Best Place To See What's Left Of Broward's Undeveloped Coastline

Egad. Two hundred and fifty three acres of primo Broward coast with nary a condominium or strip mall in sight? Yep. John U. Lloyd unfurls its sands and native Florida flora and fauna between Dania Beach and Port Everglades with a narrow tidal waterway winding through the park's length. Rent a canoe and you can cruise through this creek's mangrove-fringed borders or watch an ibis pick its way through the eddies. Visiting the park's quiet southern end makes you want to lie down beneath a patch of pines and take a nap. The north end of the park offers a paved jetty where folks stroll, fish, and mull stuff over. A slatted wooden boardwalk leads toward the jetty, and the first (and only) bench at its foot offers a lateral view of the park's entire pristine stretch of coast. Weekends tend to get hectic, but midweek's the perfect time to take in the sweet sounds of nothing save the tide and an occasional gull.