Parks were created because even before modern "green" movements to preserve the environment, humans innately craved natural space in the middle of civilization. Most parks these days, however, feature unnatural, brightly colored plastic playgrounds set atop artificial, shock-absorbent turf. But nature still reigns at Tradewinds Park & Stables, a huge 626.7-acre retreat and one of the few places in South Florida where you can ride horses. The park has the usual amenities: jogging path, picnic shelters, athletic fields, and playgrounds. You can fish, rent a bounce house, walk the Cypress Trail Boardwalk, and play disc golf all in the same day. But the stables also host kids' summer camp programs and equine-assisted therapy for the disabled. There's an educational farm where you can learn about Broward's agrarian past as well as model-steam-train rides. And, of course, there's always Butterfly World; this park within a park is a breathtaking botanical garden that breeds butterflies and is home to the country's largest free-flight hummingbird aviary.
Readers' Choice: Quiet Waters Park