South Middle River Park is located in the South Middle River neighborhood of Ft. Lauderdale. The…read moreSouth Middle River Civic association does a great job of keeping the neighborhood beautiful and crime free while supporting local businesses. The park is just under an acre but it has everything this neighborhood needs for outdoor recreation. The park is fenced in for safety and is open from 6 AM to 9 PM. Park amenities include a bicycle rack, natural earth fitness trail around the perimeter of the park with fitness stations and equipment, benches, a pavilion, picnic tables, and a playground with a variety of recently updated play equipment to climb, swing, slide, and more. Large trees provide welcome shade and beauty to the park. I found South Middle River Park to be safe, clean, and well maintained making it an excellent resource for play and exercise.

The lovely, 2.4 acre Fairview Park offers outdoor recreational opportunities in the Fairview…read moresubdivision of Pompano Beach. Construction of the park began in 1993. Fairview Park has a parking lot and restrooms which you don't usually find in a neighborhood park. There is also a picnic area, basketball court, open lawn area for play, and a playground with a tot section and one for older children. Fairview Park can be rented for private events. Winding through the park is a paved walkway for exercise and walking your dog. I was impressed with the many trees are in the park adding beauty, shade and a home for native and migrating birds. As I was walking around people were setting up a tent to sell food providing a real sense of community. Parks like this one are an important recreational resource for their neighborhoods.

This small neighborhood park -- a little over 2 acres -- is off the beaten track. It's not a park…read moreyou would find unless you were specifically looking for it or if you lived right in the area. This park is between Dixie highway and interstate 95. It's in a residential area that I didn't know even existed. And it's a nice bit of open greenery for the residents in contrast to the industrial buildings on Dixie. There's a small playground for kids that looks new -- or newly painted. There is a basketball court, walking path, and restroom facilities. Under a stand of trees is one picnic bench and a bbq grill. The large green lawn area is perfect for soccer, frisbee, or possibly a concert. There's a parking lot for cars or for just hanging out with your friends -- as we observed when we stopped by.

Went on a hike with my kids and discovered this hidden gem…read more Battle of Pine Island Ridge was a battle during the Second Seminole War fought on March 22, 1838, at the site of Pine Island Ridge in South Florida. U.S. troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James Bankhead and Major William Lauderdale attacked a large Seminole village on top of Pine Island Ridge, an island in the Everglades at the time. The village was headed by Abiaka, who had recently become the principal chief of the Seminole Indians. As the U.S. troops approached the village, they were fired upon by Seminole warriors perched in the trees on Pine Island Ridge, who held off the U.S. troops long enough for Abiaka and the other villagers to escape. The attack ended in failure for the U.S. troops as they failed to kill or capture any of the Seminoles, who successfully evacuated their village without casualties. The battle was the closest the United States came to catching Abiaka during the Seminole After repulsing Zachary Taylor's army at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee, the Seminoles under the leadership of Chief Abiaka relocated south to Broward County. Abiaka and his people then built a large village on top of Pine Island Ridge, which is 29 feet above sea-level and the highest point in Broward County. A Seminole traitor named Billy Benefactor told the U.S. Military about the location of the village, and that it contained up to 100 warriors. General Thomas Jesup then ordered an operation to attack Pine Island Ridge. Jesup assigned the operation to Federal soldiers of the 3rd Artillery Regiment under James Bankhead, and volunteers of the Tennessee Militia under William Lauderdale.

Natural area between Nob Hill and Pine Island Rd, just north of Tree Tops Park (there is actually…read morean entrance to the park that connect with the Ridge). Beautiful area that attracts many types of wildlife, has paved paths, as well as, several dirt trails. Great place to walk, jog, bike or just sit and connect with nature. Next to the path you will find signs with information about the flora and fauna that inhabits this area, and there are also several benches along the way. You can access this natural area from any of the neighborhoods that have been built around it or from Tree Tops Park.

Rachel Richardson Park is what is called a pocket park. Pocket parks are generally less than a half…read moreacre in size and can have different features that are accessible to the public. This park was named in honor of Rachel Richardson who came to the area with her husband George in 1936 before the town was incorporated. The park honors their early pioneer spirit. Rachel Richardson Park is only .33 acres but there are over 30 native trees planted here including a large flowering Royal Poinciana. There is also a bench and a sculpture called Ice Pops by artist artist Craig Berube-Grey. The park is part of a sculpture walk you can take in Wilton Manors. I love how nature and art come together to brighten this corner in the city. Although most people just whiz by, if you stop for a moment you might be surprised by what you discover.

