Family-Friendly Fort Lauderdale

By Lillian Seays
Published: November 17, 2007
Last Updated On: September 20, 2011

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Culture, education and fun are easily found in family-friendly Fort Lauderdale.

As soon as school was out, our grandchildren wasted no time cashing in on our promise to take them on vacation. Meeting the challenge of a planned retreat for an African-American family of four requires a little research. My goal was to plan an experience that would be both fun and culturally enriching. Pop's goal was to find the closest hammock and stay firmly planted.

While mainstream hotspots had its place on my list of priorities, culturally oriented venues were foremost in choosing the perfect place to visit. Welcome to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The weather in Fort Lauderdale is perfect for year-round vacations. The average summer-month temperature is 90 degrees, while the average year round temperature is a balmy 77. Couple that with the beautiful, sparkling beaches and Fort Lauderdale got our vote. The city has hundreds of hotels and resorts ranging from affordable to "the sky is the limit." 

We seldom drove anywhere; the Water Taxis make frequent stops at the hotel docks, making it convenient to visit various hotspots for dining, dancing and entertainment - including the popular Las Olas Boulevard and brick-lined Riverwalk.

Later that evening, we set sail for the three-hour Jungle Cruise with the Jungle Queen Riverboat. Our guide gave an account of all the luxury homes along the crystal blue waterway. After nearly an hour, the cruise vessel delivered us to shore, where we were treated to a scrumptious barbecue meal and live entertainment. My unsuspecting ham of a husband got the surprise of being randomly chosen from the audience to participate in the show. In one fell swoop, the man managed to both delight the audience AND embarrass me. The kids loved it.

Pop was clearly enjoying this trip as much as the kids. He insisted that the only thing that could make this vacation better was to find some good soul food. So the next day we found Betty's Soul Food and Barbeque at Sistrunk and 22nd at the railroad track.

Warning! If you go there, remember to wear loose clothing, because this friendly "down-home" eatery has every soul food delicacy your Southern taste buds could desire: chitterlings, oxtails, fried chicken, fried fish, barbecued ribs, collard greens, yummy desserts and homemade biscuits to die for. You'll over indulge before your know it.

When you leave Betty's - if you can still walk - take a stroll down Sistrunk Boulevard. Named after Broward County 's first African-American doctor, it's lined with African-American businesses of all sorts. If you're interested in mingling with the natives and learning snippets of local history, this is the place to be.

One must-stop is the African-American Research Library, located at Sistrunk and 27th. This $14 million facility is one of only three African-American research libraries in the United States. The center boasts a 300-seat state-of-the art auditorium and scores of African-American paintings and sculpture adorn the 5,000 feet of gallery space. Its meeting rooms and full-service small business center make it neighborhood-friendly; the Computer Technical Center offering online research capability enhances the learning experience.

Coaxed to request access to the special collections, the grandkids discovered new meaning to the word "freedom" as they perused the Civil Rights Sit-ins exhibit of 1960-1961 and the Alex Haley Exhibit. From there, we went to the Harambee room to see the paneled depiction of how life used to be in Broward County. We stood on the terrazzo floors installed with the likeness of the ocean and imagined the transport of African slaves. Maybe it's the imagination, but the acoustical treatment of the room gives the effect of the sound of one's voice coming from the midst of the ocean.

I had discovered paradise - the world's largest discount and entertainment mall housing designer outlets such as Saks Fifth Avenue, DKNY and Neiman Marcus.

Later that afternoon, The Museum of Discovery & Science scored a hefty 10 with my grandchildren. Located in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale, it offers an awesome encounter for the young and old alike. The kids spent hours exploring astronomy, gravity, centrifugal force and numerous other wonders of science. Our Blockbuster IMAX Theater experience was a 3-D life-like adventure into the heart of an African Safari.

As our vacation days dwindled and money got shorter, with still more souvenirs to buy, we visited the Swap Shop. It's a shopper's playground, but more than that, you can catch your breath while the kids enjoy the outdoor carnival rides.

I snuck off to check out Sawgrass Mills to shop. I returned a few minutes later to retrieve the rest of the family. I had discovered paradise - the world's largest discount and entertainment mall housing designer outlets such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. Now, I was the wide-eyed one with all the energy. After enjoying a quick snack at The Cheesecake Factory, Pop decided to take in a movie while the rest of us ran buck wild shopping and checking out the other entertainment venues.

Before leaving Fort Lauderdale, we got another piece of the Black Heritage experience at The Old Museum, formerly Dillard High School and the first one built there for Blacks.

Boarded up and condemned in 1980, the school later reopened as a regional historical museum. It is divided into five galleries. The first one, Heritage Gallery, depicts home life in one part of the room and in the other, a fully equipped replication of an early classroom - right down to the potbelly stove.

I loved the Rotating Exhibition Gallery with its eclectic exhibit; Pop's favorite was the Jazz Room, which houses memorabilia from Florida jazz greats including Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, former teacher at the old Dillard High School. Concerts are also held in this room.

The Minds-On Hands-On interactive gallery captivated the kids. Getting them away from tie-dyes and story telling was not easy, until they realized we were their only means of transportation.

The Library carries a wonderful collection of books, tapes, CDs and such. The curator, Derek T. Davis, has been thorough in transforming this venue into a priority destination for both tourists and townspeople alike.

Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped in at Tom Jenkins Bar-B-Q for ribs. Their sauce is fantastic and the collard greens are perfectly seasoned and garden fresh.

The next day, we visited John U. Lloyd Beach State Park in nearby Dania. Known as the first "Colored" Beach in the area, its visitors now come from a diverse background. My granddaughter, the prolific risk-taker in the family, was anxious for Pop to take her on her first snorkeling adventure. Meanwhile, I took her my grandson on a 45-minute nature walk.

Having completed our jaunt, we regrouped at the Whiskey Creek picnic area for lunch. We refused to leave before jumping a few waves on the beach and enjoying the scenery from our rented kayak. It was altogether a great day.