Every year, the last weekend of October and edging into the first few days of November, the acclaimed Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show takes over the Bahia Mar Marina on Florida’s famed Highway A1A as well as three other major venues.
If it floats – or was designed to either float or become akin to things that float – can be found at the show which is a veritable Disneyland of aquatica.
From megayachts to rowboats – literally, right down to rowboats and even smaller – all come together for five days that turns the Fort Lauderdale beachfront into Mecca for boaters. If you can’t find it at FLIBS, well, it simply doesn’t exist in the boating world.
But, FLIBS isn’t just for the super rich looking for the latest in water toys.
Literally, there is something for everyone.
Vendors’ offerings run the gamut from fishing lures to fishing rods – full-on battle sticks for the largest of the finned big-game denizens to fly rods – and all kinds of a-float and ashore décor completely covers the land-based real estate while the docks are lined with all imaginable watercraft.
If you want to buy a boat, no problem; there’s plenty of financing options available and the same thing goes for updating your existing boat. Even if you’re just considering updating or buying, bring your questions because the answers abound at FLIBS. There’s plenty of experts who can guide you along your way; even make course corrections you might want to consider when pursuing upgrades, all the interest of both making the sale while providing you what you can afford and what best fits your application.
Browsers are also welcome at FLIBS. You can just walk aboard most of the show’s offerings to check out the latest nautical trends, but some of the larger, more expensive rigs require an appointment while the megayachts are usually available for viewing through a broker or by invitation only.
Your daily admission is verified by color-coded bracelets and lets you enter, exit and re-enter the show on the day for which the color is valid, but there is one word of caution…consider carefully your choice of on-site food fare while attending FLIBS.
There is a food court offering everything from fajitas to Caribbean fare, but speaking from personal experience, opt for off-site eats. It’s safer and less likely to have you making a sudden dash for the over-used toilet trailers. Hot dogs? Well, they’re likely ok, but get them at the various refreshment barges around the show while waiting to sample more complex culinary offerings off-site.
For a recommendation, try the H2O Café on A1A! Fabulous food and drink at very reasonable prices enjoyed al fresco with great views of swaying palm trees with the white sands of famed Fort Lauderdale Beach and the emerald waters of the Atlantic just beyond.
Parking is always a problem with very few public parking spaces available, so try some of the city-owned lots – about $10 for the day – as well as the parking garage of Beach One Place, about $20 a day. Most are within a few blocks’ walking distance from the FLIBS entrance.
Spending just one day at FLIBS is better than nothing, but you might want to consider at least two, if it’s your first time.
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