Focus On Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium
Veterans Day Weekend
K9 Water Festivals Conclude
Marshmallow Madness
A Taste of the Tropics
Glow in the Dark
Light Up Your Life
A Holiday Tradition
Bike Through the Lights
What’s a Mycorrhiza?
Career Day, Nature-Style
Blast to the Past
For the Birds
Positively Reptilian
All Natural
Quote of the Month
Special Attractions
Mission Statement
Your Opinion Counts!
SWIM Central
Broward County Board of County Commissioners
One of the Parks and Recreation Division’s most ambitiously scaled regional parks, which includes a stadium for large-scale athletic competitions and other special events, broke ground on June 10, 2005, and opened on November 9, 2007. It’s the first county regional park to be funded through the Broward County Commission’s 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Referendum, a historic measure that passed with 74 percent voter approval. The approximately 110-acre Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium is now the largest park in the long-underserved central Broward County area and is designed to serve seven of the county’s 31 municipalities: Lauderhill (where it’s located), Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes, Oakland Park, Plantation, Sunrise, and Wilton Manors.
The site is the only one in the region capable of hosting major cricket competitions, which it has already done in its five-year history, thanks to a state-of-the-art field house, 5,000 covered seats, and a professionally maintained cricket pitch – the only cricket stadium in the United States certified by the ICC (International Cricket Council). The first floor of the field house includes the park lobby, team locker rooms, a concession area, and a rental hall with a capacity of 303. Upstairs, there’s another rental hall (capacity 247) with a concession area, along with park offices, the scoreboard operations center, and a VIP viewing area that can also be rented as a meeting room (capacity 20).
The park also features four lighted soccer/football fields that can double as two cricket fields; two netball, two tennis, and two basketball courts, all lighted; seven picnic shelters (capacity 41-60); two corporate pavilions (capacity 250-360); an approximately 1.5-mile nature trail; and two covered playgrounds. The park’s Tropical Splash aquatics complex offers two water playgrounds, an instructional swimming pool, and a marina for paddleboat rentals.
The project, completed with more than 45 percent minority participation, was a joint venture of Atlanta-based H.J. Russell and the Broward County firm Seawood Builders, with the partnership receiving the more than $40 million contract to design and build the park. H.J. Russell, the largest African-American-owned construction management business in the country, previously worked on such projects as the Georgia Dome and Turner Field.
For more information, call Central Broward Regional at 954-357-5400. The park has a gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) in effect on weekends and holidays. Central Broward Regional is accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #18, #36, #40, and #81.
Not only will county parks remain open this Veterans Day, the five parks with campgrounds – C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, Easterlin Park in Oakland Park, Markham Park & Target Range in Sunrise, Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach, and T.Y. (Topeekeegee Yugnee) Park in Hollywood – will also offer a Salute the Troops special.
At Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach and Easterlin Park in Oakland Park, the special starts with a Friday, November 9 check-in and ends with checkout on Sunday, November 11. At Quiet Waters, the $55 fee includes a Rent-a-Tent/Tepee campsite, two one-hour boat rentals, a naturalist-led nature hike, and a pass for one session at the K9 Water Festival at the park's Splash Adventure water park (see story below for details). At Easterlin, the fee - $45 for tricounty residents (Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade counties), $55 for non-tricounty residents - includes an RV or tent campsite, a campfire and s' mores, and a naturalist-led nature hike.
At C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, Markham Park in Sunrise, and T.Y. (Topeekeegee Yugnee) Park in Hollywood, the special starts with check-in on Friday, November 9 and runs through checkout on Monday, November 12. Veterans will receive 25 percent off their total stay during that time frame. The discount rates will be $22.50/site per night for tricounty residents, and $30/site per night for non-tricounty residents.
For more information, call the park of your choice: C.B. Smith at 954-357-5170, Easterlin at 954-357-5190, Markham at 954-357-8868, Quiet Waters at 954-357-5100, or T.Y. at 954-357-8811.
If you missed one of the October installments of our K9 Water Festivals, there is one more opportunity for Fido to frolic in one of our water parks. The final installment in the series will be on Saturday and Sunday, November 10 and 11, at Splash Adventure at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach.
Admission is $5 per dog per 50-minute session, with sessions beginning on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Only dogs weighing 25 pounds or less will be permitted for the final session of each day. Donations of dog and cat food, treats, blankets, and toys will be accepted on behalf of the homeless animals at Broward County shelters.
