Water Taxi takes on two-hour tours through Fort Lauderdale waterways
Whether you’re a local or a tourist, you probably know about the Water Taxi, that boat service that has had hop-on/hop-off stops all along the Intracoastal Waterway of Fort Lauderdale for the last 13 years.
But that kind of thing, with anywhere from a few people to a lot of people possibly sharing short voyages from point to point, isn’t exactly fitting within proper pandemic protocols.
So now, on weekends, the Water Taxi is offering two hour tours of the Intracoastal with the captain offering histories and facts about sites along theway.
“We were getting many inquiries about cruises and we wanted to offer a product in the short term for people to see and experience the best of Fort Lauderdale, right fromthewater,” explains CEOWilliam Walker.
“This helps give guests in the area the ability to get out on thewater and experience Fort Lauderdale, while also helping support local businesses.”
If you go info
The cruises run Saturdays and Sundays at noon, 2 and 5 p.m.
Youcan purchasedrinks on the cruise, including water and sodas for $2 as well as hard seltzer, Bud Light and Corona for $5.
Tickets for adults cost $20 and children under 5 ride for free. For more information or to reserve spots, call 954-467-6677 or go toWaterTaxi.com/tickets.
As for the rainy days here in the subtropics, Walker says that their opening weekend Oct. 3 and 4wasn’t dampened.
“The tours went well. The weather was a bit of a battle, but guests still loved their experience and the free ponchos we provided.”
What you get to see
The tour starts at what theWater Taxi calls Stop 1, which is the dock on the NewRiver at the Riverside Hotel Fort Lauderdale and Historic Stranahan House Museum, just off of downtown’s Las Olas Boulevard.
From there, the tour goes:
■ Down the New River while pointing out the homes of historic Fort Lauderdale as well as local lore about the river.
■ Then the tour heads toward Port Everglades while pointing out fun facts about restaurants, houses and yachts along the way as well as discussing the importance of the marine industry.
■ Then the Captain turns the boat north and heads toward Millionaires Row, the waterfront mans ions of Fort Lauderdale’s glitterati.
■ Finally, after passing Bahia Mar Yachting Center and going under the Las Olas drawbridge, the tour returns to the departure point at the Riverside Hotel/StranahanHouse.
Pandemic problems
This tour comes after theWater Taxi tried to resume their services inMay, hoping to get a boost from the Memorial Day weekend. But when the COVID-19 infection rates started to spike in July, Walker says he was forced to shut down again because the CDC guidelines made the business unsustainable.
“We decided towait and see how COVID cases and regulations would change by Nov. 1 before moving forward,” he recalls. “We see the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is going to begin Oct. 28 and so we will be offering the best, safest outdoor, most relaxing way to get to and fromthe show.”
For the tours now being offered, the tickets are limited to 30 people, which is 50% capacity. Walker adds that he hopes to resume the regular seven-days-aweek Water Taxi operations on Nov. 2 and begin the Holiday Light tours starting Dec. 4.