| | History (Source: WCities) | Top | Florida's Gold Coast, of which Fort Lauderdale is such an integral part, is proof that contemporary alchemy exists. Seven decades ago, what is now seductive sands, swaying sea oats and glittering hotels and condominiums was palmetto scrub and swampland. Along these sands, only the occasional beached sailor and the fabled barefoot mailman strode. Many generations ago, the Abaniki tribe of Native Americans lived beside the sea here, followed generations later by pirates who awaited an opportunity to attack Spanish galleons heading home from Central America, loaded with gold. Some didn't just await an opportunity—they created it. Early entrepreneurs called 'wreckers' lured ships onto the spiky shoreline stones that gave Boca Raton, which translates loosely to 'rat's mouth', its unglamorous Spanish name, a salute to the rocks' resemblance to rat's teeth. Wreckers had a pretty easy job of it, however as hurricanes and inadequate navigational aids sent many a ship to a watery death. So often did this happen, in fact, that the locals often went to church to pray not only for booty, but for specific booty, designed to meet the need of the moment. So handsomely were some prayers answered that a massive party went on for days in Boca Raton when a Spanish shipwreck produced hundreds of barrels of sherry. The wreckers were such a demanding crowd that, by the late 1800s, they were accusing shipowners of sending out worthless cargo to collect insurance money. Auda
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| How To Get There (Source: WCities) | Top | Getting There Air Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport ( FLL ) +1 954 359 1200 http://www.fll.net/ FLL is located just minutes from downtown and services the following airlines: Air Canada ( +1 888 247-2262/ http://www.aircanada.com/en/home.html ) Air Jamaica ( +1 800 523 5585/ http://www.airjamaica.com/ ) Air Tran ( +1 800 AIR TRAN/ http://www.airtran.com/ ) Air Transat ( +1 800 388 5836/ http://www.airtransat.com/ ) American Airlines ( +1 800 433 7300/ http://www.aa.com/ ) ATA ( +1 800 435 9282/ http://www.ata.com/ ) Avianca ( +1 800 284 2622/ http://www.avianca.com/ ) Bahamasair ( +1 800 222 4262/ http://www.bahamasair.com/ ) Cayman Airways ( 1 800 441 3003/ http://www.caymanairways.com/ ) Continental ( +1 800 525 0280/ http://www.continental.com/ ) Delta ( +1 800 221 1212/ http://www.delta.com/ ) Frontier ( +1 800 432 1359/ http://www.flyfrontier.com/ ) Jet Blue ( +1 800 538 2583/ http://www.jetblue.com/ ) Laker Airways ( Bahamas ) ( +1 866 525 3712/ http://www.lakerbahamas.com/ ) Lynx Airways International ( +1 888 LYNX AIR/ http://www.lynxair.com/ ) Midwest Airlines ( +1 800 425 2022/ http://www.midwestairlines.com/ ) Northwest ( +1 800 225 2525/ http://www.nwa.com/ ) Song Delta Air ( +1 800 359 7664/ http://www.flysong.com/ ) Southwest ( +1 800 435 9792/ http://www.southwest.com/ ) Spirit ( +1 800 772 7117/ http://www.spiritair.com/ ) TED
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| What To Do (Source: WCities) | Top | Fort Lauderdale is nothing if not entertaining. From—thankfully—long-gone days when an unremarkable film called Where the Boys Are skyrocketed the city to collegiate fame, to these simply sunny days when sophisticates have taken over the sands and ousted the undergrads, the city has learned many a lesson about entertainment. Nature Nature fans head to such spots as Everglades Holiday Park , where strange contraptions known as airboats skim across shallow waters for a look at that vast 'river of grass' heralded by authors and closely guarded by environmentalists. Here baby alligators play, deer seek refuge on high spots, birds swoop and squawk and visitors marvel at miles and miles and more miles of tropical trees, greenery and grasses as far as the eye can see. You can also explore the mangrove swamp at the Deerfield Island Park or discover the sea turtles at the 56-acre Hollywood North Beach Park . For a man-made look at the creatures with whom we share the planet, a stop at Lion Country Safari is a not-to-be-missed diversion. Animals of the African veldt roam free while you stay caged in your car as they stare curiously at those strange creatures behind the glass—a nice twist on the zoo scene and an intriguing way to go nose-to-nose with a giraffe. Museums If history is your book, the city's small Himmarshee Village area focuses on the past. The city's first hotel sits serenely by the water, and some of its first homes are now on displa
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