Fort Lauderdale Vacation: Saw Grass Mills

We decided to take a little trip to Saw Grass Mills. It took a little while to get there, but I'm glad we went. We started off at the Disney store, then got some truffles from Godiva, then made our own Lego people from the Lego store, then got some necessities from Target. After we were done shopping, we ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. We definitely got our daily workout in. This shopping center is huge and we walked all over it. My personal favorite is the section that had the outlet stores. Part of this mall is outside and most of it is inside.

Fort Lauderdale Vacation: Pelican Landing

We decided to go here after a little research about different restaurants in the area. Honestly, after we parked, the reataurant was a little difficult to find (across the parking lot, down the sidewalk, at the end of the pier, and up the stairs). But when we eventually did, we really enjoyed our experience. It was divided into two sections, an indoor seating area with a bar and an outdoor seating area. It was a little chilly outside (especially for Florida) but we still chose to sit outside because at sunset and after dark, the views are amazing! Pelican Landing is located right on the water.

The food was pretty good, too. The kid got a hot dog and fries. The fries were delicious! My husband got blackened swordfish and a side salad with passion fruit dressing. He thought it was awesome. I thought it was pretty good. I got Bahamian conch fritters and a side salad with ranch. The fritters were amazing. The salad was weird. It had some fruit and cashews on top. The waitress was very kind to our four-year-old son. I really appreciated that. She joked with him so he had a great time at dinner.

Overall, I would give this place a 4/5.

Fort Lauderdale Vacation: Swap Shop

We drove to the swap shop, paid $5 for parking, and completely wasted our time. We bought 1 t-shirt for Owen for $2.50, but that was the only thing we could find. It's basically a giant garage sale. I guess I thought it would be more like the place in the Bahamas where they mostly sold local stuff. However, there were people selling food and used clothes. Plus, the parking lot was so full of bumps, people were bottoming out all over the place. If you're visiting Fort Lauderdale as a tourist, I wouldn't recommend coming here at all.

Fort Lauderdale Vacation: Baci Gelati

Baci Gelati
1029 North Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
(754) 200-8834

We actually weren't planning on going here, but one night after dinner, we really had a taste for ice cream or something so when we saw a gelato shop, we just had to stop. This is real authentic Italian gelato place, people. It's amazing. My husband got Nutella and Creme Brulee. My son got Oreo. And I got mint chocolate chip. This was the best mint flavor in all ice cream and gelato I've ever tasted. We ate it outside at a table. They also sell other Italian pastries and food. Overall, I would give them a 5/5.

Fort Lauderdale Vacation: Zona Fresca

Zona Fresca
1635 North Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33305
(954) 566-1777

I did some research (mostly on TripAdvisor and Fodor's guide) and found some different restaurants. We landed on this one one night. We went on a Saturday night in November. I don't know if I would say they were busy, but they weren't dead.
I would describe this place as a fast food Mexican restaurant in how you order alone. The food is delicious. And the prices are good too. The burritos are pretty good. I got the original and my husband got the Siesta maker while my son got a chicken and cheese taco with rice and beans on the side and we got a quesadilla to share. Everything got chips and there's even a salsa bar. Everything was really delicious. Overall, I would give it a 4.5/5.