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Things to Do in Pembroke Pines With the Family

A nature boardwalk over the wetlands, a county park with a waterpark, and an arts park with live performance: Pembroke Pines keeps a surprisingly full family calendar.

By Nanci Gilbert, PA September 28, 2026
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Pembroke Pines often reads as a quiet bedroom community on the map, but the family calendar tells a fuller story: a wetland boardwalk for slow nature mornings, a county park with a waterpark for hot afternoons, and an arts park with live performance for evenings. These are the real, everyday places families in Pembroke Pines actually use, and how to plan a day around them.

Chapel Trail Nature Preserve: the wetland walk

Chapel Trail Nature Preserve, at 19800 Sheridan Street, protects about 450 acres of wetlands with a 1,650-foot boardwalk that stays dry through the marsh. It is a gentle walk for small legs, and the payoff is real: roughly 120 bird species have been recorded there, along with deer, marsh rabbits, turtles, and the occasional alligator basking at a respectful distance. Mornings are the quietest, and binoculars are the only gear you need.

C.B. Smith Park: the big county day

C.B. Smith Park, at 900 N Flamingo Road, is the county-sized answer to a full family day: about 299 acres with playgrounds, picnic pavilions, walking and bike trails around lakes, tennis and pickleball courts, and the Paradise Cove Waterpark with pools, slides, and splash zones for the hot months. Pack for a half-day or a full one; the waterpark alone can carry an afternoon.

River of Grass ArtsPark: culture outdoors

River of Grass ArtsPark, at 17195 Sheridan Street, is a joint project of the city and Broward County: an art gallery, the Susan B. Katz Theater of Performing Arts, an outdoor amphitheater, and a sculpture walk across the grounds. It is the kind of place where a family can catch a play, wander the sculptures, and let the evening turn into a walk under the trees without a second plan.

Neighborhood parks for the simple afternoons

For the afternoons that need nothing but swings and grass, the city parks carry the load. Walnut Creek Park at 2230 NW 77th Terrace and Paul J. Maxwell Park at 1200 SW 72nd Avenue are neighborhood standbys with playgrounds and sports fields, and the Fletcher Art and Culture Center runs arts programs for kids through the year. Sometimes the best plan is no plan, just the park at the end of the street.

Plan the day around the heat

The Pembroke Pines rhythm follows the South Florida clock: boardwalk and nature walks in the morning, the waterpark or the air-conditioned gallery at midday, and amphitheater events as the evening cools. Weekday mornings are the quietest at the preserve, and weekend evenings are when the arts park comes alive. A day in Pembroke Pines rarely needs a third destination, and that is the point: the city keeps the family full without the family having to leave.

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.