Hey fellow BAs! I'm hoping I can get some help from some SE Floridians. I will be in Fort Lauderdale at the end of May for 7 days, and more specifically staying in Pompano Beach with my wife and 5 year old daughter. I would love to get some ideas on things to do, both beer and non-beer related. Obviously I plan to head over to Funky Buddha. I also see a few different smaller breweries/pubs in the area but it’s always hard to get a feel for a place based on the few reviews they may have, particularly if the reviews come from tourists. I would love to get some recommendations for beer stores/breweries as well as some outdoor activities. We really enjoy getting outdoors, hiking, fishing, exploring etc. We definitely plan to spend time on the beaches, maybe head over to the glades? I love to fish, and am bringing my 7-foot medium action travel rod and hope to get some shore fishing in while down there too if anybody has some tips in that regard that would also be great! I can browse tourist websites etc. till I’m blue in the face but in my experience it’s always best to get ideas from locals, and BAs have always been a friendly bunch, so I’m hoping you all can help me out! Thanks!
http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/driving-from-ft-lauderdale-to-key-west.373589/ http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/fort-lauderdale-key-west-miami.368899/ These two threads have a lot of info regarding bars/breweries/bottle shops in the greater Ft Lauderdale area including Pompano Beach Would add that if you have a car and your family....26 degree brewing is in Pompano Beach, just West of the beach area on Atlantic Blvd. Very spacious and lots of food nearby. For dining with a decent tap list/local options and reasonably kid friendly, consider Tap 42 in Boca Raton (Ft Lauderdale location less kid friendly). In same plaza is a Total Wine in Boca and it is right across from a large mall (Boca Town Center) so maybe you can drop the wife and daughter off and have some beer! In Deerfield Beach (a few miles north of Pompano) is Tucker Dukes. Small place but with indoor/outdoor seating, great burgers and a varied/local heavy tap list. Riverside Market and Riverside Market South are both kid friendly and have varied tap lists. Check out their instagram/facebook pages. Brass Tap locations (Coral Springs and Fort Lauderdale) also allow kids and have food although the food in Coral Springs is not great. Funky Buddha has food and allows children until 8 pm. Laser Wolf is a great craft beer bar but is not really kid friendly and usually does not have food. As far as other kid friendly activities, check out www.southflorida.com and http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/south-florida-parenting/ Cheers!
Hey HeartofMiami, thanks for the help! We will have a rental car so getting around should be no prob. I'll have my family, but getting away by myself won't be a problem, they can always find something to do whether it be shopping or sitting at the beach. How's the beer at 26° Brewing Co.? Just looking at the very few reviews on BA it doesn't seem too promising, not that I will let that dictate where I drink. I also see there is a brewery called Bangin' Banjo Brewing Co. in the near vicinity, any opinion on them? I'll take your recommendations into consideration and I'm going to browse through the links you posted for some more ideas. Do you (or anyone) have any recommendations for seafood?
Let's say the atmosphere at 26 degree brewing is nice...the beer is decent too. Bangin Banjo I wouldn't recommend but 26 degree usually has a good ipa/dipa on tap. You can also try Bangin Banjo and 26 degree beers at some of the local places mentioned above. As far as seafood, I'd recommend having some stone crabs (the best type of seafood available in Florida IMO, season ends May 31). If you're here before the season ends, Trulucks has all you can eat Stone Crabs (I think Monday's)...if you really want to drive and have a unique experience, Joe's Stone Crab is in South Beach and they have a take out side as well. For more casual seafood, Rustic Inn Crabhouse is in Ft Lauderdale, West of the airport and Whales Rib is in Deerfield Beach and both are kid friendly. Just PM me if you have any other questions I can help with, cheers!
Wow @HeartofMiami for a Parkland guy you really know your Ft Laudy stuff! I'd add Barrel of Monks to that list too, but for the most part, you pretty much nailed it.
Alright! I'm feeling much more prepared for this trip now, thanks so much @HeartofMiami! You've been a ton of help.
Just a quick question, which Funky Buddha location would be best to visit, Oakland Park or Boca Raton? Or does it not really matter? They're both about 15 mins away lol.
The Lounge in Boca will likely have a better selection of their rare/limited beers and also they brew and tap more sours/berliners there if you like those. You can check the taplist online for both. The lounge is smaller and they have hookahs, live music at night, and a homebrew shop. The brewery in Oakland Park sells beer to go - some bottles and growlers, they have a kitchen with food, they have games like giant jenga and cornhole, lots of seating, larger crowds, etc. If you are halfway I would check and see what's on tap and make your decision based on what you want to try. Hope that helps.
