Spouse/Guest Activities

Buses for spouse/guest tours depart from the main entrance of the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. Please plan on arriving 15 minutes before the scheduled departure of your tour.

Tours

There will be more than one group departing for tours each day. Each tour can only accommodate a maximum of 100 people. Please sign up in the Spouse/Guest Hospitality area to confirm your departure time.

Shopping in Fort Lauderdale with Lunch at Mark’s Las Olas

Date: Monday, January 31, 2000
Time: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Cost: $80.00 per person

Note: Maximum of 200 participants

This prestigious shopping area is off the beaten path. Large trees shade the brick tiled walkways. Shops from all over the world offer your guests a wide selection of specialties from clothes to cameras. Las Olas offers an array of sidewalk cafes and restaurants as well as exclusive shops.

On to lunch at Mark’s Las Olas, the newest creation of Chef Mark Militello. Mark’s Las Olas continues the fine tradition of excellent American fare he’s made famous in Miami, with accents on Florida specialties.

Villa Vizcaya Tour with Lunch at Les Deux Fontaines

Date: Monday, January 31, 2000
Time: 9:30 am (tour A departs) – 4:15 pm;
10:30 am (tour B departs) – 5:15 pm
Cost: $75.00 per person

Note: Maximum of 100 participants at 9:30 am;
Maximum of 100 participants at 10:30 am.

Vizcaya, the magnificent Italian Villa on Biscayne Bay, has often been called the finest private house ever built in America. James Deering of the International Harvester Company searched the world over for the perfect climate and location for his winter home. Having picked the then small town of Miami, construction began in 1914 and as many as 1,000 artisans worked on it during the following years to create a masterpiece of architectural, interior and garden design. The splendid Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical rooms, restored to their original splendor, are now open to the public.

After the tour, enjoy lunch at Les Deux Fontaines. The food is a continuous celebration of the culinary art and creativity of masterful chef Jean-Pierre Petit, who pours magic into unsurpassed dishes prepared in the Old Continent’s tradition: light, cooked from scratch to perfection, with great imagination. Specialties of the house include a variety of tempting dishes with a focus on fresh fish and seafood. The elegant Ocean Drive restaurant offers outstanding indoors and outdoors dining experience.

Riverfront Cruise with Lunch at Café Mezzanotte

Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2000
Time: 10:00 am (group A departs) – 3:15 pm;
11:00 am (group B departs) – 4:15 pm
Cost: $80.00 per person

Note: Maximum of 100 participants at 10:00 am;
Maximum of 100 participants at 11:00 am.

Cruise the spectacular “Venice of America Tour”; a fun-filled narrated tour of the magnificent inland waterways of Fort Lauderdale on one of our new luxurious catamaran motor yachts. From the yacht you’ll see breathtaking views of downtown Fort Lauderdale as we cruise down the New River. You’ll see mansions of the rich and famous, including the Alamo Rental Car Compound and Huizenga Estate. As we move into the intracoastal, you’ll see mega yachts, marinas, Port Everglades, Cruise and Naval Ships and maybe even a manatee or two. After the cruise we will go directly to Café Mezzanotte for lunch.

Art Deco, South Beach Bike Tour with Lunch at Penrod’s

Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2000
Time: 8:45 am - 4:00 pm
Cost: $125.00 per person
($5 additional charge for bike helmet rental)

Note: A maximum of 20 participants can be accommodated on the bike tour per hour; we can accept up to 200 participants for the day. All participants will be transferred to South Beach beginning at 8:45am.

Upon departure from Fort Lauderdale, we will be transported to the eclectic Art Deco District where we will take a bicycle-guided tour (all bicycles included). Located on Miami Beach, lovers of the unique Art Deco style of architecture will be in awe of the largest group of Art Deco buildings in America. More buildings of this period are being restored every day. Cotton candy colored hotels
and apartment houses dot the square miles on South Beach, the only 20th century historic district listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic places. This streamlined architecture and style popular in the ‘20s and ‘30s is enjoying a resurgence and the Art Deco District is becoming one of the East Coast’s hottest night spots.

After a relaxed cycling tour, enjoy lunch at Penrod’s. Penrod’s is a wonderful three-story ocean side restaurant with 20,000 square feet of private beach. Experience a true touch of the tropics at this Caribbean food festival on the beach!