Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi

Written By: Gail Clifford | Published By: Weekend Notes | September 29, 2022

https://www.weekendnotes.com/fort-lauderdale-water-taxi/

The Water Taxi in Fort Lauderdale remains a multi-purpose event, including transportation, tour, and entertainment. Arriving at 10 stops, when not under construction as was the case for stop 6 during our visit, the water taxi is easily accessible (when you know where to look) from the Intracoastal Waterway.

From Stop #2 the morning we rode, we visited with iguanas from the park benches once we found the stop. Although there are flags that say “water taxi” the path to the water is not immediately evident from an Uber. Walk between the signs and make the effort to join this nearly hidden treasure.

We met locals and visitors alike at the stop but were most fascinated with the three iguana enjoying the morning sun until we startled them, and they sprinted across the gravelly sand.

A large yellow and white catamaran with green accents picked us up and we met Amber, our guide and budding marine biologist, and Captain Rob Sheppard.

The trip is three hours total, 90 minutes each way, but it is up and back so the staff do recommend you jump off and tour some areas, from the shopping area around a Galleria (it’s a few city blocks off to the left from the dock at the Hilton’s Double Tree Hotel), to the beaches, the Hollywood area with its fabulous Urban Art, or restaurants including Shooters where we stopped for lunch.

There is a restroom aboard, right across from a small bar.

Along the waterway, Amber kept us entertained with tales of the ships we pass in marinas and the thirty day “free” zone before you must move. She tells us the law is ambiguous about how far you must move and many of the boats there may up anchor, move several feet and drop anchor again to start their 30 days anew.

Artwork and sculptures dot the waterway and one of the most impressive was a mermaid, a $50,000 wedding gift.

One of the most striking structures along the routes is an 88-feet high parking garage. It reminds me of the “Bird Box” from the China Olympics and Amber confirms it’s a popular venue for weddings and birthday parties.