This is a park in the Twin Lakes North neighborhood of Ft. Lauderdale. The neighborhood is known…read morefor being a peaceful, family-friendly, and walkable area. The neighborhood was formerly part of the Twin Lakes CDP, but Twin Lakes North was annexed into Fort Lauderdale in 2005. This park is only a quarter of an acre which makes it a pocket park. Pocket parks are generally less than a half acre in size and can have different amenities for the public. This type of mini park arose from a desire in communities to have places for kids to play instead of another building or wasted vacant land. Thanks to the Fort Lauderdale Parks Bond Program this park is looking great. The voters approved an increase in taxes in order to pay for park improvements throughout the city. Three hundred thousand dollars were used to improve lighting and install a new shade covered playground by Burke. The park also has a water fountain, walkways, benches, and tables. Twin Lakes North Park is an inviting play space for children but it is also a great place to picnic outside. Note that there is no parking or restrooms.

Hunters Manor Park is located in the Hunter's Manor neighborhood of Pompano Beach, east of…read morePowerline Road. The neighborhood is mainly made up of single family homes built from the 1950's to the 90's. Hunter Manor's Park is an 8.4 acre park that will soon be bordered on the east by a new 9 acre, 59 home residential development by homebuilder D.R. Horton. Park amenities include pavilion shelters, picnic areas, grills, benches, restrooms, an exercise path with fitness stations, tennis courts, a covered playground, basketball, handball, exercise area, and volley ball court. The park is often used to host community events. The next one is a Caribbean Festival on October 14th from 5 to 10 PM. Hunters Manor Park is a well maintained park, ideal for taking the kids to play, exercise, or having a picnic.

I was passing through this neighborhood on the south side of Margate after a tag sale and when I…read moresaw how nice and new looking this park was so I had to stop and check it out. This park was recently renovated over 8 months when the city received a $200.000 grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection through their Land, Water, and Conservation fund program. Southgate Park first opened in Margate in 1978 and was high on the city's master plan for a refurbishment. Total renovations for the project cost $600,00 with the balance being paid by the City of Margate with money set aside from their 2020 budget. In April of 2021, the city held a reopening ceremony at the park. Renovations to the park included a basketball court with two hoops, an exercise trail with 6 fitness stations, and a covered playground with ADA accessible astro turf, two different age play structures, and an ADA accessible swing. I love how the park planners thought about children of all needs and abilities when designing the playground. I had a great morning walk around the exercise path trying out the six exercise stations that work every part of your body. I especially liked the one where you can twist your waist which tightens up your obliques which are very important for making your core strong. This is a really great neighborhood park and the southside Margate residents have a beautiful new place to work out and play.

Weston has 245 acres of parks to explore that appeal to a variety of recreational uses. They range…read morefrom small passive parks to vast athletic complexes. The over 5 acre Windmill Ranch Park is located across from Everglades Elementary School in the Windmill Ranch Estates development. There is no parking lot but you can leave your car next to the park when the school is closed. Windmill Ranch was where some of the first homes in the city were completed in 1984. The park opened in 1993 and was built by Arvida, a development company that also donated the land as part of their requirement to the City of Weston. You reach the entrance to the park by taking a short paved pathway that takes you up a small hill. At the top is a playground with a separate play area for younger and older children. There are climbing structures, slides, and swings. I love that that the playground has shade cover to protect children from the sun and a rubber ground cover to protect them when they fall. Adjacent to the playground is a large field that can be used for athletics, play exercise, or walking your leashed dog. Like all the city parks, Windmill Ranch Park is clean and meticulously maintained. How wonderful that Weston thought to set aside green space for its residents when developing the city.

This is the first public park within the Bonaventure community. Opened in 2020 it is located at the…read morenortheast corner of Racquet Club Road and Botaniko Drive South. While this park is small it has everything you need starting with a nice sized parking lot and one of Weston's excellent and clean public restrooms. In the center of the park there is a playground with shade covered seating. On the left side of the park next to the restroom is outdoor fitness equipment for adults including a pull-up/dip, squat press, and stretching station. On the right side of the park is a half basketball court and bike fix it station. Throughout the park is paved walkways, landscaping, and lighted walkways. My favorite part of the park is the beautiful plants and trees. Purple and white Crepe Myrtle trees in full bloom are planted throughout the park. A Weston park is always clean and meticulously landscaped making it an attractive recreational resource for anyone looking for a place for play or exercise.

Located between State Rd 7 and I-95, West Ken-Lark was a census-designated place in central Broward…read moreCounty. In 2005 the neighborhoods of St. George and West Ken Lark agreed to be annexed by Lauderhill. The neighborhood is under the West Ken Lark Home Owners Association. West Ken Lark Park is across the street from Larkdale Elementary School and serves as an anchor for the working class community. Park amenities include covered basketball courts, benches, bleachers, gym, fitness stations, football field, meeting room, pavilion, covered playground, restroom, water fountain, and walking/jogging path. Like all of the parks in Lauderhill it is completely fenced. The park recently received $350,000 of upgrades including an enlarged community center with a new roof, improvements to the parking lot and walk away, and new bathrooms. This park is a true community park. The city uses it to stage a lot of outreach programs. These include a football league, feeding children during the summer, fitness classes, Move with the Mayor, and school backpack giveaways just to name a view. Look on the city website for more details. I love how this park helps the community to connect to each other and useful services that make it an even better place to live.

Cypress Preserve Conservation Park was one of four parks that opened in Lauderdale Lakes in 2007…read more In one year, the four square mile city of Lauderdale Lakes went from two parks to six. This preserve is Lauderdale Lakes first conservation land. This park was made possible with land donated from Broward County for the purpose of preserving environmentally sensitive land and expanding recreation opportunities in the city. Cypress Preserve Conservation Park is 6.39 acres. The park has a parking lot, a quarter-mile pedestrian path, two pavilions with barbecue grills, benches, native plants, and butterfly gardens. It was surprising to discover this spot of nature in the midst of a busy neighborhood. Cypress Preserve offers Lauderdale Lakes a much needed place to hike, bike, cookout, picnic, and enjoy nature all right within the city.

No idea how I never knew about this park. It's located in west Lauderhill in a nice little quiet…read moreneighborhood. The park features plenty of shade from trees, a baseball field, pool, volleyball court, a large pavillion that can be rented out, a playground, soccer field, indoor facilities and bathrooms, and plenty of parking. The park also it well maintained. Def a good choice to have a BBQ, good kick around a ball, or take the kids to a playground.

I discovered this Veterans Park located in Lauderhill while visiting a nearby thrift store. You can…read morefind it off of University Drive in the middle of a nicely kept neighborhood. A large exterior fence surrounds the park which seems unusual compared to the the typical open Florida park but when I found out the park has a pool it makes sense. They need to keep it extra secure to make sure kids don't get in and possibly drown. The pool area has an additional fence around it. The pool is open Monday to Friday: 2:00pm to 6:30pm, Saturday: 10:00am to 4:00pm, and closed Sunday. There is a discounted admission for Lauderhill residents. Group and private swim lessons are offered throughout the year. Other park amenities include rest room, sand volleyball court, sports fields, batting cage, benches, center with recently updated indoor gym and meeting rooms, and picnic pavilions with grill. There is also a public art piece celebrating the sacrifices of veterans. This park serves as a community gathering place for people to exercise, play, and picnic. It is wonderful that the city is promoting swim lessons for the residents of Lauderhill.