Fort Lauderdale | Things to Do on a Layover

On our recent trip to Peru we realized we were going to have to entertain ourselves at the airport for over 8 hours on layover in Fort Lauderdale! Instead, we decided to leave the airport and explore Fort Lauderdale as much as possible with the amount of time we had. This is another great reason to get Global Entry if you haven't already. The TSA Pre Check gave us no worries of a long line back through security again.
Before we decided to make a video about this, we were already researching things to do in the area and of course all the same articles with the same activities popped up, but we wondered what could actually be done with only a few hours. So we tried it ourselves with things someone could reasonably do in Florida during a layover in Fort Lauderdale. Here's what we came up with:
1. Lester's Diner | 250 FL-84, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315. We are sucker's for a great cafe/diner and this one definitely lived up to the hype. The food and service were great and they even have a small bakery in the diner. Lester's Diner is only about 6 minutes away from the airport.
2. The Casino at Dania Beach | 301 E. Dania Beach Blvd, Dania Beach, FL 33004. We're not crazy on gambling or anything, but we do like shiny slot machines! This place was nice and clean and it was easy to get started. There is a good bar for mimosas and bloody mary's (if it's a little early) or anything else you might want to drink. They even let us store our bags with Security while we played and we won a little over $100!
3. Jaxon's Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant | 128 S Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33004. When Courtney told me that she wanted to put an Ice Cream stop on the list, I must admit I wasn't' very excited about it, but Jaxon's was actually amazing. The ambiance is super cool, with so much to look at and the servers are extremely friendly. Every sit down order comes with a freshly popped bowl of popcorn and the banana split we ordered was so delicious. We kept talking about it on our trip and if we ever find ourselves in Fort Lauderdale again, we're going straight to Jaxon's.
4. The Hollywood Beach Broadwalk (not to be confused with Boardwalk) | 1000 North Broadwalk, Hollywood, FL 33019. We didn't notice the difference and kept calling it the boardwalk, but apparently it's actually the BROADWALK. It's a 2.5 mile stretch of restaurants, boutiques, shops and more, directly adjacent to the beach. There are also shops to rent scooters and bicycles here for the Broadwalk.
5. The Taco Joint | 1000 North Broadwalk, Hollywood, FL 33019. We asked some locals where the best tacos around and this place was pretty much the only answer within a reasonable walking distance of us. So we decided to give it a shot with the Mahi Mahi tacos. We were not impressed. The tacos had too much tarter sauce/mayonnaise on it and the Mahi Mahi had no real flavor. It was disappointing. The locals suggest getting away from the Broadwalk for good food. They also suggested Capone's if you're looking for pizza/Italian, but we just didn't have time for a sit down restaurant. ...but the Corona was good if you're looking for a place to grab a beer next to the beach.
6. Old Ghosts of Hollywood | 2010 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, FL 33020. This place is an antique and vintage oddities shop that specializes in the strange and unusual. They have a huge selection of Victorian decor, tiki, gothic, mid century, vintage toys, circus and sideshow memorabilia and a lot more. They even have a neat tattoo shop at the back of the store if you're looking to get some fresh ink. I found a piece I liked and inquired about shipping and they shipped it back home to me while I was away, no problem. Check them out at Old Ghosts of Hollywood on Instagram and Facebook.
If you found any of the above information helpful, please consider SUBSCRIBING as we launch this channel with similar ACTIVE VACATION/TRAVEL content! And let us know in the comments below what you're favorite stops is in Fort Lauderdale are.
All of the above was accomplished over an 8 hour layover with plenty of time to return to the airport and go through security again. Be prepared to pay for airport surcharges on ride shares.

[@curtkeisler7623]

Thank you. Now I know there's nothing in Ft. Lauderdale that I want to see on a layover. You saved me so much time!

[@Castaways_Travel]

😂 it was better than the airport for 8 hours. We’d definitely go back for that ice cream if we’re ever around there again.

[@curtkeisler7623]

@@Castaways_Travel yeah . . . that layover sucked staying in the airport . . . I'm venturing out next time . . . the people coming through there were very challenging to tolerate . . .

[@patriciam9290]

1. This is a great way to spend the time instead of sitting at the airport staring at the runway. 2. If you don’t get someone to cleanse that cookie jar, I’m never coming over again.

[@Castaways_Travel]

The jars attachments are the best part!! 🤡

[@Casinodaniabeach]

Thanks for Visiting us! Thanks for the 4 out of 5 Wilson's LOL. We enjoyed the video Dania Beach is truly a hidden gem!

[@Castaways_Travel]

Absolutely. We’ll be back!

[@WizeChoice]

Amazing video, Gratitude much! I have a 3 hour lay over in ft Lauderdale and was trying to get a heads up on what could be done with that time. The casino and a banana boat sounds like a party plan to me 🎉

[@Castaways_Travel]

🙏🏽 Thank you for watching. I’m pretty sure if we’re ever back in Ft. Lauderdale we’ll be going straight to Jaxsons for some ice cream.

[@Julietothemoon]

Cool up until the end!!! 🙃

[@Castaways_Travel]

🤡

[@roymain2854]

Two out of Five Wilson's?! Bahaha!

[@Castaways_Travel]

I think we were being generous, too. We know tacos!