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Spirit Airlines Flights from Chicago (ORD) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Spirit Airlines, which operates a daily non-stop flight from Chicago (ORD) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) regularly scheduled to depart at 6:00am and arrive at 10:00am. Usually an Airbus A319 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Chicago, IL to Fort Lauderdale, FL is 3 hours.
During your Fort Lauderdale vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale
A fantastic modern-art facility, the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale features permanent collections including those from William Glackens; the CoBrA Movement in Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam with over 200 paintings; 50 sculptures; 1,200 works on paper from 1948 to 1951, including the largest repository of Asger Jorn graphics outside the Silkeborg Kunstmuseum in Denmark; stunning Picasso ceramics; and contemporary works from over 90 Cuban artists in exile around the world. Traveling exhibits and continuing art classes make the museum a great place to spend a rainy day.
Museum of Discovery & Science
This museum's high-tech, interactive approach to education proves that science can equal fun. Adults won't feel as if they're in a kiddie museum, either. During the week, school groups meander through the cavernous two-story modern building. Kids 7 and under enjoy navigating their way through the excellent explorations in the Discovery Center. Florida Ecoscapes is particularly interesting, with a living coral reef, bees, bats, frogs, turtles, and alligators. Most weekend nights, you'll find a diverse crowd ranging from hip high-school kids to 30-somethings enjoying a rock film in the IMAX theater, which also shows short science-related films daily. Out front in the atrium, see the 52-foot-tall Great Gravity Clock, the largest kinetic-energy sculpture in the state. Call for details on changing exhibits.
Stranahan House
In a town whose history is younger than many of its residents, visitors may want to take a minute to see Fort Lauderdale's very oldest standing structure and a prime example of classic "Florida Frontier" architecture. Built in 1901 by the "father of Fort Lauderdale," Frank Stranahan, this house once served as a trading post for Seminole trappers, who came here to sell pelts. It's been a post office, town hall, and general store and now serves as a worthwhile little museum of South Florida pioneer life, containing turn-of-the-last-century furnishings and historic photos of the area. It is also the site of occasional concerts and social functions; call for details.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Fort Lauderdale area, including:
Pillars Hotel
It took me a while to discover this hotel -- and apparently that's exactly the point. One of Fort Lauderdale's best-kept secrets, if not the best, the Pillars transports you from the neon-hued flash and splash of Fort Lauderdale's strip and takes you to a two-story British Colonial, Caribbean-style retreat tucked away on the bustling Intracoastal Waterway. Since it has just 23 rooms, you'll feel as if you have the grand house all to yourself -- albeit a house with white-tablecloth room service, an Eden-istic courtyard with free-form pool, lush landscaping, access to a water taxi, and signing privileges at nearby restaurants and spa. Rooms are luxurious and loaded with amenities such as private-label bath products, ultra-plush bedding and, if you're so inclined, a private masseuse to iron out your personal kinks. Upon arrival, you will be greeted with a welcome cocktail, and there's always free iced tea at the pool in case you're thirsty. A library area (with a grand piano and over 500 books and videos) is at your disposal, as is pretty much anything else you request here. The quintessential Fort Lauderdale retreat, the Pillars is the zenith of Fort Lauderdale accommodations. All rooms are nonsmoking.
Banyan Marina Resort
These fabulous waterfront apartments, located on a beautifully landscaped residential island, may have you vowing never to stay in a hotel again. They're intimate, charming, and reasonably priced. Built around a stunning 75-year-old banyan tree, the Banyan Marina Resort is situated directly on the active canals halfway between Fort Lauderdale's downtown and the beach. When available, you'll choose between one- and two-bedroom apartments, which have been recently renovated. All are comfortable and spacious, with French doors, full kitchens, and living rooms. The best part of staying here, besides your gracious and knowledgeable hosts, Dagmar and Peter Neufeldt, is that the convenient water taxi will find you here and take you anywhere you want to go, day or night. There is a small outdoor heated pool and a marina for those with boats in tow. Since 1998, the Neufeldts have been honored by a local area-enhancing campaign, Broward Beautiful, winning first place for the past 3 years in a row in the category of small multi-family dwellings.
A Little Inn by the Sea
It's not fancy, but A Little Inn by the Sea sits on a primo piece of oceanfront, and most rooms have private balconies overlooking the ocean. There's also 300 feet of private, palm-tree-lined beach. The accommodations are hardly worthy of a spread in an interior-design magazine, but the views make up for the lackluster decor. A free breakfast buffet, a rooftop terrace, and a heated freshwater pool are lovely perks.
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