Riverland Preserve is a 5 acre park in the Riverland neighborhood which is located in a SW corner…read moreof Fort Lauderdale off Davie Boulevard. The neighborhood is in a beautiful area that has an Old Florida feel with 200 year old oak trees. Many of the homes here were built in the 50's for the returning veterans of WWII who flocked to Florida. Like all Ft. Lauderdale parks Riverland is open every day from 6 AM until 9 PM. The city purchased the land for the park from the Black family in 2017. This land was their private home. Part of the funding to purchase the park came from $750,000 that was put aside by the county when Riverland was annexed into the City of Fort Lauderdale in 2002. When the property was first set for sale it was slated to be divided into subplots for housing development. The neighborhood was concerned about keeping the areas character intact and saving the 400 tropical trees on the property. They petitioned the city to keep the land in its natural state and they agreed to purchase the property and turn it into a park. Riverland is a passive park that still looks like someone's house in the neighborhood. The first time I looked for this park I actually drive by it. The original house still sits on the property along with several outbuildings. Behind the house is the preserve has ancient oak trees, sandal palms, laurel oaks, native wild orchids, slash pine trees, shrubs, banana trees, pink pineapple plants and other native plants. I saw ibis and the trees in this neighborhood are known for being a home to owls. There are no trails but there are benches. This preserve was one of my more interesting Ft. Lauderdale park finds. I love how the neighborhood rallied together to save the ecologically important piece of land. During my visit most of the preserve was flooded due to the heavy rains we recently experienced but I was intrigued by the plants I saw, especially the pink pineapples! and I will be back to explore further next time I am in the area.

Hoffman Park is located in the historic section of the city of Plantation Florida. It is the area…read moreof Plantation that contains the original one-acre homes from the late 1940's that were marketed to buyers as "Little Plantations." The park was dedicated on October 20, 1963 in honor of Dr. Abraham Hoffman. Dr. Hoffman and his wife Helen Betty moved from Chicago to this area in 1943 and were among the first 12 residents to settle here. In 1949. The Hoffmans organized the Plantation Homeowners Association, which formed the basis for the city's incorporation. They remained very active in the community and Helen Betty formed Plantations first library which is now being temporarily being housed in the Edwin F. Deicke Auditorium adjacent to the park. Besides being named for one of Plantations pioneers, Hoffman Park also has another tie to Plantation history. The park has the preserved spot where the first PAL, Police Athletic League was created in 1962. The program is now managed by the Plantation Athletic League. This first athletic field in the city was created by its citizens so the kids would have somewhere to play baseball. In addition to the preserved ball field, the park has many shade trees, open area for play, bench, and a picturesque white gazebo. The gazebo can be rented for weddings and special events. if you look deeper this park preserves the history of Plantation but it is also a nice place to just kick back a few minutes and enjoy nature.

The small 1.7 acre Sistrunk Park is located on NW 6th St. at the gateway to the community. There is…read moreno parking. The park contains a small playground, open play space, sankofa bird sculpture, and a mural wall that is part of the Sistrunk Entryway Project. At first glance there might not seem to be much here but look deeper and you can find meaningful art. The Sistrunk Entryway Project was completed in 1993 at a cost of $275,000. A focal point of the project is a 36-panel, 123-foot-long wall mural painted by Charles Mills, a local artist and historian that was unveiled at the dedication. The mural is located on the back wall of Sistrunk Park. Images included in the mural mark important moments in black history. They include the slave trade route from Africa to America, tribal villages in Africa, and African-American Fort Lauderdale landmarks, like the Dillard High School. In the center of the mural is a black family representing the strongest link in black history. The mural can be viewed from the entrance to the new Sistrunk Marketplace and Brewery across the street.

On April 13, 2024, the City held a Ribbon Cutting Event at the 5 million dollar, newly developed…read moreHenry D. Perry Park. The park was moved from its original site at Wellman Field about a half-mile away to the Henry D. Perry Education Center's recreational field to make way for the development of townhomes. Henry D. Perry Park is named in honor of Dr. Henry D. Perry who along with his wife Margarette were one of the pioneer families who shaped Miramar. Mr. Perry settled in this area after the 1926 hurricane demolished the ice cream plant he and his brothers, Lonnie and Carl, had started. A discovery that he could produce milk cheaper than buying it led Mr. Perry to owning the 1,200-acre Perry Dairy Farm. As development grew in the area the farm was sold off piece by piece. North Perry Airport, Henry D. Perry Middle School, Annabel Perry Elementary School, Perry Park, and Calder Race Track now cover areas of the old dairy farm. The Perry Park Wellman Field was previously the field of the Henry D. Perry Educational Center. It was developed by a partnership between the City of Miramar and the School Board of Broward County. The Park is available to the public weekday evenings and all day on the weekends and holidays. Use is restricted to the students during school days. Park amenities include an open play field area, a 200-meter oval running track with a 100-meter straight away, a shade covered playground , table tennis tables, and a ¼ mile walking path with exercise stations. The basketball and racquetball courts were renovated. The park also has public restrooms and water fountains. The new Perry Park is part of the Historic Miramar Innovation and Technology Village project that plans to "create high-quality housing, an innovation and technology hub, a public safety complex, commercial mixed-use opportunities, and open space that integrates into the existing community and links the various surrounding public and private uses."

