Tired of the Busy Highway? Try Peaceful A1A to Take You North or South.

Call me crazy but I always wanted to walk up or down the actual beach shore from Broward to Palm Beach County. Can you imagine the private beaches and homes you would see? You would even bump into the lighthouse along the way!

The other night I drove on A1A from Hillsboro Boulevard to Commercial Boulevard for the first time. It was a cool commute. Much better than taking the boring highway. It was past 11 p.m. when I did this so there wasn't a lot of traffic.

My commute down A1A.

The length of the car ride didn’t seem too long anyway. But that could be because I was so caught up in talking with a good friend whom I haven’t seen in a while. But sometimes our conservations were cut short because we were so distracted from the lavish homes we were passing by.

Yachts on one side and gated mansions on the other. There was something so peaceful about driving this road at night. Probably because you know the ocean is right on the other side of these buildings. According to this website, A1A has been dubbed one of Florida's Scenic Highways.

I didn’t realize we drove that far until we started to hit Fort Lauderdale. Tall condo buildings, parks, bars, and restaurants are other things you would see on this trip.

I was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale and this was my first time doing such a thing. A part of me wishes that I started even more north of Hillsboro. If you drive south past Commercial Blvd., you will see more condo buildings and restaurants and eventually end up driving right next to the ocean before reaching the Fort Lauderdale Beach strip. This is where big hotels chains like the Hilton, the W, and the Ritz Carlton are located.

A1A ends when approaching the Fort Lauderdale port and starts up again by Dania Beach. Definitely try this sometime especially if you are new to the area. You will learn all the cool beach spots in no time.