Six Florida state parks are within day-trip driving distance of our hotel. You can stay close by at a beach in Fort Lauderdale. Or you can get adventurous and drive to Jupiter or the Florida keys. Either way, a day at a state-park beach may be just what the doctor ordered.
State parks in Florida are open from 8 a.m. until sundown, every day of the year. There’s usually an entrance fee based upon the number of people in your vehicle. Make sure you buy everything you need before you get to the park, as concessions aren’t always available.
You’ll find great state-park beaches in:
Fort Lauderdale
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. Located right in the heart of Fort Lauderdale beach, this park features a mile-long waterway for paddling or kayaking. Also includes a nature trail, a paved bike path and a visitor’s center. The park’s across the road from the beach, but you can use a tunnel under the highway to reach the seaside. Picnic pavilions with electricity are available for rent in the park.
Cost: $6 for multi-passenger vehicles, $4 for single-passenger vehicles.
Directions from Rodeway to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (20 minutes)
John U. Lloyd State Park. Located within sight of Port Everglades cruise port, this park features more than 300 picnic tables available for free. Whiskey Creek, perfect for canoeing or kayaking, runs through the park. The park also features a mile-and-a-half long coral reef that snorkelers can reach easily from the beach. Scuba divers are welcomed. Activities also include shore fishing, hiking and biking. Picnic pavilions are available for rent.
Cost: $6 for multi-passenger vehicles, $4 for single-passenger vehicles.
Directions from Rodeway to John U. Lloyd Beach State Park (15 minutes)
Jupiter
Jonathan Dickinson State Park. The Loxahatchee River runs through this park in Hobe Sound, north of Jupiter. Activities include boating, kayaking and hiking, as well as guided tours of a 1930’s trapper’s lodge. The park’s beach features a small coral reef just offshore that hosts a fish-feeding frenzy when it’s covered with seawater during high tide. Cabins, canoes, kayaks, and motorboats are available for rent.
Cost: $6 per multi-occupant vehicle, $4 per single-occupant vehicle.
Directions from Rodeway to Jonathan Dickinson State Park (75 minutes)
John D. MacArthur State Park. Located on the north end of Singer Island, it’s the only state park in Palm Beach County. The creek that flows through the park is a manatee sanctuary. Rent kayaks or canoes, or put your ship in the water at one of two boat ramps. With a reef just off the beach, it’s also a great place to snorkel or shore dive. Includes nature wall, paved path and shore fishing. Nature Center open daily, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Cost: $5 per vehicle, $4 if single person in vehicle.
Directions from Rodeway to John D. MacArthur State Park (60 minutes)
Miami
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. This park at the tip of Key Biscayne is home to the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County, a lighthouse built in 1825. Guided tours of the structure are provided on Tuesday and Thursday. More than a mile of beach, rated among the Top 10 in Florida. Swim, snorkel or fish from the park’s seawall. Picnic sites also are available for rent.
Cost: $8 per multi-passenger vehicle, $6 per single-passenger vehicle.
Directions from Rodeway to Bill Baggs State Park (50 minutes)
John Pennekamp State Park. As the country’s first undersea park in 1963, this 25-mile-long park extends three miles out to sea. The park includes coral reefs, sawgrass beds and mangrove swamps. You can swim, camp, snorkel or scuba dive from the park. They also offer glass-bottom boat tours, kayak rentals and boat moorings. Visitor Center open 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Cost: $8 per multi-passenger vehicle, $6 per single-passenger vehicle.
Directions from Rodeway to John Pennekamp State Park (90 minutes)