A cute lil park in Weston!…read more This park is right by the elementary school & you can see it driving by on Indian Trace, which is exactly how we stumbled upon this park. We were headed to a new coffee shop in the area and decided to stop by when we saw pickleball nets. We ended up coming right after the elementary school got out and it looked like a lot of the after school care was at the park. There is a super nice playground and two pretty big fields which were taken up by all the kids. It was nice seeing how active everyone was and how the park was utilized. We walked over to where the pickleball nets were, which were on the basketball court. There are lines on the floor for the pickleball dimensions and the nets are mobile so you can move them out of the way if they aren't being used. We set it up to play and it was pretty nice to just hit the ball around and drill for a bit. Overall, the park was super nice and very well maintained.

Weston has thirteen parks and recreational facilities. All are immaculate and the five acre Indian…read moreTrace Park is another jewel in the crown of the Weston park system. You can find it next to Indian Trace Elementary School who often uses the park during the week. Indian Trace Park first opened 25 years ago but in 2019 it received upgrades. Now this park has so much to offer starting with an ample parking lot. Overflow parking is at the school when it is not in session. Paved walkways wind through the park leading to the new restrooms, fitness station with shade canopy, baseball/softball field, resurfaced full court basketball, pickle ball court, shade covered playground with poured in place surfacing, picnic pavilion with tables, lighted walkways, and a bike fixit station. Modifications were also made to existing drainage, water and sewer infrastructure, and ADA improvements were made. The landscaping is beautiful with neatly trimmed shrubs and colorful flowering trees. The cascading yellow blooms of the cassia tree were stunning. The restrooms are some of the best I have ever seen in a public park. They even have a QR code so you can report any bathrooms that need a clean up. Indian Trace Park has everything you need in a neighborhood park. Come out to play, exercise, or picnic in the wonderful city of Weston.

Nicely maintained park with a lot of natural beauty surrounding the lake. They offer drinking…read morefountains, restrooms and a play area that is lit at night. This location gets a lot of visitors and kids like the playground equipment.

The parks in Weston are some of the nicest and most well-maintained parks in Broward County and the…read more5 acre Emerald Estates Park is no exception. Located near I-75, Emerald Estates Park is located just outside the gates of the Emerald Estates community in Weston, a neighborhood made of 607 single family homes. Emerald Estates Park has many amenities including a shade covered playground, basketball courts, exercise path, outdoor fitness equipment, lighted tennis courts, picnic shelters and grill. There is even a bike Fixit Repair Station. Dogs are allowed as long as leashed. During my visit I saw a lot of people throughout the park exercising, playing tennis, and at the playground. I walked on the paved fitness trail and tried out the the outdoor exercise equipment. While I worked out I could see all of the birds attracted by the water in the park. At the back of the park is an island filled with wood storks, a large wading bird that is considered threatened in the United States. There were also a lot of cormorants too. Not only is this park a great place to play, exercise, and cook out but it is also a wildlife sanctuary and a fantastic place to bird watch.

I've been here many times to walk my dogs. I'm not sure if I intended to write a review or it…read moredisappeared. Either way, this is a small park with a few pavilions. Some evenings they have AA meetings and the parking lot gets full. I try to go here in the morning. Often I see goats along B the fence line from the neighboring property. The best is when there are horses in the park and I can tell that my dogs are thinking, what is that? It's a simple park but a nice place to walk and it's quiet. There are restrooms but not much other amenities.

Great Park for the kids! Beautifully themed barn and tractor playgrounds with a lot of open space…read moreand enclosed with white fencing and has large picnic table!

Centennial Park is a neighborhood park off Royal Palm Boulevard in Margate in the Royal Springs…read moreSouth community which borders Coral Springs. Royal Springs South is made up of 265 single family homes. The community is an HOA with membership dues. The 4.2 acre Centennial Park is a basic neighborhood park. Amenities include ten parking spaces, a large open space place, basketball court, picnic table and grill, swings, a climbing structure, and bench swigs. The access point to Sunflower Lake is across the street from the park. A ten million dollar G.O. bond was passed by voters in 2018. Three million of the money from the bond was going to be used to remake the park. Upgrades scheduled for the park included a new basketball court, two pickleball courts, a tennis court, a cover for the existing playground, new equipment, and a nearby splash pad. Playground sand would be replaced with a poured-in rubber surface. Also slated to be added to the park were restrooms, a covered pavilion with seating, an exercise station, walkways, lighting, and shade trees. Sixteen more parking spaces were planned to be added to Sunflower Drive along with a canoe/ kayak launch added to Sunflower Lake. When Royal Springs South residents founded out about the upgrades planned for the park they protested. They didn't want elements added to the park that would attract people from outside the community to the park. They were especially worried about restrooms attracting homeless people to the park. To date the project has been downsized to only include one covered pavilion, a walking trail, a covered playground with rubber surfacing, and a new basketball court. Even though a compromise was reached last year, construction of the new amenities still hasn't begun. It will be interesting to see if Margate if able to make any changes to this outdated park.