June 15: Be a Tourist in Your Own Backyard

1. Plan your hometown getaway by visiting www.sunny.org to request free guides.
Greater Fort Lauderdale is home to 31 municipalities and encompasses more than 1,000 square miles. With attractions, a list of accommodations and places to shop and eat, the Getaway Guide and map will come in handy - even for locals. Take a sightseeing boat tour or a duck tour. Visit the local visitor center and pretend that you are a tourist and get them to recommend things to do. Go to social tourism websites such as TripAdvisor to see what other tourists who have already visited suggest to do in your town.

2. Switch up your everyday routine and try something new.
Break out of your routine. Drive a different route to work. Browse through the Riverwalk or downtown Las Olas Boulevard or downtown Hollywood. Taste a new dish. Find out areas that you have never been to. There are always places to discover or that you don't visit very often. Explore and walk around. Eat out and try a new place you have never been to. With many different cultures represented in Greater Fort Lauderdale and more than 4,000 restaurants, hometown tourists can sample almost any international destination. Ask someone you pass on the street if they can recommend a good place to eat.

3. Indulge in adventure.
Even if it means taking a ride on the wild side, find a way to play in Greater Fort Lauderdale such as a trek through the Everglades to Billie Swamp Safari. Learn more about the past at the Stranahan House or the present on a Water Taxi Tour. Browse through upcoming special events on www.sunny.org and create an itinerary. Sign up to "Vacation Like A VIP" and receive 2-for-1 admissions to places like the Museum of Discovery and Science, Butterfly World, sightseeing cruises, golf, spa and more. www.sunny.org/vip 

4. Find your own beach personality?
Test your beach style with Gr8ter Fort Lauderdale's online quiz (www.sunny.org/beach-quiz). Sample the unique vibe of each of the eight different beaches. Reel in some fish at Pompano Beach. Run, bike, or rollerblade, just get active at Hollywood's Broadwalk. Launch a kayak at one of the area's hidden gems, Dania Beach. Take a moonlit guided turtle walk on Fort Lauderdale beach. Pack up the family for surfing, beach volleyball, and sand castles in Deerfield Beach. Learn more about Broward's beach communities at www.sunny.org/beaches.

5. Get a room.
For a real escape, spend a night or two at a cozy Superior Small Lodging and experience personalized service and charm in a quaint inn. Take it one-step further and see what makes the spa resorts in the Lauderdale Luxe Collection such an affordable luxury and an escape from the everyday.

RELAX AND ENJOY YOUR HOMETOWN!

Monica Vigo, Intern
Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau
(Photo courtesy of The Atlantic Hotel)