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Here is an amazing 5 day itinerary for places to stay, eat, see and things to do in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Key West, Florida. Florida…. Florida. Just that word makes me smile. There are so many places there that are so fun and beautiful to me. Living in Louisiana, the pan handle of Florida are the places I usually visit. But this time, we decided to venture further south and explore in and around Miami. Here are some things to do in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Key West). ( If you don’t want the bloggy version and just want the yummy goodness, just skip right down to the end where there are bullet points of things to do.) We stayed at a Wyndham resort in Pompano Beach, Florida , which was perfect for us. It’s a small city but close enough to drive to all our other destinations. You can also find great Airbnb places to stay around there as well. (Get $40 off your first stay here). I use Airbnb ALL. THE. TIME. You can check out my favorite tips to make your Airbnb trip successful here. You can also read about each of my stays here including the bill here. ( our view from the balcony) We flew into Fort Lauderdale and rented a car. We caught the Southwest sale so our flight tickets were super cheap! I suggest you check it out when they have their sale again! It was my first time flying Southwest ( I know late bloomer.) and from New Orleans, it was only a 3 hour flight. We stopped at Margaritaville at noon for food and drinks, (because we were on a vacation, and what screams vacation more that Margaritaville?) Then we walked the boardwalk. It was nice sightseeing some of the house and still seeing the beach. Then we headed to our hotel to drop off our stuff. We toured around the resort and then went grocery shopping. This kept our food cheap because we tried to cook most meals, but still had some meals out in the town to enjoy their food. This is why resorts are my favorite so I don’t have to eat out breakfast, lunch and dinner for 5 days. We spent $75 for 3 breakfast, 3 lunch and 3 dinner for 2 people. We rested up that night since we left at 5am that morning to get there. We went to Nathan catered to my kid side and we went on a pirate adventure. Our resort gave me a coupon to get a free junior pirate pack, so of course I had to ask for it. She told me it’s usually only for kids but decided I seemed kid enough! haha. So I went happily along with my bandana, eye patch and pirate sword. I have to say the pirate adventure was SOO cute. It was fun for adults and kids. It started with Cannonball Kiki give out pirate tattoos to the kiddos while Black Sparrow ( brotha from anotha mother of Jack Sparrow) told pirate jokes. While the kids got the G rated version of jokes, the parents and adults got the R rated jokes. (If you don’t want to do one catered to kids, they do offer a booze cruise for adults.) Then they lined the kids up to take a picture and then headed on the boat for our adventure. They sat the kids up at the front with Cannonball Kiki and the adults sat in the back with Black Sparrow. As we traveled along, Black Sparrow told us jokes and about the owners of the million dollar mansions on the water front. Cannonball Kiki entertained the kids with limbo and other pirate stories. They learned about the treasure and the map and the treasure key. We eventually continued on our way to where the kids could shoot the “cannons.” The kids eventually met up with a bad pirate, Barnacle Bill and he had the key to the treasure. They had to “fight” Barnacle Bill for the key. I won’t tell you the rest because you just have to go, but it is truly a great event. It lasts about 2 hours and is ranked high on trip advisor. I will say it was very hot when we went… florida in July, duh! but they did sell water for $1 and I suggest you take one to stay hydrated. We went back to the resort to eat and then headed out the beach to walk along and see the sunset. It was truly a magical site. Something about sunsets in Florida. The next day was a dreary one, so we went out to get breakfast. We decided to try Jet Runway Cafe. It’s a small restaurant located on the runway. You can see planes get ready to take off and come in to park. It was nice clean environment. The wait staff was wonderful and the breakfast was delicious. Have a look! We spent time by the pool and then went on a Jungle Queen Cruise that night with friends. The jungle cruise is a great event. You spend about 45 minutes out on the water getting information about the million dollar houses. (Some we heard from the pirate adventure, but some were new.) Dont forget to check GROUPON. Right now the Jungle Queen tickets for 35% off regular price! We then were fed all you can eat chicken, ribs, and shrimp, baked beans, and potatoes. Then, we went outside and sat around the stage. There were 4 acts: A juggler, a ventriloquist, a comedian, and a fire performance. You have time to visit their gift shop and tour the grounds to see the animals. After, you get to the 45 boat ride back for a total of 4 hours. We decided to do a day trip to Key West. Let me mention that this is not a trip for everyone if you are staying in Fort Lauderdale. Key West is about 4 hours from there so its a 8 hour trip total just driving. We loved Key West when we went on our cruise, so we decided to go back. We left bright and early around 7:30 and got to key west right at noon. We did stop once at a visitor center and checked everything out. The drive was nice and most of it was bridges and small islands so it was nice to see. We parked easily in a parking garage and went on walking. We went to our favorite Sloppy Joe’s and got Key Lime Pie after a little exploring. We left at about 4 and got back around 8pm. We went to Miami. From Fort Lauderdale to Miami, it’s only about 45 minute drive, so perfect for going for the day. We decided to check out the Miami Zoo. Seriously, this place is like a mini Disney. Its huge! It is a full day event and even then you might not get through it all. It was very hot but they offer lots of different places to duck into shade and still see animals. We decided to add the $5 train ride and that was probably the BEST thing we did. With the heat, it was rough but the 45 minute train ride, gave you a tour of almost every area of the zoo and moves slowly around so you can get pictures. The tour guide also gives you tidbits and takes you behind the scenes as well. When you leave you can check out the pictures that you took as you walked in. Be sure to ask them about all the package options. They like to offer you complete package in hopes you’ll just take that, but they offer other options like just rights to the pictures or just little pictures at cheaper prices. And there you have it, our trip in a bundle. Here is a shortened list of things to do in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Key West. (You can do most of Key West in one day) I hope this helped you with your trip to Southern Florida. Be sure to check out our other adventures here. Till next time, Need more travel ideas? Go Here Starting a bucket list? Go Here Visiting New Orleans? Go Here Want to spice up date night? Go Here. Need delicious recipes? Go Here. Feeling crafty? Go Here. Share with friends!
Top 12 Things to do near Miami, FL
Day 1:
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Day 2:
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Day 5
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FORT LAUDERDALE:
MIAMI:
KEY WEST:
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This post may contain affiliate links, please read my full[...]
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About Me
Hey There! I’m Becky, and I’m so glad you stopped by! I’m an Artist, Baker, and Crafter who loves Travel as well. I’m a lover of all things fun, and life’s an adventure.Won’t you journey along with me?
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