Best Park

This is a tough category in a county with such gems as Markham Park in Sunrise and the great beach parks maintained by the state, John U. Lloyd and Hugh Taylor Birch. Our pick is Snyder, an unpretentious city park of 93 acres that offers everything you need in a park, and all on a city budget. Snyder has two freshwater ponds, one with a football field-long swimming beach and weekend lifeguards to protect the kids; canoe and kayak rentals; hiking trails through sometimes dense foliage; paved trails for jogging, bicycling, or Rollerblading; a softball field; basketball courts; and picnic areas. It's clean, it's managed by some of the friendliest city workers you can find, and at twilight it's romantic. Snyder is also cheap. On weekends or holidays you'll pay $2 a person unless you're very young or very old, then it's $1.50. The weekday entrance fee is $1.50 or $1.