We had a soccer tournament this weekend which spanned across multiple parks in Broward. This park…read morewas one of 4 that our team played, but by far, the worst one...though it has so much potential. I believe staff and the city have dropped the ball in allowing a beautiful city park to fall apart. The bathrooms were AWFUL with brown stuff smeared on the mirrors and walls and no toilet paper in any stalls (in male or female bathrooms), and 3 of the toilets in the ladies room were stained with feces or were clogged and unflushed, stall doors were not aligned and difficult to lock. The turf looked fairly new but was literally riddled with so much debris including a ton of cigarette butts, large rocks, bottle caps from various drink bottles (including beer bottles), as well as tons of leaves. In other words, it doesn't appear that the turf is being kept up. There are homeless people living in the park and sleeping along the walls where the bathrooms are with all their bags and blankets piled up along the path to the bathroom. Park staff were huddled together underneath a tent, congregating and chatting but no one tended to bathrooms. There was a kid maybe around 10 or so that had jumped the fence onto the playing turf and was on the sidelines throwing large rocks onto the playing field and although there was staff there, no one stopped him so we, the parents had to tell him to stop and also to go onto the field to collect the rocks he'd thrown so no one gets hurt while playing. Also, there were So many kids in the park for the tournament and oddly, there was no open concession, no vending machines or vendors to buy water or Gatorade. The kids in these tournaments, often play 2 games at two different parks per day but I have yet to do a tournament where there are no beverages available for purchase...even if it's just a vending machine. I hope the Parks & Recreation dept for Sunrise or Ft Laud can make it a priority to fix the problems at his park. It seems to be located in a part of the city where many youth live based on all the kids I saw walking, or riding bicycles into the park from a neighboring community and these kids should be able to safely go and have access to a nice clean park.

Mills Pond Park was three blocks from where I grew up! I couldn't believe it when I saw this…read morebusiness page just now. All the memories came back of me with my gang of friends hanging out after school and on our days off. I'm recommending you visit and take photos for me!

Waverly Park is next to the City of Sunrise Southwest Facility Water Treatment Plant. It is the…read moreneighborhood park for Waverly 100 at Ivanhoe, a charming community built between 1990-1993 of 289 single family homes. Waverly Park is a spacious eight acres. This park has two picnic pavilions, a grill, two tennis courts, two basketball courts, a sand volleyball court, playground area with equipment, and a large open field. I especially enjoyed the walking path that runs the perimeter of the park. Note that there are no restrooms. Waverly Park is a great neighborhood park. It is very clean and well maintained. It is also family friendly with a good mix of sports, green space, and outdoor amenities. Kids can play and you can exercise and relax without feeling that you are being crowded.

This is a long thin park that offers some nice outdoor area running alongside the canal here. This…read morepark is also right next door to the Victoria park (see my other review) This is a very pretty "posh" area of Fort Lauderdale. This park is named after Annie Beck who helped restore the gardens here.

Annie Beck Park is located in the neighborhood of Victoria Park. Henry Flagler wanted to have the…read morerailway pass through the land the neighborhood now sits on as he built it towards Miami. Mary Brickell refused him right of way forcing the train to curve west. Thanks to Mrs. Brickell the land was preserved and from a start as a trading post it became the neighborhood of Victoria Park. Victoria Park is made up of homes from the 1930's and is valued for it's proximity to downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Thirty percent of the homes in Victoria Park are historically significant with 494 of the homes in Victoria Park having been built before 1945. The crown jewel of the neighborhood is Annie Beck and Victoria Park. The two parks are divided by a bridge with the four parallel parking spots on the Victoria Park side. Annie Beck Park was named after beloved Ft. Lauderdale pioneer Annie Beck. Those who knew her called her Anibeck. Annie was married to Alfred Beck, Ft. Lauderdale's first pharmacist who brought her to the city in 1916. Mrs. Beck went on to found All Saints' Episcopal Church, the city's first garden club, the 1919 Study Club, and the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society in 1962, the year Alfred passed away. She was named Fort Lauderdale Citizen of the Year in 1975. Annie Beck passed away at the age of 98 in 1985. In addition to the park, the garden club's small library at its Garden Center in Birch State Park is also named for her. Annie Beck's 1916 Craftsman bungalow was saved from demolition and it was moved to Middle River Terrace Park. You can take a 3-D tour of it online. Annie Beck Park is 2.4 acres. Although small it is ecologically important because it is on the water and it has mangroves which act as a nursery from marine life and keeps the water healthy by filtering out pollution. I like to walk through the park through the nature path. Above the park you can see the historic Victoria park homes lining the street. A lot of people launch their stand up paddle boards from the park. it is also a popular place to walk a dog or just sit on a bench and take in the view. I love the history in this area.

