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.

Today the wife and I took my puppy to several parks to experience the Dania Beach area. The…read moreHawksbill Park is on the intracoastal waterway with a long wooden walk path. OMG this is a must see if in the area off A1A. The amenities include a neutral bathroom pavilion, coal burning grills, four cement picnic tables. Legal in the park on a 6' leash, our puppy loved the cool air blowing in his face while walking on the dock. This spot would be a golden fishing hole. Only open 8am - 6pm and must use the Pay&Park mobile app. PARK #82

Beautiful breezy day and perfect park to walk my dog along the walking path for 20 minutes and…read moreloved it. Boats were coasting by and just took it all in. Bathroom facilities next to the pay parking lot. The park smells like dead fish but I guess that's expected.

A few of these mini parks along A1A on the intracoastal waterway in Hollywood. We found out today…read morethat they look similar but different. The Hawksbill Park a block north was clean and active but the Leatherback Park was concerning. Abandoned clothes were stacked on a picnic table near a dead duck. This park has squirrels chasing each other up a tree. Nice views of the intracoastal but nothing like the views from Hawksbill Park. PARK #81

Hollywood has five pocket parks along the intracoastal, across from North Beach. Each park is named…read moreafter a different species of sea turtle. Parking is by app for $2 an hour. If you cross the street you can reach the public beach access. This half acre park is one is named for the Leatherback, the largest species of the sea turtles. They can reach up to 2,200 pounds. They are migratory and travel long distances as they cross both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Their shells made of cartilage-like tissues is leathery rather than hard like other turtles. Coastal development has reduced the area where they can successfully nest while dogs and other animals often destroy their nests, and people harvest their eggs for food. They are listed as vulnerable to extinction. Leatherback Park is a popular place for people to picnic and cook out. There are concrete picnic tables with benches and grills all over the park. Shade is provided by the many trees in the park. There is also a one stall restroom. It was very hot outside today but the breeze from the Intracoastal made it pleasant to be outside.

We stayed at a VRBO in this neighborhood and I was happy to find this pocket park on a morning…read morewalk! It's nestled in a residential area and is a wonderful use of the green space- a great example of what neighbors can do to improve their community when the join their resources!

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.

Love this system. For $2.25 you can go to the airport from south beach, or the Amtrak station…read more Get a plastic bus pass (it costs $2 but can be reloaded online). It's one of the best ways to get around reasonably. Do not bring a car to Miami Beach. Parking is expensive and not available. Take the bus. Clean, cool and frequent. There is a lite rail but it costs more, the bus system is great. Check it out and get a bus pass before you come into town, they are hard to find locally, only at a few local markets. Www.Miamidade.gov/transit

About 4 years ago Miami Dade Transit stopped two routes and combined it into what is now known as…read morethe South Beach Local bus route. This route circles the entire South Beach area and it has been one of the best services that you can find in the beach. It is so convenient! If you are ever on one end of the beach and want to get to the other the best way to get there is to just hop on the Local. No need to walk in our 90+ degree weather or move your car if it really is in a great parking spot. Cons -What keeps it from being a 5 star rating? Although most buses are in good shape, there are a couple that are dirty..graffiti, wear and tear and I know I have seen a couple of roaches in the back of one bus. ick. Sometimes the buses don't run 10-15 minutes apart, they are back to back, so you have to wait ages for the next one to pass by. But that is the exception not the norm. Pros - It is only 25 cents. It goes down West Ave from Publix and then down Alton and up Washington and through Dade Blvd. Depending on the time of day it runs every 10-15 minutes. It has a/c. For those who ride a bike, they do have a bike rack in the front of the bus. Great for going to the beach if you live on the west end. It normally is not very packed and all sorts of people use it. Not like the the metromover in downtown/brickell which serves as housing for our homeless population at times. All in all very good service for a very important local convenience. Check it out.

This is a pocket park in the Tarpon Rive neighborhood of Ft. Lauderdale located off of Broward…read moreBoulevard. The neighborhood takes its name from the Tarpon River that bisects it. Parts of the Neighborhood were included in the original City of Ft. Lauderdale when it was first incorporated in 1911. This park looks like it once was a house lot. It doesn't even have a parking spot. This passive park is just a narrow strip of land with one bench but what it does have is a very nice view of the Tarpon River and the neighborhood boats. This is a picturesque place for the people in the neighborhood to walk their dogs, let their kids play, have a picnic, or just take in the water view. I love exploring the oldest neighborhoods in Ft. Lauderdale and I am always delighted to discover a preserved slice of nature, like this park.

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 a great find! Small but beautiful, this area was so nice to wander around. There are clear…read morepathways to walk through. They have benches for sitting and pet waste pick up stations too. There are even a few parking spots right out front as well for easy access to this park.

The Sailboat Preserve is 1.27 acres of Live Oak Hammock adjacent to the Argyle Canal. It was…read moreacquired with the Broward County Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Program. They are a few street parking spots in front of the preserve. The preserve has been landscaped with native plant and they are marked with signs so you can identify them. Plants in the preserve include saw palmetto, slash pine, live oak, cocoplum, white indigo berry, beauty berry, and strangler fig. A natural ground path loops through the preserves. Although not wheel chair accessible it is an easy hike for a person of any fitness level. During my stroll I saw many lizards including a bright green Cuban anole and many different species of butterflies including cloudless sulphur and zebra heliconian. Although small the preserve is very nicely down. The only other person I encountered was someone doing their fitness routine.