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Outdoor Escapes in Southern Broward: Parks Worth the Ride

A 299-acre county park, a quiet 53-acre preserve, and a boardwalk through the pines: southern Broward holds real nature when you take the turn off the main road.

By Nanci Gilbert, PA September 28, 2026
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Southern Broward is often described as suburbs and highways, but leave the main road for a few minutes and the county shows its other face: wetlands with boardwalks, lakes for fishing, and a birdwatching stop on the Great Florida Birding Trail. The parks below are all real and family-friendly, and each one fits a different kind of day.

Miramar Regional Park: the all-day park

The city of Miramar keeps 173 acres off Miramar Parkway with playing fields, playgrounds, picnic spots, and an aquatics complex, so the morning game, the shady bench, and the pool time can all happen in one visit. It is the park for the day that wants to fill itself without a tight schedule.

Snake Warrior's Island: the quiet corner

In the south of Miramar, Broward County protects a 53-acre wetlands preserve called Snake Warrior's Island Natural Area. A flat pathway circles a lake, boardwalks cross the marsh, and the birdwatching there is a known stop on the Great Florida Birding Trail. It is free, open every day from 8 in the morning to 6 in the evening, and the calm is closer than it seems.

Chapel Trail Nature Preserve: the boardwalk in the pines

In Pembroke Pines, the city keeps a 450-acre passive preserve along Sheridan Street: Chapel Trail Park Nature Preserve. A long wooden boardwalk crosses the wetland where more than a hundred species of birds have been seen, and the flat path welcomes a stroller. It is a walk with open ears, and it asks for nothing except your presence.

C.B. Smith Park: the county day out

Owned by Broward County at 900 North Flamingo Road in Pembroke Pines, C. B. Smith Park spreads across 299 acres of water and green: lakes for fishing and paddling, campsites, and the water-play zone known as Paradise Cove. It is the park for the long Saturday that starts with a change of clothes in the trunk.

Which one today?

For a day of games and a swim, Miramar Regional. For the silence beside the lake, Snake Warrior's Island. For a long walk on the boardwalk, Chapel Trail. For the whole Saturday with fishing rods and swimwear, C. B. Smith. Four horizons in southern Broward, each one near the others, and the mild South Florida season gives the weekends a long list to rotate through.

Nanci Gilbert, PA is a South Florida realtor who guides growing families, sellers, and buyers across Miami-Dade and Broward. Questions about this topic? She answers every message within one business day.