June 12: Family Friendly

Fort Lauderdale offers an increasingly hip vibe. Case in point: The brand new uber-cool W Fort Lauderdale Hotel/restaurant/lounge complex. So I imagine that some families might wonder whether this Florida vacation mecca is good for families too these days. It is. I've long believed that Broward County is a wonderful place to bring the kids. Hey, I even write a kids blog right on this website - a weekly fictional series about all the fun things for teens to do around here. Click here to check it out. How can your kids not enjoy a place with an attraction like Butterfly World? Just one example. This is a spot that feels almost surreal in some ways, with thousands of butterflies from all over the world flitting gently around as you walk a garden path among the waters. Believe me, that kind of tranquility can't do the parents any harm either.

But there's a lot more here for the whole family than just Butterfly World. You really have to bring everyone for an airboat ride in the Everglades, a float along the New River on the Water Taxi or Jungle Queen, a Segway trip through Birch State Park. And that's just for starters.

If I were a tourist with children, I'd want to take a leisurely stroll down Las Olas with a stop for ice cream at Kilwin's, arguably the best in town. And I'd also want to go for a nice affordable meal at one of the many family-friendly restaurants along the Hollywood Broadwalk. It's a lovely pedestrian path directly beside the ocean, lined on the non-seaview side with all kinds of places to eat and shop. Other ideas high on my list for visitors? A trip to the Bonnet House, where you'll find one of the wackiest historic homes in South Florida - and wild monkeys in the trees. (Make sure to ask where they are if you don't find these little critters on your own. They're small, adorable ... and very good at hiding.) I'd also introduce the kids to some of our imported cuisines such as Brazilian rodizio at Chima, with waiters serving an endless array of fine meats from skewers. You would need weeks here to catch just the highlights available for families. As it happens, http://www.sunny.org/ has some excellent 2-for-1 summer specials through the end of September, obviously a big help for the wallet during any summertime vacation to Greater Fort Lauderdale. You'll find those deals through a link on this website's home page, including specials for many of the places I mentioned in this blog. So, yes, I most definitely would pack up the bags, bring the kids and head to our part of Florida, whether in the summer or any other time of year. Sure, Fort Lauderdale does "ultra hip" now. But it does "plain fun" just as well.