Fort Lauderdale: Shopping

There’s no doubt about it – the American’s know how to shop. They’ve exported their shopping malls across the world along with their brands and culture of hanging around stores all day buying and eating. Well here in Fort Lauderdale it’s on an even bigger scale – you’ll find superb boutique stores in the streets of downtown Fort Lauderdale, especially East Las Olas Boulevard, and the largest shopping outlet in the whole of the USA – Sawgrass Mills.

Sawgrass Mills covers nearly 2 miles of shopping space together with over 350 stores – this beast is still growing with expectations in late 2012 a further section will be added to this 20 year old in-door high street. You can get all the top brand names like Gap, Esprit, Calvin Klein to the designer labels of Hugo Boss, Prada and Versace.

Take all this with excellent American prices plus heavy discounts of 40% (regularly advertised) or so and you’ll be making unbelievable savings on European pricing. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time, Sawgrass Mills needs a minimum of 2.5 hours.

Sawgrass Mills: 12801 West Sunrise Boulevard, Sunrise, Florida,33323

www.facebook.com/sawgrassmills

Fort Lauderdale: Billie Swamp Safari

Get to Florida and it’s not just the phenomenally long clear golden beaches, but there’s an abundant of wildlife that needs to be experienced. Take a tour or hire a car and drive out to the Everglades, this 1.5 hour journey takes you into the depths of the swamps where Fauna and Flora thrive.

Billiie Swamp Safari is an Everglades adventure that takes you into the wild on large water buggies taking you into the forest and grasslands to see the array of animals living in the southern state of the USA.

Florida was originally owned by Spain and sold to the United States for $5million – now worth substantially more than that – the Spanish brought new wildlife to the state including horses and pigs. Billie Swamp Safari covers over 2,000 acres of land preserving the local habitat and the animals within it.

During a 1 hour driving tour you will see Alligators, Turtles, Water Buffalo, Horses, Bulls, Cows, Pigs and more while also exploring the diversity of the vegetation, from stranglers and climbers, moss and poison ivy, medicinal herbs and plants as well as fruit and berry trees. This area, during the summer hurricane season June – September, is often flooded 2 – 3 feet of water with signs in the markings at the foot of every tree. This is when the crocodiles, turtles and alligators take over the swamp.

 

If you get chance take the Airboat Trail that takes you along the deeper rivers and swamp areas to get to the nesting parts of the water creatures.

Billie Swamp Safari: www.billieswampsafari.travel 800-Go-Safari, call for prices and reservations.