A few rules apply: All dogs must be off leash when inside the facility and must be sociable and well behaved. Proof of current rabies vaccination and a county license tag are required. Other than lifeguards, no humans will be allowed inside the water playgrounds. Finally, dogs are limited to no more than two sessions per day, and dogs must be at least 4 months of age to participate.
For more information, call Quiet Waters at 954-357-5100. The park’s regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) will be in effect.
Imagine sitting around a campfire, roasting marshmallows to make s’ mores after a hayride through a park on a fall evening. You can do just that this month when the Family Hayride & Campfire Series continues at three parks. There will be events on Friday, November 2 at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, Friday, November 16 at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach, and Friday, November 30 at Easterlin Park in Oakland Park. The programs run from 7 to 9:30 p.m., and tickets are $3.50 per person (ages 3 and up), which gets you one hayride and one bag of fixings for s’mores. Preregistration and prepayment are required by visiting the park office. For more information, call the park of your choice: Easterlin (accessible via Broward County Transit Route #14) at 954-357-5190, Quiet Waters (Routes #14 and #48) at 954-357-5100, or Tradewinds (Route #34) at 954-357-8870.
T.Y. (Topeekeegee Yugnee) Park in Hollywood has its own ongoing hayride/campfire series as well. The next event will be on Friday, November 9, from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are also $3.50 per person. For more information or reservations (required for groups of 15 or more), call the park at 954-357-8811. T.Y. is accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #3, #12, and #17.
How much do you know about Jamaica? The culture of this tiny Caribbean island is a rich stew of influences, including elements from Spain and Britain, China and India, and of course West Africa. For the 11th year in a row, you can find out more about the diverse heritage of the country when Markham Park hosts the popular Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival. The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, November 11, features musical performances, sporting competitions, and much more.
Then, of course, there’s authentic jerk cuisine. “Jerk,” for the uninitiated, refers to a fiery mix of spices and other ingredients that can include allspice, Scotch bonnet peppers, cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme, garlic, lime juice, and more. The marinade/rub is best known for its use on such familiar items as chicken, pork, fish, shrimp, and lobster but can also extend to such exotica as jerk yams and even jerk ice cream. The event’s Jerk Cook-off will offer cash prizes and cooking demonstrations.
Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 the day of the event, and are available online (service fees apply) as well as at Jamaican businesses throughout Broward and Miami-Dade counties. (Ages 10 and under are admitted free.) For more information, call Markham at 954-357-8868 or the event sponsor at 786-361-1103, or visit jerkfestival.com. The park is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #23.
What do you get when you cross good old-fashioned golf with the sort of flying disc most commonly known as a Frisbee®? You get disc golf, which may have been invented as long as a century ago, although the modern version of the game started in the late 1960s and has grown to encompass more than 3,000 disc golf courses in the U.S. and abroad. The goal is to traverse a course from beginning to end using the fewest disc tosses.
One of the two Broward County parks with disc golf courses, Easterlin Park in Oakland Park (the other is Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek), will launch its Disc “Glow” Golf Series, from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, November 16. Flashlights are required for the event, which is for ages 13 and up (ages 13 to 17 require a parent/guardian present), and you must provide your own equipment. Fees are $5 per person if you preregister, $8 if you register the night of the tournament. For more information, call the park at 954-357-5190. Easterlin is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #14.
For the fifth year in a row, Holiday Fantasy of Lights returns to Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek under the management of Brandano Displays. The drive-through light extravaganza runs from Friday, November 16 through Saturday, January 5 and is open nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 per vehicle Mondays through Wednesdays, $13 per vehicle Thursdays through Sundays, and $35 per bus (15+ capacity). For more information, visit www.holidaylightsdrivethru.com, or e-mail hfol@brandano.com.
For 16 of its 19 years, Holiday Fantasy of Lights at Tradewinds Park has featured the Fantasy of Lights 5K Run & Walk. This year it’s on Saturday, November 10, when, starting at 6 p.m., runners and walkers will get a sneak peek at the drive-through light extravaganza, which doesn’t open until November 16. The 5K run starts at 6 p.m., and the fitness walk starts at 7 p.m.; the free Kids’ Fun Run, for ages 2 through 12, also starts at 7 p.m.
