Located on the Atlantic side of Florida, Fort Lauderdale makes a great day trip from the Fort Myers area on the Gulf side. Yesterday, a new friend “Deanna” and I drove a little over 2 hours to check out what’s changed in Fort Lauderdale since the Spring Break days of the 70’s. Researching on Trip Advisor, our first stop was the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, formerly owned by Frederic Clay Bartlett, an artist and his wife, for use as a winter retreat to escape Chicago’s cold winters, dating back to the 20’s. The tour of the home lasted over an hour. The architecture was interesting in that there is a courtyard with doors leading to each room (i.e. most of the rooms are not attached to each other, you’re required to go back out to the courtyard to access another room). The grounds were beautiful with tall palm trees, small ponds, and flowers.
A little sitting area in the courtyard…
An ornate lamp Mr. Bartlett made from an oil drum…
The courtyard hallways (open to the elements) are lined with artwork…paintings, carved statues, etc.
A fountain lies in the center…
Some of the beautiful flowers…
This thatched roof structure lends a tropical island feel…
The “yellow” greenhouse is filled with orchids…
We enjoyed the tour, but both of us were expecting the gardens to be larger. From the Bonnet House we walked 10 minutes to the waterfront and had lunch at a place called Thai on the Beach. We were the only patrons. From there we caught a $1.00 ride on the Sun Trolley a mile or two along the beach to Las Olas Blvd., a street filled with Art Galleries, restaurants, and shops. First, we had to walk about 1.5 miles to reach the area, crossing some waterways…
Ladies out for a stroll…
One of the galleries…
Deanna obliged me when I asked her to snuggle with the teddy bear…
One of the shops had some interesting glasswork…
What a cute dog and his owner…
Crossing another waterway on the walk back…
Here’s the beach at Fort Lauderdale. I was surprised at the difference from the Gulf side. The sand is tan rather than white and you’ll notice some homeless people here on the beach…
Arriving home by 6:00pm, I was tired from the driving and walking, but happy to have made the excursion!
Sherry Lachelle Travels 
I am glad to see that you enjoyed my backyard. From 1991 until last year, when I moved up to Palm Beach County, I lived right off of Las Olas on Bontona Ave in Las Olas Isle, had my office at Las Olas & SE 13th, then we moved to the Coral Ridge area about a mile from the Bonnet House. I also made a Spring Break visit in the 70’s while I was attending Ohio State. After one more brutal winter in Ohio I decided that they had jobs and schools in Florida so I packed up and moved in Sept 1979 and never looked back. Ft Lauderdale Beach has changed a lot since the Spring Break days of the 70’s. In fact there is only one bar left from those days, the Elbo Room at the corner of Las Olas and A-1-A. The photos are beautiful.
LikeLike
Wow…cool! It is beautiful there. I’m from Ohio also…I keep thinking the same thing. I need to move somewhere warm. We passed the Elbo Room. Thanks Daniel!
LikeLike
Great set of photos! We spent just a few hours in Fort Lauderdale many years ago. Having seen your photos I wish we had explored and spent more time there.
LikeLike
Thanks…we were only there about 6 hours. If you’re not hanging out at the beach, doesn’t seem to be many culturally related things to do.
LikeLike
Looks absolutely fantastic there. One more item on my bucket list. I’ve been to Florida once, for some bicycling on rail trails and enjoyed that a lot, but your pictures entice me to go there again.
Have a great time,
Pit
LikeLike
I’m glad you enjoyed them Pit! Thanks for taking time to comment!
LikeLike
Like what I see
LikeLiked by 1 person