob, a high-speed above-and-below-the-surface jet-propelled scooter.

● Cruise Port: Port Everglades.

● Distance to Port: 3 miles. 

● Ages: All ages. 10+ for SEABOB, 14+ to operate jet ski with adult/18+ to rent jet ski. 

12. Boat Bites for Big Kids

13. Book the Best Family Hotels in Fort Lauderdale

One of my family's most memorable family trips to South Florida was spent at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa. The 8,000-square-foot Tropical Lagoon Pool was fab. We loved chilling in cabanas with frozen boat drinks that made us feel like we were in some distant island resort. My son met new friends at the Surf Club kids camp. The beachfront 3030 Ocean Restaurant impressed us with fresh seafood delicacies. But the bucket-list moment came courtesy of the hotel’s participation in leatherback, loggerhead and green sea turtle conservation. 

We strolled the night beach with red-tinted flashlights and were lucky enough to witness 81 hatchling turtles erupt from their sandy nest to scramble toward the sea. If you visit from March 1 through October 31, your family might be lucky enough to see one of the beach’s 2,000+ nests being dug, laid or hatched.

Although Harbor Beach will always have a soft spot in my heart due to that bucket-list moment, Westin Las Olas, Pelican Beach Grand and Plunge Beach Resort also get high marks for excellent kid activities, splashpads, lazy rivers, family beach amenities and tot-tailored eats.

● Cruise Port: Port Everglades.

● Distance to Port: 3-8 miles. 

● Ages: All ages.

Plan the Perfect Fort Lauderdale Family Getaway

Although it can bring bigger crowds and slightly elevated prices, the December-to-April period also brings great weather to Fort Lauderdale. Shoulder season months, May and November, are the sweet spot. Summer can net you great vacation deals, but summer storms should be considered.

Royal Caribbean sails to both Eastern and Western Caribbean cruise ports from Fort Lauderdale, as well as cruises to The Bahamas, including Perfect Day CocoCay. Some shorter sails of three to four nights are also possible from Port Everglades.

Pairing a pre- or post-cruise Fort Lauderdale family vacation with Royal Caribbean allows for the ultimate family-friendly Florida getaway. Enjoy an endless list of family-geared activities on board, eateries featuring up to 23 international cuisines, award-winning complimentary kids clubs for sailors from 3-17, which let parents score nightly date nights or spa-time, record-breaking waterparks, slides and pools while sailing to island destinations for maximum memory making.

Set Sail for Your Best Fort Lauderdale Family Vacation