Preregistration is required and is available at splitsecondtiming.com. Run participants will be timed and scored. This event sells out quickly, so early registration is recommended. No pets, skateboards, inline skates, or bicycles are allowed; strollers are permitted. For more information, visit www.holidaylightsdrivethru.com or e-mail hfol@brandano.com.
For those who want to get up close and personal and take a more leisurely approach to Holiday Fantasy of Lights at Tradewinds Park, consider biking through the lights. The 10th Family Bike Night will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, November 11. The cost is $7/person, and no preregistration is required – just show up with your bikes, helmets, and holiday spirit at 5:30 p.m.
Helmets are required for all bicyclists, and bike lights are strongly recommended. Participants must provide their own bikes. And bicycles only – no pets, walkers, runners, or skaters will be allowed on the course. Food and beverages will be available for purchase, and there will also be other activities available throughout the evening.
For more information, call the park at 954-357-8870, e-mail hfol@brandano.com, or visit www.holidaylightsdrivethru.com.
Did you know that approximately 98 percent of the world’s plant species have a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi? That’s one of the fascinating facts you’ll pick up on if you attend the Mycorrhizae Magic Workshop, starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 1 at Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach. Participants will also learn nature’s way of making their plants more disease-resistant, drought-tolerant, and nutrient-rich through the cultivation and application of mycorrhizal fungi, and they’ll leave the workshop with their own inoculated plugs they can use in their home landscapes. A $20 donation to the Friends of Secret Woods volunteer group is requested, and preregistration is required. For more information, call Secret Woods at 954-357-8884. The nature center is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #6. effect.
Thinking about a career in a nature-related field? Is science in your future? Interact with professionals working in these areas and explore your own possibilities when the Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood hosts Working With Nature, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 10. The program, targeted at ages 7 to 12, costs only the exhibit hall entry fee of $1 per person. For more information, call the nature center at 954-357-5161. Anne Kolb is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #12.
Relive the magic of the past at Camelot Days Medieval Festival, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, November 10 and 11 and November 17 and 18, at T.Y. Park in Hollywood. These back-in-time weekends feature live music, hearty food and drink, entertainment by knights and jesters, challenging games, exciting rides, and more. Cheer for your favorite side in the Living Chess Game, and shop for handcrafted treasures in the Artists’ Market.
For more information, call the park at 954-357-8811, or visit camelotdays.com. Admission is $15 for ages 13 and up, $3 for ages 6 to 12, and free for ages 5 and under. The park’s regular weekend and holiday gate entrance fee of $1.50/person (children 5 and under free) will also be in effect. T.Y. is accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #3, #12, and #17.
Two park programs this month are geared toward our fine feathered friends. To see a variety of resident and migratory birds, sign up for the Bird Walk, scheduled for 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 3 at Deerfield Island Park in Deerfield Beach. Participants in the program, led by volunteer Gloria Cashin, should be at the dock at Sullivan Park by 8 a.m. to catch the boat shuttle to the island. The fee is $3/person, and preregistration is required by calling Quiet Waters Park at 954-357-5100.
For those more interested in where birds live, Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach will offer a program called Avian Architecture, from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 4. Participants will learn about bird habitats and nests through displays, a bird gardening lecture, and other activities. Most activities are free, although the woodpecker box-building workshop at 3 p.m. requires preregistration and a $10 requested donation to the Friends of Secret Woods volunteer group. For more information, call the nature center at 954-357-8884. Secret Woods is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #6.
Reptiles get a bad rap sometimes, which is why Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach regularly hosts its Wonderful Reptiles program, to work toward correcting misinformation about this segment of the animal kingdom. This month’s program is from 10 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 17, and it’s free and for all ages. For further information, call Secret Woods (accessible via Broward County Transit Route #6) at 954-357-8884.
The next day, Sunday, November 18, Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek gets in on the act with its Nature Lecture: Snakes, which runs from noon to 1 p.m. The lecture will be followed by a question-and-answer session, and although live animals will be used in the presentation, the public will not be allowed or expected to handle them. A $5-per-person donation to the Fern Allies volunteer group is requested. For details, call Fern Forest (accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #31 and #42) at 954-357-5198.
Satisfy your curiosity about nature at our nature centers this month with a variety of programs. On Friday, November 9, Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek will host a Family Night Hike, from 7 to 8 p.m., with a naturalist taking families out on the trails. The fee is $5 per person. For more information, call Fern Forest (accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #31 and #42) at 954-357-5198.
