Ahoy readers! Kyle and I have been down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for about 2 months now, so we’ve had some time to explore. Southeast Florida in this post will cover spots from Jupiter all the way down to Miami. Unfortunately, we still haven’t found time to go explore the Florida Keys thus when we do, I will write.

Jupiter

Let’s start up North near Jupiter where I highly recommend you visit the Loggerhead Marinelife Center. Dedicated staff members like our buddy Thany, work to protect, rescue and rehabilitate sea turtles off the SE Florida coast. While visiting the Center you can be feet away from feeding sessions, medical procedures, new born and full grown turtles. Here are some pictures of our friend Thany while on the job!

Images were acquired while conducting authorized research activities for the Loggerhead Marinelife Center pursuant to MTP-22-154

While you’re up there definitely visit Guanabanas or Square Grouper for some amazing food, drinks, music and tiki vibes.

If you’ve got some time and a car, take the A1A down the coast to see some spectacular mansions and beach views. As you keep moving South, you can pass by Mar Lago as well. Some people care about that, I guess? Ultimately though, you’ll hit the town of West Palm Beach.

West Palm Beach

West Palm Beach has some nice and by nice I mean very expensive shops and restaurants. The beach itself is very well kept and no where near as crowded as other places in Florida. It as well has some decent breaks to do some surfing or just watch surfers if that’s what you’re into.

My recommendations are to take a walk down Rosemary Square, Clematis street and check out Lost Weekend arcade bar. If you’d like to go for a dip, I suggest exploring the Phil Fosters Park snorkel trail. You can rent gear right down the street and set up camp on the beach. Along the trail you’ll see huge starfish, parrot fish and hermit crabs like this guy. Peanut Island is another good place close by too, but I refuse to pay $18 for a 2 minute boat ride.

Keep moving South and you’ll end up in Fort Lauderdale. I say just take the highway to get there. The A1A is still scenic but takes a lot longer.

Fort Lauderdale

Without a doubt, when in Fort Lauderdale get yourself on a boat. Whether that be taking the Jungle Queen tour, Staying Afloat Party boat or renting your own cruiser for the day, it’s the best way to see the city. Follow the intercostal waterway (ICW) and you’ll find more millionaire mansions, yachts, mangroves and sea life all while jamming and boozing with your buddies.

Our friends Buzz, Henry, Andrew, Lenora and of course Thany were able to come down and visit a few weeks ago and this by far was my favorite part of the trip. I’ll be writing another Kyle and Halley Update either next week or the week after that’ll share more about this stay-vacation with our friends so stay tuned.

Fort Lauderdale is definitely more of a spring break destination and is more crowded during the winter peaking around March for spring break. Though nonetheless, the place is fun and grungy. Between Las Olas and the New River, there is a bar and restaurant for every kind of night. I prefer The Wharf, Quarterdeck (the one not by the water), Fat Cats and Waxy’s Pub. The beach has a multitude of activities going on at all times from beach clean-ups to volleyball leagues, soccer tournaments, festivals and markets. It is the yachting capitol of the world, making it a great place to walk the water front or find a job on a yacht hopefully.

The Everglades

All you nature lover’s out there will enjoy our next stop: The Everglades! Before checking out the park, I imagined it would be similar to Rocky Mountain as in there is plenty of wildlife, but you most likely will not see much of it. I was so wrong.

We must have seen close to 50 gators, a handful of turtles, a few snakes and more! Unfortunately though, no boa’s. Just an hour outside of Fort Lauderdale/Miami it is definitely worth dedicating a day to check out. Without a doubt, book an airboat tour. There are quite a limited number of roads you can access, while the airboat tours take you through the everglades. We did the Gator Park tour. It was about a 40 minute long ride, very educational, thrilling and filled with a few gators in the wild. Your airboat ticket also comes with a wildlife show afterwards that features some pretty unique animals and feeding sessions.

Miami

Last but not least (sorry this website is making me use transition words), is Miami. I strongly urge you to checking out Little Havana. Some of the best food, drinks and true cuban atmosphere we’ve had was at Old Havana the restaurant.

As you go closer to the water you’ll find more clubs, bars, beaches and expensive hotels. All throughout the year, Miami is the host to various festivals, events and fairs. The cool thing is there always is something going on. It is most known for the Ultra music festival happening around spring break and now for the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Wynwood Art District is my favorite neighborhood of Miami by far. This part of town feels like you’re in a cartoon future. Every street you walk down has graffiti art work, restaurants and bars pride themselves on their atmosphere with decked out decor & picturesque scenery and the largest open-air food market in America known as Smorgasburg.

I haven’t gone to the Wynwood Walls, because there are sooo many free murals and artworks around town that it seems like a tourist trap for money.

Worth A Visit

All in all, living in SE Florida for the time being isn’t all that bad. We’ve had a lot of fun exploring this part of the country with each other and our friends. Please share any of your favorite spots in SE Florida so I can check them out as well. Stay tuned in next week-ish for an update about Kyle and I! Thanks for reading! Peace!