YOUR SUMMER HOLIDAY IN THE FREE STATE OF FLORIDA

Hotels are a bargain, and crowds are gone.

By Bill Malcolm

Summer is the perfect time to visit the “Free State of Florida” (to use their new moniker). The crowds are gone, and the hotels are a bargain. The breeze off the ocean makes it tolerable and the nights and mornings are nice.

On this trip, I went to a conference in West Palm Beach and stayed at the fabulous Hilton which features a huge swimming pool and is steps away from the shops and bars of City Place (including my favorite salad place, Sweetgreen). Then I took the new Brightline high speed rail to Fort Lauderdale and spent 4 nights in Wilton Manors, the gay city surrounded by Fort Lauderdale which is where the boys (and bars) are. Actually, it’s more of a Palm Springs crowd complete with its own Hunters (of Palm Springs fame). Wilton Manors, the island city, is completely surrounded by Fort Lauderdale (ok, Oakland Park to the north) but is its own city. And very gay. They even have their own police department and Library. It’s a cute fun, walkable city.

WHAT TO DO?

The Sebastian Street Beach is a must. It goes on for miles. Bring plenty of sunscreen and water. There was a nice breeze the day I went, and the water was not too warm.

Walk or run with the Frontrunners. They meet Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale as well as on Saturdays and Sundays. They have lots of special events like the pool party and bowling party when I was there.

Walk along the RiverWalk in downtown Fort Lauderdale to see the many boats on display.

Hang out by the pool at your hotel.

Take the Brightline high speed rail down to Miami in just 30 minutes. They even sell lunch along the way. You can get to the station by taking the #50 bus from Wilton Manors which runs every half hour or so and costs just $2.

THE NIGHTLIFE

All the bars are in Wilton Manors close to each other on Wilton Drive. I like the happy hours at Hunters and Johnsons (which runs until 9 pm in the summer although the cover starts at 8 pm). The Lit is fun and has a free shuttle to their other property. Georgie’s Alibi Monkey Bar has drag shows, dancing, and more. The Gym is a bar across the street. There are around 10 to choose from plus great restaurants.

WHERE TO EAT?

The Java Joes Coffee House makes a great Café Americano in Wilton Manors. You will find them at 2230 Wilton Drive. Bring your dog.

I liked the Sweetgreens in West Palm. Try the new chopped steak salad or the miso glazed salmon salad. You will find them at 701 S. Rosemary. The Ruth Chris across from the Hilton is very good. The Treetops Bar atop the Canopy Hotel is also fun.

The Publix Market (both in West Palm near the Hilton in City Place and in Wilton Manors at 2633 N. Dixie Highway) has hot food, soups, chili, and sub sandwiches made to order. Try the watermelon with feta cheese summer salad. This Florida based chain is my favorite go to place. They even had New Jersey blueberries not to mention tropical fruits.

The Sprouts Market also has food to go.

Get the empanadas to go at the Chevron Wilton Food Mart, 2425 Wilton Drive.

WHERE TO STAY?

I stayed at the small Calypso Inn in Wilton Manors at 610 NE 26th. I also have stayed in the Home2Suites/Tru in Flagler Village in Fort Lauderdale. The Wilton Manor Suites is also new and nice. If you stay in Wilton Manors, you can walk (or take the Circuit shuttle) everywhere.

If you want to spend a few days in West Palm Beach, the Hilton is amazing. Great service, great food, and a great resort. I paid just $179 with no resort fee or surprise charge. Best of all, they had a cappuccino coffee maker in my room by Nestle. Who doesn’t like their own gourmet coffee in the room? Plus bathrobes and slippers to wear down to the pool where I did lap swims. And a free shuttle around town at no charge. An exceptional hotel.

GETTING AROUND

I flew Southwest to and from Fort Lauderdale and took the Tri Rail commuter rail from the airport station (in nearby Dania Beach, the only truly tropical climate zone in the lower 48) to West Palm Beach. $5 is all you can ride weekend rate. On the way back, I took the fabulous new Brightline high speed rail back. It goes 100+ mph back and paid $24 (West Palm to Fort Lauderdale). However, fares vary based on demand (aka dynamic pricing) and the locals complain it has gotten too expensive. (My coworker paid $200 from Orlando to West Palm). Still it beats driving or the headaches of flying! And congrats to Southwest for being the only airline to escape the Cloudflare mess.

The Circuit local electric shuttle serves both Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. It’s an open air shared taxi. And you can take the Broward County Bus as well. Rental car not needed since you can take UBER for everything else. (Take the #50 bus to the #1 bus to get back to FLL.)

THE CULTURE

South Florida (Miami Dade, Fort Lauderdale, and the Palm Beaches is an interesting mix of people from the Northeast (New York) plus from Cuba, Venezuela, and Columbia. Your Spanish will come in handy. It’s also very gay friendly. You can even buy the New York Post and the Long Island Daily News at Publix and CVS. And they even have empanadas to go at the Chevron in Wilton Manors. Yum.

FOR MORE INFORMATION/TRAVEL TIPS

OutSFL is both a magazine and newspaper (and carries my column). It is packed with upcoming events, news stories and more. Visit them on line at OUTSFL.com. OutCLique is the monthly magazine. HotSpots! Is a bi- monthly magazine also filled with events and more. Women even have their own magazine, SkirtSoFlo. Who says gay media is not doing well. There is even a LGBTQ+ magazine out of Miami.

The Wilton Manors Library has computers and a printer if you want to work while you are down there.

If you are looking for value, you cannot beat a trip to south Florida in the summer.

Bill Malcolm’s syndicated LGBTQ+ value travel column appears in LGBTQ+ publications around North American (and on line) as well as on the IGLTA travel blog. He received no compensation of any kind from anyone, and his opinions are his own.