Washingtonia Park is one of the three main parks in Lauderdale by the Sea, along with Prado park…read moreand Friedt Family park. It is located on the ocean at the intersection of El Mar Drive and Washingtonia Avenue. This is a passive park with trees and benches. A small section is dedicated to the memory of Diane Boutin. Just a nice green space to walk around, enjoy sitting on nice benches and smell the ocean breezes.

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea has several beach portals which are entrances to the beach. They are like a…read moremini parks with showers, benches and chairs. The portals were all named in honor of prominent community members. This portal was named after Laura Cheek Ward, who was a town administrator in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea from 2000 to 2005. Laura was known for being able to get things done. She was able to raise 2 million dollars to turn five streets in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea that were ugly dead ends at the ocean into landscaped beach portals, one of which was named in her honor. Laura Ward passed away in 2008 at the age of 68 from cancer. There is also a plaza along the New River in Ft. Lauderdale named after her. This beach portal is located at the intersection of El Mar Drive and Washingtonia. Before you enter the beach there is an open green space, benches and a picnic table. Limited metered park is available nearby. On the beach there is a sign for the SS Copenhagen, a shipwreck that rests on a reef in 16 to 30 feet of water making it perfect for snorkels and divers. The beach is a beautiful stretch of sand perfect for sunbathing and swimming.

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.

This cute little park across from the Riverside Hotel offers nice views of downtown Fort…read moreLauderdale....there are a few places to sit, not very big... It is located at the spot where Federal Highway goes under the New River.The park is located near the spot where Frank Stranahan used to dock the ferry he used to take travelers heading north across the New River....today you can take the Water Trolley to this little park if you are spending time on the Riverwalk along the New River.

Previously called Tunnel Top Park, Stranahan Landing is a park that sits on top of the Henry Kinney…read moreTunnel. It is located at the spot where Federal Highway goes under the New River. It offers a wonderful view of downtown Fort Lauderdale across the New River. Park amenities include benches and a bike rack. Green shaded lights sit at the top of 8 foot lamp posts. Parking spaces are limited. The park is located near the spot where Frank Stranahan used to dock the ferry he used to take travelers heading north across the New River. The Stranahan House which was once a trading post where the Stranahans traded with the Seminoles sits across the New River from the park. Stranahan Landing connects to Smoker Family Park. It is a peaceful place to take a stroll and take in the beautiful water view as the boats sail down the New River.

It's super small and that building is a school. Not much to see but could be good for someone that…read morecan't walk much

Beautiful park right off of Griffin Road near the turnpike overpass. This park is super secluded I…read morewas the only person and only car at this park . I have come here multiple times and I never see anyone. This park has a good walking trail a beautiful water fountain and I imagine in the lake there must be an alligator . One can fish at this park or have a lovely picnic in one of the pavilions. I would recommend not going alone to this park just in case there is a bogeyman. Parking is good. No bathrooms here.

This is one of Coral Springs namesake parks. It was dedicated in 1996 to Richard D. Petrillo who…read morewas a resident of Coral Springs since 1978. He was president of Cue Homes which was one of the original builders for Coral Ridge Communities. He is considered instrumental to the early development of Coral Springs. Richard D. Petrillo Park is a strip of land sandwiched between Maplewood Elementary School and the Coral Springs Improvement District which is a water utility company. At first glance it is just a field with some lovely Royal Poinciana Trees. I saw some people using the area to run their dogs. If you go to the back of the park there is a hidden fence that surrounds a radio controlled car racetrack. Unless you went down this small road you wouldn't even know it was there and I was not aware that Coral Springs had a RC track. It looks very cool. According to the race track website the track is open for practice on Saturdays and race day is Sunday. In order to use the track you need a R.O.A.R membership card that includes insurance. Rules for using the track and an events calendar is located on the Coral Springs RC Race Track website. It looks like a fun activity for the Coral Springs community.