With the sweltering summer months behind us, tis' the season to go outside and frolic and enjoy South Florida's wonderful winter weather.
State and county parks in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade offer a plethora of activities you can enjoy without the fear of suffering a heat stroke, like birdwatching, clay shooting and fishing to name a few.
Put on those skates, take out the bike, line your fishing pole, or just pack a lunch and head out to one of these top parks.
Palm Beach County Parks
Birdwatching
1. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Address: 10216 Lee Road, three miles north of Atlantic Avenue off State Road 7, Boynton Beach, 561-734-8303 or 561-732-3684. Main office 561-732-3684.
Bird watchers will get an eyeful during this time of year through spring at this 221-square-mile refuge. A bird's-eye view can be obtained by climbing into the observation tower on the marsh trail.
Loxahatchee is at the northernmost end of the Everglades, and is home to the American alligator and the endangered Everglades snail kite, as well as up to 257 species of birds that visit the refuge wetlands during the year. Open from sunrise to sunset, the park offers nature walks, a visitor center, a 5.5-mile canoe trail, a 12-mile bicycle trail, hiking, bird watching and bass fishing. A 0.4-mile boardwalk loops around one of the last remaining cypress swamp areas.
The visitor center is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekends and holidays, and is closed on Dec. 25 and on Mondays and Tuesdays from May to mid-October.
Wildlife: Winter brings seasonal residents such as the northern harrier and several species of ducks, including blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, fulvous whistling ducks and ring-necked ducks.
Herons, egrets, ibis, limpkins, anhinga, purple gallinules, vultures and red-shouldered hawks are common.
Hold your horses!
2. Palm Beach County Jim Brandon Equestrian Center at Okeeheelee Park
Address: 7715 Forest Hill Blvd., west of West Palm Beach, just east of Florida's Turnpike, 561-966-6600, and for the PBC Jim Brandon Equestrian Center, 561-719-9993.
In June, the PBC Jim Brandon Equestrian Center opened with a state-of-the art facility for equine shows and exhibition sure to tickle the fancy of both professional and amateur equine connoisseurs.
The 111-acre facility boasts a covered lighted arena with its own schooling ring and spectator seating for approximately 1000 people, equine-friendly riding trails accessible from all rings and picnic areas, and jump courses are available for rent.
For calendar of events visit
www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/parks/equestrian/jimbrandon/calendar
Okeeheelee Park also features a BMX bicycle-racing track, golf course, tennis courts. Plenty of sports fields (softball, soccer, football, rugby), a nature center, volleyball courts. Freshwater fishing in a stocked lake (catch-and-release only), fishing pier, boat slips and ramps. Boating, canoe, kayak and other watercraft rentals, and other concessions are available. User fees for scheduled activities. Open sunrise to sunset.
For boat rentals, call 561-304-1344; golf course, 561-964-4653; BMX track, 561-642-6774; ball field and water skiing permits, 561-966-6620.
Water Sports
3. John Prince Park
Address: 2520 Lake Worth Road west of I-95, Lake Worth, 561-964-4420. Other entrances at 27600 Sixth Ave. S. and 4759 S. Congress Ave.
This 726-acre county park features 338-acre Lake Osborne, with fishing, water skiing and boating, fishing piers, boat ramps and trailer parking. There also are picnic areas, camping, RV hookups, a nature trail, golf and baseball training center, batting cages, tennis courts, softball fields, a playground, a five-mile bike path, exercise trail, wheelchair exercise course, 266 campsites, picnic shelters, snack bar and restroom. Finally, don't forget the petanque court, for a round of the European lawn-bowling game, a distant cousin of horseshoes and a close relative of bocce.
Broward County Parks
The Grind
4. The Velodrome at Brian Piccolo Park
Address: 9501 Sheridan St., Cooper City, 954-437-2626 and 954-437-2600 for Brian Piccolo Park.
The Velodrome is a 333.3-meter track with a maximum 200-meter banked track.
The criterium course is open to the public daily from 8:00 a.m. to dusk. It is a paved course, consisting of both 500-meter and 800-meter loops, ideal for both cyclists and in-line speed skaters.
This county park offers a number of sports facilities including two basketball courts, a cricket field, four softball fields, three soccer/football fields and 12 clay tennis courts and three bike and jogging paths.
Facilities also include picnic tables, grills, a rental shelter, playgrounds and snack bars. Fishing is permitted, but a license may be required.
For information on fees and programs at the tennis center, call 954-437-2661; for bike rentals and cycling and inline skating programs and lessons, call 954-437-2626.
Picnic Mecca
5. C.B. Smith Park
Address: 900 N. Flamingo Road, Pembroke Pines, 954-437-2650.
