This 299-acre site is one of the Parks and Recreation Division's most diverse parks, as well as its most popular. Here are some of the recreational opportunities waiting for you at C.B. Smith Park.

Picnics and Parties

Picnic areas and shelters with grills and picnic tables are available throughout the park. Among the park's many rental facilities are two corporate pavilions (capacity 300 each), a meeting cabin (300), five extra-large shelters (81-160), six large shelters (46-80), and nine medium shelters (30-45). See C.B. Picnic Shelters.

Paradise Cove Water Park 

For years the park was known for its waterslides, tube ride, and swim lagoon, all of which closed at the end of the season in September 2003. A dramatically expanded and revamped 4.69-acre facility called Paradise Cove opened in April 2004. Among its features: Parrot's Point, a 12-inch-deep pool with two small waterslides and other interactive play elements designed for ages 5 and under; Sharky's Lagoon, an 18-inch-deep pool with three waterslides (83, 98, and 125 feet long) and other interactive play elements; Crazy Creek, a 410-foot-long meandering tube ride with interactive play elements along the route; H2Whoa!, two 450-foot-long waterslides; the Paradise Grill and Sand Dollar concession facilities; and 11 Funbrellas, 20-foot-diameter umbrellas (capacity 30) with picnic tables, available by rental. For more information, contact the Paradise Cove Water Park at 954-357-5170.

C.B. Marina

Boat rentals are offered from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. when the park is open. Fees: $10 per half-hour; $15 per hour; $20 for two hours; $30 for half a day (four hours); and $50 for a full day (more than four hours). Types of boats available include paddle boats, johnboats, kayaks, and canoes. You must be at least 18 years of age to sign a boat rental contact, and no one under the age of 12 is permitted to boat without an adult in the watercraft.

Bicycle Rentals

Bicycle rentals are available through Toby's Concession Services Inc. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and Broward County holidays (when the park is open) and during school breaks. A standard two-wheel bike is $5 per hour; a banana bike (three-wheel bike) that seats one person is $10 per hour; a four-wheel bike (a big surrey bike with two seats, for up to six persons total) is $20 per hour; and a small surrey bike (seats three persons) is $10 per hour.

Golf and Batting Cages

The park's AllGolf Facility and Batting Cages, located near the entrance, offers a covered driving range with lights and a short game area, a miniature golf course, and a pro shop tocked with major brand names. PGA instructions are also available.

You're also in luck if you are looking for variable-speed batting cages for softball and baseball.

Hours of Operation:
Mondays-Fridays - 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturdays - 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sundays - 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Contact AllGolf at 954-441-1333 for more information.

Concert Green

C.B. Smith has also earned a reputation as an ideal site for large-scale events. A five-acre island is home to the 5,000-capacity Concert Green, an open-air amphitheater with a 32-foot-by-48-foot stage that for many years hosted the annual Love & Jazz Valentine's Concert. A nearby special event field has for 22 of the past 25 years been the location for the 99.9 KISS Country Chili Cookoff, which includes a concert featuring some of the top acts in country music. The capacity of the special event field is up to 25,000.

Please check with the park for availability of dates and other requirements when planning a special event.

Camping

The park's lakeside campground is equipped with 71 RV sites, all with electricity, water, picnic tables, grills, and sewer hookups. There are also heated showers, a laundry facility, and restrooms in the campground area. Campground map.

After-hours security is provided at the campground, which permits two pets per campsite with proof of current vaccinations and appropriate licenses. Pets must be registered at check-in and must be kept on a leash no longer than six feet at all times when not inside the RV or tent.

Camping fees vary based on residency, with residents of the tricounty area of Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade receiving discounts. Reservations are highly recommended, especially during the peak season of November through April. Contact the park office by phone. Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express are accepted.

Contact the campground at cbsmithpark@broward.org

Tennis

A tennis center with tennis and racquetball courts is operated by Mackey Sports Enterprises Inc.  Beginner, intermediate, and advanced players are welcome. For more information, call 954-868-6100.

Other Amenities

The park also offers great fishing opportunities (except in the marina area): from the shore, from one of three piers, or from a rented boat. A basketball court, a biking/jogging path, several playgrounds, and areas for volleyball and horseshoes are available elsewhere throughout the park. Aside from the gate entrance fee, there is no charge to use any of these areas, and you can bring your own equipment or rent it at the park office.

And if all this still isn't enough recreation for you, C.B. Smith also has one basketball court, a biking/jogging path, several playgrounds, and a few areas for volleyball and horseshoes. There are no fees charged to use any of these areas (except park admission), and you can either bring your own equipment or rent it at the park office.

C.B. Smith has an area that has minature roadways and is designated as Safety Town, a program of  Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. Here children learn such bicycle safety basics as which side of the road to ride on, how to observe a stop sign, and how to proceed at railroad crossings.

A little history: The county park system’s most popular park has a long, complicated history as a piece of public land. The property that was later to become the park apparently became a part of the county at some unidentified point in the past when the owners fell behind in their taxes. The county then sold the land to the federal government, which used it as a firing range for the Naval Flexible Gunnery School. The county purchased the property back in the 1950s, reportedly for $14.50 per acre, and eventually sold all but the 299 acres that make up the present-day park.
Although undeveloped, the land became known locally as Snake Creek Park. Then, in 1967, it was formally named for Charlie Barney Smith, a former Broward County commissioner and City of Hollywood commissioner who had championed the cause of public land for parks. In the 1970s the site gained popularity as a rustic picnic spot, although there were no amenities to speak of, not even fresh drinking water.
In 1976, the land was leased by the South Broward Park District, which broke ground there on December 16, 1978. Three years and three months later, on March 13, 1982, the district opened C.B. Smith Park to the public. When the state legislature dissolved the South Broward Park District in 1988, the park became a regional park in the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division.

The park’s growth in popularity seemed all but predestined, given the westward expansion of Broward County in the 1980s and ’90s. Today the park attracts more annual visitors than any other county park. Not bad for a piece of land that, over the years, was considered as a site for a landfill, the location for a Miami Dolphins stadium, and an outpost of what was then known as Broward Community College. (Photo courtesy of the Broward County Historical Commission)

For more information, contact:

C.B. Smith Park
900 N. Flamingo Rd.
Pembroke Pines, FL 33028
Phone: 954-357-5170
Fax: 954-357-5171
E-mail: CBSmithPark@Broward.org

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