Discover Broward: Beaches, Nature and Culture

Broward brings together coastal landscapes, nature experiences and cultural history. Broward County has 24 miles of sandy beaches. It also offers nature trails, exhibitions and attractions with a wide range of themes. As you plan, consider which experiences matter most for your stay: a visit to the beach, trails through different landscapes or insights into the history of South Florida.

Coast and Nature Experiences

Bonnet House is a 35-acre tropical refuge with five distinct ecosystems. Winding nature trails are part of the grounds. For tours and getting around the grounds, Bonnet House provides a wheelchair-accessible golf cart. The combination of ecosystems and trails offers a different focus from a stay at the beach and gives nature enthusiasts several aspects to consider when planning a visit.

Parks and Trails

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is an urban oasis between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Exhibitions at the park’s Terramar Visitor Center showcase the region’s natural and cultural history. A visit to the park can therefore also include a look at the history of the natural environment.

Broward County’s Greenways system includes biking and horseback riding trails, nature trails and waterways. When planning, it’s worth considering the activity you have in mind: the network includes more than one type of trail and caters to different interests. Whether you’re interested in biking, horseback riding, a nature trail or a waterway depends on what you’d like to do outdoors.

History and Conservation

The Marine Environmental Education Center (MEEC) at Carpenter House presents the history of South Florida. Indoor and outdoor exhibitions focus on conservation. The center offers public programs daily; check the current schedule before your trip. This lets you connect your visit with the themes of history and conservation and take the program schedule into account.

Wray Home in Flamingo Gardens offers a different historical perspective. The museum provides insights into life in the 1930s. Together with the regional history at the heart of MEEC, Wray Home offers a perspective on a particular historical era.

Special Attractions

Butterfly World is in Coconut Creek, 10 miles north of Fort Lauderdale, and is easy to reach via Interstate I-95, Exit 39, or the Florida Turnpike, Exit 69. Butterfly World also offers an encounter with lorikeets. If this experience is of interest to you, it can serve as a specific point to consider when planning your trip.

Markham Park has basic camping areas for organized youth groups; advance reservations are required. This option is intended for groups with a suitable travel plan, so it should be included in your plans well in advance.

In the Greater Fort Lauderdale travel area

Airboat rides are offered in the Everglades within the Greater Fort Lauderdale travel area. They complement the nature experiences available at the parks, trails and beaches described above.

Planning the Right Hotel Base

Your planned itinerary is a useful starting point when choosing a hotel in Broward. First, make a list of the attractions you want to visit, then consider how the location of a potential accommodation fits with those visits. This way, you can focus your search on the activities you actually plan to do and choose a location that suits your stay.

Discover more destinations: Hollywood, Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Pines, Weston, Plantation, Coral Springs, Davie, Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale, Southwest Ranches, Sunrise, Miramar, Lauderhill, Coconut Creek, Lighthouse Point, Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Deerfield Beach.

See the overview of destinations: Florida.