serious shopping

For those keen for serious shopping, Greater Fort Lauderdale takes its shopping very seriously. Domestic and international travelers are known to visit area shopping centers and mega-malls and buy suitcases just to bring home their new purchases. Find out why.

Area shopping centers include:

The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale. Accessible by car or Water Taxi (from the nearby Gallery One - A Doubletree Suites by Hilton), this mall reflects Greater Fort Lauderdale's upscale style.

Sawgrass Mills (and nearby Ikea). One of the nation's first mega-outlet malls, Sawgrass Mills includes retailers Judith Ripka, True Religion Brand Jeans, Canali, TAG Heuer, Tumi, Tommy Bahama's Outlet, Giorgio Armani General Store, Burberry Factory Outlet and Kate Spade New York, among scores of others. Some hotels run shuttles to area malls; A Day More Tours offers excursions to Sawgrass Mills. The mall's Bags To Go program will fetch and forward shoppers' luggage to Fort Lauderdale / Hollywood or Miami International airports.

The nearby Ikea store in Sunrise brings its popular Scandinavian home-goods to locals and vacationers alike.

Festival Marketplace. Those who find favor with "the deal" will appreciate the Festival Flea Market just off Florida's Turnpike in Pompano Beach. Celebrating more than 20 years in business, this quarter-mile long indoor mall features more than 500 shops and restaurants. It combines the energy and excitement of an open-air, old-world market indoors.