3 Striking Signs of Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach

I have just returned, joyful, breathless, golden-red tan, and rested from a remarkable week's vacation in Florida and on a Bahamas cruise!

Stay tuned for the best-of-the-best from the 300 photos and countless tales I've now got from the spectacular Everglades, hoppin' South Beach Miami, powdery Bahamas beaches, cruise livin', and a certain silver Ford Mustang that we rented. But to warm us up, let us start now with the three most striking signs I witnessed in Florida! I guarantee at least one will evoke a gasp or chuckle from you.

Striking Sign 1: Spotted a block from our base camp hotel. "OPEN 7 DAYS. GUNS." Gasp! Guns?! Yeep! "Perhaps we shall not be taking strolls around here at night," we mused. This Boston gal is not used to such open embraces of Second Amendment rights!

Striking Sign 2: Spotted on a pier in West Palm Beach (near the famous Breakers hotel) regarding keeping local manatees safe.

"Please do not hold, grab, or RIDE a manatee."

"RIDE a manatee?!" I exclaimed.

"Well," responded Colin, "if they have to have a sign for it, it must have happened."

Visions of boys in cowboy hats mounting squealing manatees and shouting, "YEE HAW!" abounded.

Striking Sign 3: Spotted on the bathroom mirror of one Ft. Lauderdale hotel: "Yellow water."

I drank the water anyway, trusting and wide-eyed. Mmm... yum.

Would you have sipped away or abstained? :)

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to semi-unpack and put in three days of work before hopping on a plane again this weekend for... Nashville, Tennessee!

Lillie Marshall

The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!