This large county park has two 350-foot waterslides, one 400-foot tube ride, a children's playground, shallow pools and restrooms. The park also has volleyball courts, a tennis/racquetball center, basketball court, snack bar, golf center with a driving range and miniature golf course, batting cages, bike and jogging paths, picnic area with tables and grills, large picnic pavilions. The park also offers fishing, as well as tent and RV camping, complete with hookups, as well as a non-air-conditioned meeting cabin that can accommodate 300 people. Canoes, johnboats and paddleboats are available for rental to explore the park's 80 acres of lakes. Call 954-441-1333 for information on the golf range and batting cages. Call 954-437-2674 for reservations, fees, and hours at the tennis/racquetball center.
Sharp-shooters
6. Markham Park Target Range
Address: 16001 W. SR 84, Sunrise, 954-389-2000, for target range reservations, 954-389-2005.
Markham Park is home to an outdoor target range for pistols, rifles and skeet shooting, including a sporting clays course. And it also one the area's popular dog and horse-friendly park.
The centerpiece at this huge county park on the edge of the Everglades is a series of interlocking lakes offering opportunities for fishing and boating, including two ramps, one with access to the Everglades Conservation Area. There's also a swimming pool complex with mist pool, snack bar, lockers, showers and restrooms, as well as a tennis/racquetball center, a biking/jogging path and volleyball areas. In addition to an observatory, model airplane field, model boat lake and a mountain bike trail. A campground offers 86 sites for tent and RV camping. Group camping also is available by reservation.
Miami-Dade County Parks
Hole-In-One
7. Haulover Park
Address: 10800 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-947-3525. Take I-95 to exit 13, then head east for six miles to Collins Avenue. Turn left on Collins and go over the bridge to the park. Parking lots are across from the beach and all along its length.
Besides the clothing-optional beach on the north end, Haulover has appeal as a park. Take the tunnel from the beach and you'll find a full-service marina, boat ramp, restaurant, a tennis center with six lighted courts and lessons.
Reservations are accepted (305-940-6719), and the courts are wheelchair-accessible. The 180-acre park also has two restaurants, Cafe Azul and Solo's on the Bay, as well as a nine-hole golf course, showers, restrooms, and picnic facilities. Among the concessions is a dive shop, sundry and kite shops, and shops that provide beach rental equipment such as chairs and umbrellas.
A River Runs Through It
8. Oleta River State Park
Address: 3400 NE 163rd St., North Miami, one mile east of Biscayne Boulevard across from Denny's restaurant; 305-919-1846. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
At 1,043 acres, Oleta River State Park is the largest urban park in the state. On Biscayne Bay in northeast Miami-Dade County, the most prominent natural feature of the park is the Oleta River, for which the park is named. The Intracoastal Waterway borders the park on the east. Mangrove forests and the two waterways are home to a variety of wildlife, particularly birds, as well as the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, the endangered West Indian manatee, raccoons, opossums and foxes.
Recreational activities include canoeing, kayaking, picnicking, swimming from a 1,200-foot sandy, man-made beach on one of the bay's coves, and saltwater fishing from the shores and the park's own bayside pier, as well as nature trails, children's playground and picnicking. Bicyclers will find more than 12 miles of challenging, intermediate mountain bike trails. For the beginner, there are more than four miles of novice trails and three miles of paved trail. The park maintains a bicycle-helmet loaner system and has outside showers. The park has picnic pavilions available for reservation or first-come, first-served, as well as bicycles for rent at the concession stand, which is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Underwater Adventure
9. Biscayne National Park
Address: 9700 SW 328th St., Homestead, 305-230-7275. Park hours: 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Closed Christmas Day.
More than 90 percent of this park is underwater, so the best way to enjoy it is by boat. The glass-bottom boat tour introduces you to the park's underwater world of fish and coral without getting your feet wet. Snorkelers and divers can experience underwater wildlife (including the corals, which are animals) firsthand. The park also includes the longest stretch of mangrove forest left on Florida's East Coast, Biscayne Bay and a living coral reef.
For landlubbers, park concessions (which also sell sandwiches) offers several opportunities to see the park, including snorkeling and dive trips, island excursions and canoe and kayak rentals. Interpretive programs are conducted regularly by rangers at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center, where exhibits and films also provide an introduction to the park. The park offers ample opportunities for swimming, fishing, nature walks and picnicking. Tent (and boat) camping is available on nearby Boca Chita Key and Elliott Key; call 305-230-7275.
The auto entrance to the park is at Convoy Point, which can be reached by taking Florida's Turnpike south to Exit 6 (Speedway Boulevard), turning left from the exit ramp and continuing south to Southwest 328th Street (North Canal Drive). Turn left and continue to the end of the road. The entrance is about five miles on the left. No restaurant or lifeguards are available in the park.
Go For the Gold
10. Parks Serving Special Needs Populations
For adults and children with special needs many Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade County parks serve as Special Olympics training grounds. These parks also provide year-round programs to develop leisure skills and motor skills, enhance socialization skills and teach participants how to have fun safely through activities such as gymnastics, arts and crafts, swimming, wheelchair sports and music therapy to name a few.
Palm Beach
www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/parks/therapeutic_recreation
Broward
www.broward.org/parks/special.htm
Miami-Dade
www.miamidade.gov/parks/prog_leisure_access_programs