On the same trip as the Tampa stop, I spent about a week in Fort Lauderdale. It was, in fact, the point of the whole trip. I was road tripping south for a travel blogging conference. I’d been to the city a few years prior on a different Florida road trip, but I didn’t do many of the tourist attractions and hardly ate at any local restaurants.
This was something I quickly remedied when I joined up on a food-focused blogger trip. If you’ve never traveled with food bloggers, or bloggers at all, it’s an experience to be sure. Just don’t eat your food before everyone has had a chance to photograph it! That’s rule #1.
My long week in Fort Lauderdale started with three days at the Atlantic Hotel and Spa right across from the beach. My massive suite with ocean views was my base for that time of constant indulgence, hardly becoming hungry before it was time to eat again.
Every meal was larger than the next and took place much more than three times a day. But it was interspersed with some unique experiences. We walked around Marando Farms, a small organic farm in the middle of town, with the owner and learned to mix cocktails at Stache.
We took a food tour of Las Olas Boulevard and learned about the local craft beer scene at Craft Beer Cartel. It was much more than four-course meals with wine pairings.
After I’d been stuffed to the brim, the rest of the week involved the usual antics of a conference: lots of time in conference rooms, dozens of cups of coffee, business cards exchanged, sore feet, little sleep. But after six years of travel blogging and plenty of conferences, I knew what to expect.
I tried to get to bed early when I could. I skipped a few morning sessions in order to answer emails and get work done. Then the real chaos began with the opening party and didn’t end until I arrived in my own bed at 9 pm on Halloween night after driving for 13+ hours.
There are many benefits to attending these conferences. I love that I get to catch up with friends that I hardly ever see, to be around people who “get” me (like Anna, above!). I love to network with people and talk about destinations to add to my next year’s to-do list.
And I get a few things out of the actual talks, like self-editing from the folks at Lonely Planet and inspiration from Don George, one of my favorite travel writers. But I’ve become undeniably jaded. I don’t get as excited about what I’ll learn as I used to. I feel tired at 9 pm and can’t deal with crowds as much anymore. My introversion has become more intense. Maybe I’ll be ready for another in 2017…
But I’m glad to have returned to Fort Lauderdale, to experience it on a more local level, to spend time with friends, and to remember why it is that I became a travel blogger: to inspire others to go places, no matter whether that’s near or far.
The Perfect Day in Fort Lauderdale
9 am– Breakfast at O.B House
10:30 am– Juice and produce shopping at Marando Farms
11:30 am– Lunch and shopping on Las Olas Boulevard
1 pm– Coffee and reading a book at Brew Next Door
3 pm– Visit the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art
4:30 pm– Beach or pool time
7 pm– Dinner at Louie Bossi’s
9 pm– Cocktails at Stache
Have you been to Fort Lauderdale? What were your favorite things?
For more on things to do in Fort Lauderdale, read my weekend guide over on This Is My South.
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