Three ways to see Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

BUDGET

Getting there: Two-week or more advance rates start at $99, one way, AirTran, Delta or Spirit (all nonstop service). Spirit’s sale rates begin at $29.

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Special

A cruise beginning at Las Olas Riverfront offers views of mansions and mangroves, with a good story or two.

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Walk About Resort

A one-bedroom suite at the Walk About Resort goes for $229 through April 15.

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www.gondolaman.com

A journey by gondola along inland waterways in the ‘Venice of America’ begins at $125 an hour.

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Stay: Rates at the Birch Patio, a cozy motel two minutes from Fort Lauderdale’s famous beach, start at $85 for a double. Guest rooms have a fridge, coffee maker and microwave. Cook up a meal or two on the property’s outdoor grills. Chill around the heated freshwater pool set beside a tropical patio garden. 617 N. Birch Road, 954-563-9540, birchpatio.com.

Eat: A day of unlimited rides on the city’s water taxi along the Intracoastal Waterway and the New River costs $13; $7 after 7 p.m. Stop and stroll at one or all of the 11 stops on the water route (watertaxi.com/FortLauderdale). After 7 p.m., present your same-day ticket at one of the participating restaurants along the route for a 10 percent savings on your dinner tab. The 15th Street Fisheries (Stop 8) has a live reggae band and fresh conch fritters at $7.95. 1900 SE 15th St., 954-763-2777, www.15streetfisheries.com.

Experience: Take a Las Olas Riverfront cruise along the inland waterways. The 90-minute trip ($20 adults; $18 seniors; $10 juniors, ages 4-16; under 4 free) includes light snacks and bar drinks. Coast Guard-licensed captains narrate the ride past mansions and mangroves and tell tales of Gold Coast legends and history. Five cruises daily. 300 S.W. First Ave., 954-463-3220, www.anticipation.com/riverfront.

MODERATE

Getting there: Three-day advance notice rates start at $189 each way, AirTran, Delta or Spirit.

Stay: A one-bedroom suite at the eight-room, art deco-era Walk About Resort are $229 through April 15. Rooms are directly on Hollywood Beach with in-room kitchen and lounge. A tiki bar sits along the Hollywood Broadwalk, a 2-mile pedestrian promenade lined with cafes, boutiques and restaurants. 2500 N. Surf Road, 954-272-6000, www.walkaboutbeach resort.com.

Eat: A crabhouse/saloon, the Rustic Inn serves up its famous garlic crabs sauteed in a secret family sauce, $26.50. 4331 Ravenswood Road, 954-584-1637, rusticinn.com.

Experience: Take a 20-minute drive into the Everglades and join the Billie Swamp Safari run by Seminole Indians of the Big Cypress Reservation. A day package, including a swamp buggy eco-tour and a thrilling airboat tour, is $43.20 adult; $30.60 children 4-12 (no children under 4 on airboat tours). Watch for deer, water buffalo, bison, wild hogs, eagles and — naturally — gators. 800-683-7800, seminoletribe.com.

SPLURGE

Getting there: Walk-up Business Class prices start at $393 on AirTran or Delta; $244 on Spirit.

Stay: Revive romance at the sophisticated AAA four-diamond Lago Mar Resort and Club. Set on a private beach between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Mayan, the two-night Romance package includes a stay in a one-bedroom suite, a bottle of sparkling wine, a buffet breakfast, dinner for two in the resort’s award-winning Acquario, a private beach cabana one day, and an in-room movie, $552.50 per night. 1700 S. Ocean Lane, 954-523-6511, www.lagomar.com.

Eat: From seasonal raw bar selections to fresh from the sea, a la carte entrees are served American-style at 3030 Ocean, to $50. In the lobby of the Harbor Beach Marriott. 954-765-3030, www.3030ocean.com.

Experience: A gondolier’s code is “See nothing, hear nothing, tell nothing.” Plan a romantic gondola ride in an authentic flower-decked vessel along a few of the scenic inland waterways, dubbed the “Venice of America.” Starting at $125 hour, at Stork’s Cafe and Rino’s Tuscan Grill, 1109 E. Las Olas Blvd., 877-926-2467, www.gondolaman.com.