The Button in Fort Lauderdale was legendary. It was the place to see and be seen for spring break.
Sadly, it shuddered almost 40 years ago. And if you¡¯re trying to figure out how old I am, I¡¯ll give you a hint ¨C pretty damn old.
Things change from generation to generation, and it begs the question: Are the days of wild parties in big cities for spring break gone??
Things might change, but one thing remains the same ¨C college-age kids might have more locales to choose from, but they like to party. It appears that The Button has been replaced by almost all of Fort Lauderdale.?
Unfortunately, that red solo cup has been replaced by weed and cocaine and worse.
And it¡¯s not just Fort Lauderdale. I don¡¯t want to make it sound like we¡¯re picking on the popular Florida destination, as there are a ton of other places along the Atlantic Ocean with similar issues. Other areas like Lake Havasu City in Arizona and Las Vegas face the now-common problems.
At Harpoon Harry¡¯s in Panama City Beach, Florida, one bouncer told the New York Post, ¡°We had to take five knives today.¡±?
So it appears that spring break is alive, but you can debate whether it¡¯s well.?
In many respects, spring break is like Super Bowl Sunday. It¡¯s an unofficial holiday. And college students are under a lot of pressure, so it¡¯s good to see them cut loose.
But not like this.
One young girl even called it ¡°Jersey shore on crack. Everybody is down to do whatever.¡±
Spring break is a money maker, and business owners will not discourage the practice. Heck, at one gas station in Panama City Beach, there were knives on display for sale.?
Knives! You can probably find them in the same aisle as the sunscreen.
The hot spring break locations might change, but the culture remains unchanged. Party. Perhaps to excess. However, cities and business owners appear to support the practice.?
But some communities have been more vigilant. Spring break and Miami Beach are an anomaly, for instance, after a pair of shootings in 2022 rocked the area and led to changes, including curfews, DUI checkpoints and parking garages being shut down.
Do we want to stop spring break? No, but there has to be more oversight.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
