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People who use wheelchairs can roam barrier-free in many places throughout Broward County.
By STEVE WRIGHT and HEIDI JOHNSON-WRIGHT
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 3, 2000
FORT LAUDERDALE -- Vote-recounts aside, life is a little slower and less intense in Broward County than in neighboring Miami-Dade. But there is no lack of fine dining, upscale shopping, coves for people watching and beachfront accommodations. Best of all, virtually everything in Broward is barrier-free to wheelchair users, such as Heidi, who has had severe rheumatoid arthritis for more than a quarter century.
We have visited nearly 100 places in Broward; following is a list of some of our favorites. All are located in Fort Lauderdale unless otherwise noted; the area code is 954:
BUTTERFLY WORLD, 3600 W Sample Road in Coconut Creek's Tradewinds Park, is the real deal. More than 2,000 varieties of butterflies are in a completely barrier-free setting.
We had previously visited zoos that has butterfly houses, but we had never been to such a collection of screened, aviary-type rooms. Here, the butterflies land on you, or they flit about, showing off the colors of the rainbow.
Butterfly World also has botanical gardens and a bridge, which also are wheelchair-accessible. For more information, call 977-4400.
THE FORT LAUDERDALE BEACH AND STRIP, which runs along Route A1A from Harbor Drive past Sunrise Boulevard, is readily wheelchair-accessible. Unlike Miami Beach's fabled Ocean Drive, where dunes block a clear view of the ocean, Fort Lauderdale's strip of shops, restaurants and bars are practically close enough to the Atlantic for you to reach out and touch the surf.
The boozy days of spring breakers are gone, leaving the strip a mixed bag of properties in need of a fix-up and others that have been upgraded and upscaled. The best free activities are people watching along the open-air cafes on the western side of Atlantic Boulevard (A1A), or strolling the east side on the renovated, brick-lined, Fort Lauderdale Beachfront promenade. Both paths are accessible.
SAWGRASS RECREATION PARK, U.S. 27, 2 miles north of Interestate 75, is the home of air-boat rides through the Everglades. A steep but negotiable ramp provides wheelchair access from the parking lot, to the more gently ramped gift shop, where tickets are sold. Another steep but manageable ramp leads down to the boat docks.
The airboats themselves are not wheelchair-accessible, but the drivers are skilled at lifting wheelchair users into the front of the boats that typically seat a dozen-plus passengers. Ear protection is provided and strongly recommended for the noisy half-hour ride. But once the boatman shuts down the engine in a clearing in the sawgrass, it's show time. Alligators, some of them huge, may glide up beside the boat, and a variety of swamp wildlife is usually visible from the craft. Call Sawgrass Recreation Park, 389-0202 or (800) 457-0788.
RIVERWALK, which runs just south of Las Olas Boulevard between SW Seventh and SE Fifth avenues, is a pavement and brick-lined pedestrian path along the New River.
This path along the edge of downtown Fort Lauderdale is smooth and gently graded for wheelchairs. The path meanders past yachts and cruising boats, parks, a shopping and entertainment district and the six-block Arts and Science District.
SAWGRASS MILLS, 12801 W Sunrise Blvd., in suburban Sunrise, claims to be the world's largest outlet mall. The mile-long megamall features a single-story design that's perfect for wheelchair users. There also are plenty of wheelchair-accessible restrooms, lowered phones and drinking fountains, plus wide aisles for easy maneuvering.
Our favorites among the 270 or so stores include Neiman-Marcus, Off 5th Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet, Ann Taylor Loft, BCBG, bebe Outlet and Donna Karan Company Store. Call (800) 356-4557 or 846-2350.
HOLLYWOOD BEACH, which runs east of A1A the length of the city of Hollywood from Dania to the north to Hallandale to the south, features a 21/2-mile paved path lined with palms and sand on its eastern edge and shops and cafes on its western side. The big plus is this pedestrian path allows for easy wheelchair navigation from beach to bistros and bars without ever having to cross automobile traffic. For beach information, call 921-3423.
MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY AND SCIENCE, 401 SW Second St., provides wheelchair access via a ramp up to its atrium plaza entrance, then an elevator to its second-floor hands-on displays. A great exhibit is the Florida EccoScapes, said to be home of the world's largest captive Atlantic coral reef. The kid-oriented museum also has a five-story IMAX movie theater, which has wheelchair-accessible seating. Call 467-6637.
SWAP SHOP, 3501 W Sunrise Blvd., is a huge indoor-outdoor flea market. In an entertainment and food court area, free circus shows take place. A somewhat temperamental elevator provides access to the upstairs level. The majority of the flea market is on level ground, which is perfect for people with mobility impairments. Call 791-7927.
Freelance travel writers Steve Wright and Heidi Johnson-Wright live in Upper Arlington, Ohio.
STAYING THERE: Several properties feature wheelchair-accessible rooms equipped with either a roll-in shower or a tub-shower with bath bench and grab bars. They include:
Lago Mar, 1700 Ocean Lane, which is expensive but well worth it. It has a large beach and a beach wheelchair, plus two pools. Call 523-6511 or (800) 255-5246. The Web site is http://www.lagomar.com
The Lauderdale Beach Hotel, 101 S Atlantic Blvd., is a mid-priced, restored art deco property in the heart of the Fort Lauderdale Strip, just north of where Las Olas Boulevard dead ends at the ocean. The hotel also is next door to Beach Place, a new dining and entertainment complex that has wheelchair access via a ramp and elevators. The hotel can be reached at (800) 327-7600. The Web site is http://www.theperfectlocation.com/location.htm.
Studio Plus, 6001 NW Sixth Way, is nowhere near the beach, but it does provide large rooms with full kitchens, at reasonable rates. Contact this extended-stay property at (888) 788-3467; http://www.studioplus.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION: The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau can be reached at 765-4466 or (800) 356-1662; the Web site is http://www.sunny.org.