This South Florida city, known as the “Venice of America,” has 300 miles of navigable waterways, has a reputation for gracious living and is one of the country’s largest yachting centers. Restaurants and bars overlook the canals, and several of the city’s special events, including a Winterfest Boat Parade that draws local, national and international celebrities, revolve around boating and the water. Major redevelopment in the 1990s left Fort Lauderdale with an abundance of excellent museums, art galleries, restaurants, hotels, and sidewalk cafes.

Several nearby coastal communities make up Greater Fort Lauderdale. To the north are Pompano Beach (where sportfishing is a favored pastime), Lauderdale-by-the-Sea (a small seaside oasis) and Deerfield Beach (virtually untouched by beach erosion). To the south are Port Everglades (the country’s second-busiest port, frequented by five star cruise lines), Dania Beach (known for its antiques), Hallandale Beach (a seaside community formerly home to retirees but now popular with younger folks, as well) and Hollywood (its Broadwalk parallels the ocean).

Las Olas Boulevard, which follows the New River as it flows toward the Atlantic Ocean, is Fort Lauderdale’s upscale shopping and dining district. If you are a history buff, the restored Victorian home of city founder Frank Stranahan, now a museum, can easily be included in a boulevard stroll.

The picturesque Riverwalk serves as the cornerstone of the City’s arts, science, cultural and historic district. At the far west end of the boulevard is Las Olas Riverfront, an entertainment and retail complex.

Getting around Greater Fort Lauderdale is part of the sightseeing experience: the water taxi takes passengers between hotels, restaurants, theaters and nightclubs. At night, the twinkling lights along the canals make the ride quite romantic.

“In our language, Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki means ‘a place to learn.’ We invite you to come to the Big Cypress Reservation and learn about our exciting history and culture. The museum exhibits and rare artifacts show how our Seminole ancestors lived in the Florida swamps and Everglades. The museum film, ‘We Seminoles,’ tells our story in our own words, including our dramatic struggle to remain in Florida. Nature trails will take you throughout the beautiful 60-acre cypress dome to a living village. The museum also has interactive computers, and a Native American gift shop. See you at the museum.”
“Sho-naa-bish!”

Exhibit Gallery

The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is one of the finest American Indian museums in the United States. It features the nation’s largest display of the life and culture of the unconquered Florida Seminoles through exhibits, rare artifacts and cultural displays.

Located on the Seminole Tribe’s Big Cypress Reservation in the Florida Everglades, the 5,000 square foot museum is just three miles from Billie Swamp Safari Eco-Heritage Park.

Gallery exhibits include –

Transportation: Learn how the Seminoles traveled through the Everglades in canoes made from cypress trees.

Economy: Understand how the Seminoles survived by hunting, tanning buckskins, gathering food and gardening.

Exciting Film: View a dramatic five-screen presentation on Seminole history.

Rare Artifacts: See actual clothing, tools and implements used in times past, some on loan from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

Living Village: Visit an authentic Native American village with Seminole Tribal members preparing traditional arts and crafts.

Spiritual Beliefs: Get a unique glimpse into the sacred religious ceremony, the annual Green Corn Dance.

History and Culture: User-friendly computers allow visitors the opportunity to find further information on the Seminole Tribe’s rich history and culture.

Gift Shop: Buy Seminole arts and crafts and Native American music, jewelry, books and souvenirs.

Nature Trail: Walk through the beautiful Big Cypress Swamp on over one mile of boardwalk nature trails through native flora and fauna.

The exhibits depict the lives of the Seminoles in south Florida during the late 1800s. Hunting, cooking, travel, marriage, folklore and spiritual beliefs are portrayed. Rare artifacts include moccasins and leggings, turtle shell rattles, bracelets and beaded sashes, and medicine baskets. The museum also features exhibits of its own holdings, including Seminole war-period swords and firearms, beaded shoulder bags, and Seminole patchwork. The Legends Theater portrays how legends were passed down from generation to generation.

A new Seminole Postcard Exhibition has been unveiled that evokes a time many years ago when life was still a struggle for survival for Seminoles. Ranging from 1898 through 1960, the Seminole men and women pictured on the postcards add a human touch to the museum’s fabulous collection of artifacts.Educational Tours

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum offers a unique educational experience for everyone. Guided tours enable visitors to learn first hand about the Seminoles’ rich culture and heritage. Teachers are encouraged to take their students on a field trip into the rich swamplands of the Big Cypress Reservation. Scenic roads, lush vegetation, and a thriving community await.

Educational programs begin with Little Seminoles for grades K-2. This includes the orientation film “We Seminoles,” a tour of the exhibits emphasizing food, chores and transportation, and a visit to the Living Village to pound corn.

A Day in the Life of a Seminole is recommended for grades 3-5. Students tour the museum using clipboards to answer questions about Seminole life during the 1800s, and a visit to the Living Village to watch Tribal members make Seminole arts and crafts. Students will also view “We Seminoles.” General tours are recommended for all age groups.

The museum also offers a program for scouts to earn Native American Culture Patches.

Nature Trails

The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is located on a beautiful 60-acre cypress dome in the Big Cypress Swamp. One-and-a-half miles of boardwalk nature trails wind throughout the lush vegetation. Signage on the trails identifies the plant life and describes traditional Seminole uses of the plants.

