It’s time to start planning your timeshare vacation to warm sunny beaches. Once there, however, you might find yourself earning for something more than sun, sand, and lapping waves. Florida’s Greater Ft. Lauderdale area will give you the lazy beach experience in spades. It also offers adrenalin-pumping adventure activities as well. Here are the top five:
- Billie Swamp Safari. Aboard bouncing swamp buggies and roaring airboats you are taken on an in-depth wildlife viewing tour through the Big Cypress Reservation. As you traverse wetlands and hardwood hammocks you see Asian water buffalo, North American bison, wild hogs, alligators, and even Florida panthers.
- Kitesurfing (see photo). When you combine surfing, water skiing and parasailing, you get one of the newest and most popular water sports activities. Riders hop a surfboard, hold onto a control bar connected to a large mini-sail, and take off, jumping high above the waves. Experts can reach heights of 50 feet or more and travel long distances down the beach. If you’re new to this sport, there is generally a three- to five-hour training session provided before riders can launch themselves.
- Kayaking Through the Mangroves & Intracoastal Waterway. Ft. Lauderdale is known as the “Venice of America. In fact, much of Fort Lauderdale and neighboring communities, residential areas, even downtown business districts, have more canals than streets. The Intracoastal Waterway passes right through the city, connecting the Mid-Atlantic states with the Florida Keys. Inland lakes, rivers, and tidal mangrove swamps create a real kayaking adventure.
- The Wild Everglades. Greater Fort Lauderdale is the gateway to the Everglades, where wild beauty makes up almost two-thirds of the destination’s total area. Besides airboat rides, biking and hiking, there’s the Shark Valley Tram Tour. This is a two-hour tour along a loop trail that runs 15 miles through the Everglades. The Observation Tower at Shark Valley is one of the highlights of an Everglades visit. On a clear day you can see for miles, observe wildlife in the park’s swampy habitat, and get a high-level perspective of the famous River of Grass. And, there’s the option of staying overnight in the Everglades in a traditional Seminole Chickee hut.
- Go Weightless. For a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience true weightlessness, the Zero-G Experience is a must. On a specially modified Boeing 727, parabolic arcs are performed to create a weightless environment allowing you to float, flip and soar as if you were in space. Your ZERO-G Experience includes 12-15 parabolas, your own ZERO-G flight suit, ZERO-G merchandise, a Regravitation Celebration, certificate of weightless completion, photos and video of your unique experience. When you do the Zero-G you’ll be joining the likes of Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, and Martha Stewart among other thrill-seekers who have enjoyed this unique adventure.
Greater Fort Lauderdale timeshare rentals are available for budget-friendly prices in luxury resorts.
Photo Credit: kitepower.com