Gold Coast Highway A1A
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The very best way to get a feel for the quality of life along the Gold Coast is to take a leisurely drive north on A1A. The road hugs the beach almost all the way and passes through some of the most beautiful natural settings and some of the wealthiest communities in the U.S. The 50-mile (80-km) route can be traversed in a day, but it’s worth spending more time to take in the local color, from tropical nature preserves to fabulous mansions, all within sight of the sugary blond sands and the azure Atlantic.
Fort Lauderdale has many facilities for gay visitors See Gay and Lesbian Venues & Gay and Lesbian Hotels Want to continue farther north on A1A? See A1A North along the Treasure Coast
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2. John U. Lloyd Beach State Park
2. John U. Lloyd Beach State ParkThis long barrier island of gardens and forests commands views of busy Port Everglades and a beach historically significant as one designated for African-Americans, in the days of segregation. It’s now a gay destination (see Gay and Lesbian Venues).
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3. Graves Museum of Archaeology and Natural History
Exhibits here include dinosaur fossils, dioramas of prehistoric Florida, African wood-carvings, Pre-Columbian pottery figures, Minoan bronzes, Egyptian statuary, and Native American collections. The museum’s usually a big hit with kids.
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4. Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale
4. Las Olas Boulevard, Fort LauderdaleFort Lauderdale’s main street boasts upscale shops and excellent eateries. At the river end, Las Olas Riverfront is a colorful theme mall, from which the Riverfront Canal Cruise departs (see Gold Coast Highway A1A).
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5. Bonnet House
This period home (built 1920) is full of the personality of the couple who created it, Frederic and Evelyn Bartlett. They were both artists, as is evident from the highly original murals, and the somewhat eccentric tropical gardens.
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6. Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
An informative center, with a boardwalk that winds through mangroves and hammocks (raised areas) in Red Reef Park. It takes its name from the gumbo limbo tree, which has distinctive, red peeling bark.
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7. Worth Avenue, Palm Beach
The street for local and visiting VIPs to select this week’s wardrobe and perhaps a little objet d’art.
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8. Flagler Museum
The “Taj Mahal of America,” was Henry M. Flagler wedding gift to his third wife, who was half his age and an heiress herself. The trappings of royalty are everywhere, down to the hand-painted dinner service that once belonged to a French king.
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9. The Breakers
The third hotel to be built on this site, the first two having burned down. However, the aura of America’s Gilded Age (1880–1910) still clings to every aspect of this stylish abode , from the frescoed Italianate ceilings to the countless crystal chandeliers.
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10. Norton Museum of Art
Perhaps Florida’s finest museum of art, featuring Impressionists, Modern Americans, and much more.
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