Fort Lauderdale Beach

Visitors to Fort Lauderdale and long-time residents alike are periodically seized with the urge to get into their automobiles and go for a drive to see the ocean. The undisputable place to do this is the 5-mile stretch of beach bordering the east side of Highway A1A from the 17th Street Causeway to just north of Sunrise Boulevard. This is Fort Lauderdale Beach, once known as the Fort Lauderdale strip.

And what a pretty and fun sight it is! Golden sand and blue ocean on the east side of the road, bordered by a new wave-shaped promenade lined with palm trees. Unobstructed, thanks to a complete prohibition on building. The west side of the road is lined variously with low-rise lodgings, gift shops, restaurants, a yacht basin, and a public olympic swimming pool-museum.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame, 30 years old in 1995 and just having completed expensive alterations, offers olympic water sports mementos, gifts, and exhibits, as well as an olympic-sized swimming pool where young future olympians train.