We went to Florida for a long vacation this December 2003. Stopped in some great places like Orlando, Jupiter and Palm Beach. We decided to take an overnight to Ft. Lauderdale on Dec 26th a Friday night. We started out on Las Olas and had a nice dinner early at Big City. The crowd was great, average age was about 30-40 years. Nice crowd, there were singles, couples, some even brought kids. Well by 8pm we headed over to Riverwalk and went for a beer at the Tarpon Bend. This was fun for about an hour, but then all that changed, by 9pm it was like Mardi Gras outside the Tarpon Bend. Cars couldn't pass in the roads and there were people pouring into and out of various bars on 2nd St. I was shocked that you could purchase hard alcohol drinks and beer outside the bars and drink in the streets. The Florida State ban on inside smoking of cigarettes in bars doesn't appear to be law in Ft.
Lauderdale. I'm no prude. I like to party, dance and have a few cocktails, but this place was utter chaos. There were many police cars outside on 2nd St, but the cops didn't do anything except sit in their cars. They don't help pedetrian traffic or try to break up huge groups of people. There were tons of what I'd call bad elements in the area, like people looking for a fight or just cause trouble. Anyone thinking of going away to this city should be aware of how things change after 8pm. It's not a sleepy town at all, and for those who just want a nice dinner, and maybe a few quiet drinks are better off in Palm Beach or Jupiter. I've been to South Beach many times and what I witnessed in Ft. Lauderdale that night was just horrifying. I saw so many little girls barely drinking age, not getting carded, drunk in the street and just out of control. I would expect this on Spring Break in March but the day after Christmas? If you're over 25 you are much too old for Las Olas after 8pm. I haven't been to any other area of Ft. Lauderdale, I'm sure there are more quiet and still fun places where the 30 year olds hang out. Didn't care for it, and will next time fly in to Palm Beach and enjoy the comforts it offers instead of the craziness of what I call the Ft. Lauderdale Mardi Gras on the River.