Trees include:
Bald cypress, Willow, Pond apple, Red maple, Pop ash, Cabbage palm.

Plants include:
Ferns, Orchids, Air plants, Spanish moss, Pickerelweed, Arrowhead, Maidencane, St. John’s-wort.

Along the trail is a re-created Seminole village, where Tribal members work on traditional arts and crafts. Beside the village are re-created ceremonial grounds. The grounds include various chickee dwellings and an area for playing the traditional stick ball game. During special events, storytelling takes place in the amphitheater along the trail. The trails are accessible to the physically challenged, and wheelchairs are provided to those in need.

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum at Okalee Village

And, visit the new Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum at Okalee Village which is located at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood. This new museum features a collection of Seminole cultural and historical artifacts in three distinctive galleries totaling 4,000 square feet. Gallery exhibits include:

Colorful Seminole patchwork and patchwork clothing in a historic retrospective of this distinctive folk art

Seminole-genre paintings including works of art about the Seminole Tribe by noted non-Seminole artists as well as by Seminoles themselves

The largest known work by nationally known Native American mural artist Fred Beaver

Vintage photos from the early 1900s that depict Seminole lifestyles and pastimes taking you a step back in time

But it is much, much more than that. Located along the fabulous Sunrise Boulevard, the Swap Shop welcomes tens of millions of shoppers each year. Its eighty-eight acres includes a variety of activities, not the least of which is the flea market. With over eight hundred vendors strewn about the indoor/outdoor facility, shoppers can spend hours upon hours browsing the many wonderful shops and boutiques. They will be tempted by homemade craft items, delicious candy treats, beautiful gowns, rare glass and ceramic decorations, plus many more items.

The Swap Shop is also home to a thirteen-screen drive in theatre, showing the hottest movies on the market right now. This theatre, located right inside the grounds, is the largest drive-in movie theatre, with shows playing nightly after the sun goes down. Also included in this amazing city within a city is a daily circus. The million-dollar show performs almost every day of the year, and three times a day on weekends. For the kids, there is a small amusement park with rides and games, and a video arcade featuring the latest state-of-the-art electronic games and old classic ticket-winners.

Admission is free, as is the parking. And the gates are open three hundred and sixty-five days a year, no matter the weather. Most hotels nearby offer transportation directly to the Swap Shop, and the Tri-Rail provides access from all the counties in the area. The Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop is not something to miss if you are paying a visit to the area. It is truly one of the most unforgettable experiences to be had here.

There are many things to do and see in the Greater Fort Lauderdale area, but the shopping is unparalleled. The options, the variety, the sheer magnitude of some of the venues here can blow away even the most adventurous and experienced shopper. It is a vacation all in itself, even for those who live here.

This hotel is located on the scenic beach front roadway, overlooking the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean with its white sandy beach, tall palm trees and famous Fort Lauderdale sunshine.

Rooms: 42.

Right in the center of the Florida’s Gold Coast, midway to Palm Beach and Miami, is Fort Lauderdale Beach. Fort Lauderdale lies along the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the New River, 25 miles north of Miami. Its warm tropical weather attracts many people throughout the year. For sun worshipers, the city has 6 miles of beaches. There are also many recreational spots on the water, with extensive boating facilities, access to every conceivable water sport, a variety of fascinating museums and trendy restaurants, and an array of entertainment venues.

Rooms: 293. Hotel Chain: Westin.

Showcasing the Fort Lauderdale, Florida hotel’s outdoor landscape through a towering, glass-paneled wall, luminous corridors lead to tastefully designed brand new rooms and suites that lay claim to premier amenities including cozy bedding packages and convenient vanity areas.

Rooms: 315. Hotel Chain: Marriott Hotels & Resorts.

On-site, you will enjoy Porter’s, Steakhouse, American cuisine. Nearby, feel free to choose from Cap’s Place Island Restaurant (5 mi), Broward County”s oldest restaurant / seafood - continental; Carlucci’s Restorante (.2 mi), Italian; Champs (.2 mi), American; Charlie’s Crab House (10 mi), Seafood; Cielito Lindo II (10 mi), Mexican; Long Horn Steak House (.2 mi), Continental; Siam House (5 mi), Thai; Starlite Diner (.2 mi), American; Sweet Tomatoes (.2 mi), American

Rooms: 100. Hotel Chain: Red Roof Inn.

 Red Roof Inn - Fort Lauderdale is a small cozy Inn located 7 minutes away from Fort Lauderdale International Airport and Cruise Port Everglades. Located only 10 minutes away from Fort Lauderdale beaches and night life area, you are just moments away from the action or you can choose to enjoy a nice pool deck area on site.

One of Florida’s most unique and original beach hotels, this charming Fort Lauderdale establishment features 4 buildings with 70 individually decorated rooms, offering you comfortable living with countless amenities, where you can simply relax and enjoy you stay. You can also partake in a tree-side barbeque or take a walk to some favorite restaurants nearby. There is much to see and do in Fort Lauderdale, including Beach Place, Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, and Galleria Mall, all within a mile of the hotel. You can also take a walk down Las Olas Boulevard for shopping and entertainment, 3 miles from the hotel.