A similar evening event, a Nature at Night Hike, takes place on Saturday, November 10, also from 7 to 8 p.m., at Deerfield Island Park in Deerfield Beach. The fee is also $5 per person. For more information, call Quiet Waters Park at 954-357-5100. Deerfield Island is accessible via Broward County Transit Routes #48 and #50.
The next day, Sunday, November 11, Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach offers its regular Delightful Flight program, focusing on Florida’s butterflies, from noon to 12:30 p.m. The fee is $1.50 per person. Call for details at 954-357-8884; Secret Woods is accessible via Broward County Transit Route #6.
Secret Woods also continues its Propagation Classes later that day, from 2 to 3 p.m., with a segment on “Cuttings” that includes a lecture as well as hands-on instruction. The class is $4 per person.
On Tuesday, November 3, the Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood has one of its regular (and free) Trail Strolls, from 1 to 1:45 p.m. The brief program lets participants take a guided introductory boardwalk stroll through the mangrove wetland. For more information, call Anne Kolb (accessible via Broward County Transit Route #12) at 954-357-5161.
Anne Kolb will also host a Muddy Bottoms program, from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 24, featuring a seining and mud-grabbing demonstration. The fee is $5 per person.
For lecture programs, you can also count on Anne Kolb, where the Family and Friends Nature Series continues with a lecture called “All About Community Gardens.” The program is from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 18, and light refreshments will be served. A $2-per-person donation to the Friends of Anne Kolb volunteer group is requested, and preregistration is required. Fern Forest gets into the lecture act on Sunday, November 25, when there’ll be a Nature Lecture: Spiders, followed by a Q&A session. It’s from noon to 1 p.m., and a $5 donation to the Fern Allies volunteer group is requested.
“Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.” - American writer William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)
Airboat Rides (Everglades Holiday Park) – Batting Cages (AllGolf at C.B. Smith Park) – Butterfly World (Tradewinds Park & Stables) – Cable Water-Skiing (Ski Rixen USA at Quiet Waters Park) – Campgrounds (C.B. Smith Park, Easterlin Park, Markham Park & Target Range, Quiet Waters Park , T.Y. Park) – Dog Park (Barkham at Markham Park & Target Range) – Educational Farm (Tradewinds Park & Stables) – Exhibit Halls (Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park, Fern Forest Nature Center, Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center, Secret Woods Nature Center) – Golf Facilities (AllGolf at C.B. Smith Park) – Multipurpose Athletic Fields (Brian Piccolo Park & Velodrome, Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium, Tradewinds Park & Stables) – Observatory (Markham Park & Target Range) – Riding Stables (Tradewinds Park & Stables, Tree Tops Park) – Skate Park/Track (Brian Piccolo Park & Velodrome) – Target Range (Markham Park & Target Range) – Tennis Centers (Brian Piccolo Park & Velodrome, C.B. Smith Park) – Velodrome (Brian Piccolo Park & Velodrome) – Water Playgrounds/ Waterslides/Swimming (C.B. Smith Park, Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium, Quiet Waters Park, T.Y. Park)
The Parks and Recreation Division is dedicated to providing a countywide park system with diverse facilities and recreation opportunities, along with natural area conservation and research-based educational outreach, to enhance the well-being of residents, businesses, and visitors.
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Broward County Commission's primary resource and referral service for available swim programs in cooperation with various cities and nonprofit organizations. Call 954-357-SWIM (7946).
Founded in February 1956 and accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies, Broward County Parks and Recreation manages nearly 6,500 acres, encompassing 19 regional parks and nature centers, six neighborhood parks, and 21 natural areas at various stages of development. Facilities include water parks, campgrounds, a target range, a stadium, a skate park, an observatory, mountain bike trails, an educational farm with stables, and a velodrome and other sports facilities. Hours and fees vary by location. For more information, visit www.broward.org/parks.
Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations in order to participate in county programs, services, and activities must contact the Special Populations Section at 954-357-8170 or TTY 954-537-2844 at least 10 business days prior to the scheduled meeting or event to request an accommodation.
Sue Gunzburger
Dale V.C. Holness
Kristin Jacobs
Chip LaMarca
Ilene Lieberman
Stacy Ritter
John E. Rodstrom Jr.
Barbara Sharief
Lois Wexler
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Parks and Recreation is a service of the Broward County Board of County Commissioners.