Progress Hammock Memorial Greenway is a pocket park in the Victoria Park neighborhood of Ft…read more Lauderdale. It is on NE 7th St. between NE 14th Ave. and NE 15th Ave, just east of Holiday Park. Greenways are green spaces that have been closed to motorized vehicles in order to provide people a safe place to travel and exercise. With no cars, they are typically a great place to enjoy nature and spot wildlife. The greenway was made possible by the Victoria Park Civic Association who has made it their mission to support green space infrastructure. The VPCA partnered with City of Fort Lauderdale urban forestry services to develop the conceptual design of the park and to add and the appropriate plant species. They chose a hammock because this ecosystem has been greatly reduced in Florida over the past 50 years. Hammocks are an ideal ecosystem for urban areas because they can be created almost anywhere including residential yards, small spaces between townhome buildings, and roadside swales. There are lights along the pathway in the evening. The memorial part of the park are the plaques honoring people in Victoria Park who were civic activists. These include Pat Mayers (1945-2011) who dedicated her life to Victoria Park and fighting crime, Norman McClean (1939-2008) for his contributions to Victoria Park, Margaret "Peg" Nusser (1945-2015) for her volunteerism, and Ron Gomez (1950-2014) for his love of friends. My favorite plaque is Virginia Jones (1927-2014) with her high heeled shoe. She loved living and walking in Victoria Park for 55 years. Although small, the greenway is beautifully landscaped with native plants. The standout is a large royal poinciana tree. I love what the VPCA was able to accomplish here. They created a beautiful green space in the city and they honored the people who dedicated their lives to making Victoria Park a great place to live. Stop by and check it out if you are in the area.

This is the neighborhood park for Keystone Islands, a group of islands and inlets located east of…read moreBiscayne Boulevard, between 123rd and 135th street. This North Miami neighborhood was mainly built between 1940-1967, and homes were designed in various architectural styles including Art Deco and Modern. This neighborhood is on Biscayne Bay. Amenities at Keystone Park include basketball courts, a multi use field, a tiki hut, and a shade covered playground with synthetic turf. The playground is named for Joseph "Joe" Weil, a resident and city activist. The pickle ball courts are a popular feature of this park. The sport, which is a cross between table tennis, badminton, and tennis, was invented by three vacationers on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, in 1965. There are now 36.5 million pickleball players in the U.S and it was named the fastest growing sport in the U.S. in 2024. The courts are available on a first come, first serve basis and you can check out balls and paddles from the community center. Parking is a little scarce around the park but Flanigans has overflow parking across the street and noticed some people using that. Based on the number of people here, Keystone park is a popular North Miami recreational resource.

Oreste Blake (O.B.) Johnson was former teacher who volunteered as a recreation leader in the City…read moreof Hallandale Beach. He was instrumental in convincing the city to build Dixie Park with a pool at Pembroke Road between NW 8th Avenue and NW 7th. He was the city's first parks director, a position that grew out of his concern and interest for the northwest community he lived in. Johnson organized basketball, swimming, baseball and softball games for the neighborhood children and turned them into state champions. He also started the Hallandale Scholarship Society. Mr. Johnson retired in 1978. In recognition of Mr. Johnson's dedication to the children and residents of the community, the City changed the name of Dixie Park to OB Johnson Park shortly after his death in 1995 at the age of 80. The gymnasium at O.B. Johnson Park was dedicated to another man who was recognized for his connection to the children in Hallandale Beach. On June 5th, 2001, City Commissioners voted unanimously to designate the gymnasium at O.B. Johnson Park as the Nelson "Butch" Brown Activity Center. Nelson "Butch" Brown was a popular city worker who took care of the children and parks in the community for the 35 years he worked for the City of Hallandale Beach. This park has a lot of history in this community and has been an important social and recreational gathering place. When James Brown used to perform in the area he could be found at this park playing basketball with the local kids. Boxing champ Floyd Patterson was another icon who also visited the park and signed autographs and shook hands with 4,000 fans. Today the pool is located in BF James Park but OB Johnson Park still has plenty of great amenities. Upgrades to the park were made in 2016. OB Johnson Park offers a Teen Zone program, senior programs and it has a new computer lab, and fitness gym along with the Nelson Butch Brown Gymnasium. You can play basketball, soccer, and tennis here and there is a shade covered playground. The city has put a lot of thought and money to creating a park that offers as much as possible to the community. It is just the way Mr. Johnson would have wanted it.

Donn Fulton Eisele (June 23, 1930 - December 1, 1987) was a United States Air Force officer, test…read morepilot, and NASA astronaut when he served as command module pilot for the Apollo 7 mission in 1968. After retiring from NASA and the Air Force in 1972, he became the Peace Corps country director for Thailand and then moved into private business. In 1980, Eisele moved to Wilton Manors where he was appointed to a vacant seat on the Wilton Manors City Commission for a year. In 1987 Eisele passed away from a heart attack at the age of 57 while on a business trip to Japan. After his death, the City of Wilton Manors named this park in his honor. His widow Susan Eisele Black donated a sample of a Moon rock to Broward County Main Library on behalf of her late husband, on October 23, 2007 making it the only library in the United States to have a moon rock on display. I was looking for a place to eat lunch outside and discovered this somewhat hidden park nearby in Wilton Manors. Donn Eisele Park is one of five parks in Wilton Manors that are located on the Middle River, a 7-mile loop that begins at the lntracoastal Waterway. At just under an acre this peaceful park is a rectangular shape sandwiched in between the backyards of homes in the neighborhood. Done Eisele Park has a parking lot, little library, paved walkways, picnic pavilion, benches, native landscaping, and a non motorized boat launch. For a fee you can store your kayak or canoe in the park. This park on the Middle River really lets you experience the best of the Island City as Wilton Manors is known because it is surrounded by the north and south forks of the Middle River. Donn Eisele Park is a wonderful place to relax, unwind, and enjoy the outdoors.

This is such a beautiful park, nice and peaceful. I didn't even know it led up to the waterway,…read morewhich is even amazing to look at.