Things to Do on Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

If you’re in Fort Lauderdale with the girls and looking for a great place to shop, eat and drink, be sure to check out Las Olas Boulevard. We think it’s one of the best girlfriend getaway hangout spots in Fort Lauderdale! We recently checked with a Las Olas expert to help us with an awesome list of five top experiences along the boulevard – for even more ideas head over to the Las Olas website.

1. There’s no better way to start the day in Fort Lauderdale than by sitting on a patio and doing some serious people watching on the boulevard. You’ll have plenty of eye candy to choose from: hippies, surfers, Mr. GQ and college hunks, oh, la, la. You also have plenty of food choices along the strip, try Gran Forno Pronto’s for their strawberry cheese croissants or head over to Le Bonne Crepe, one of Fort Lauderdale’s favorite breakfast venues, plus they do a nice nutella banana crepe, yum!

2. Forget about walking or taking a cab to Las Olas, try out Fort Lauderdale’s uber cool water taxi service. Hold on to your ticket stubs to get discounts at Mangos, Big City Tavern, La Bonne Crepe, Kilwin’s (chocolate and peanut brittle waffle cone delights) and Mission Gifts. I’m liking that deal! Go to watertaxi.com for route and schedule information.

3. Visit the ‘Las Olas Village’ located between 11 and 16th Avenue on East Las Olas Boulevard for some of the best local boutiques in Fort Lauderdale. This part of the boulevard is a fashion-lover’s dream with tons of indie shops and cute cafes. Located just east of the village, at 916 East Las Olas Boulevard, you can find LF Stores – the in place to shop in Fort Lauderdale. With it’s awesome ‘rustic cottage’ vibe and funky clothes, this place is fun, unique and totally chi-chi!

4. Who says that Fort Lauderdale lacks culture?! Stranahan House, the grande dame of Fort Lauderdale architecture has been around since Las Olas Boulevard was a one lane dirt road! This well-preserved home will give you a feeling for what life was like for a well-to-do Florida family at the turn of the century. It functioned as a trading post, post office, town hall, and home to the Stranahans. Guided tours of the house are available daily at 1, 2, 3 pm and a Ghost Tour on Sunday evenings. Our favorite tour? The Stranahan House River Ghost Tour of course!

5. If you’re on the boulevard on Sunday, don’t miss the Las Olas Gourmet Market. Much yumminess to be found because, even though the range of products is small, the quality is high. My favorite at the market is the guacamole guy! You get guacamole made to your liking, with a mortar and pestle used by the indigenous people of Colombia.

Make sure to let us know all about about your discoveries on Las Olas in the comments section below!

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