Florida State Parks - Things to do in Fort Lauderdale: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

There are 160 Florida state parks that offer sandy beaches, lush semi-tropical forests, crystal clear springs, and cultural sites. Many offer a lot of family friendly activities at very reasonable prices – some activities common amongst the state parks include hiking, biking, birding, canoeing, swimming, camping, horseback riding, photography, and more.  This year, the National Archives celebrated its 75^th anniversary; Florida’s state parks have been providing affordable, educational, and non-traditional getaways for three quarters of a century! 

Today we visited beautiful Hugh Taylor Birch state park.  This park is just a short walk from the Ft. Lauderdale beachside shops and condos.  It’s an oasis of tropical hammocks, nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway.  If you live here or are planning to travel to Florida, this park should be on your list of things to do in Fort Lauderdale!

You’ll have to excuse my lack of photographs – I did go prepared with camera in hand, but unfortunately we had to make a quick exit when my daughter got stung by a bee – her first, and we were concerned because her daddy is allergic and we didn’t know if she was, AND we were at the far end of the lagoon in a canoe!  Everything turned out well – we now know that she is in fact not allergic to bees (whew!) and I got a heck of a workout paddling that canoe back to the dock! 

Hugh Taylor Birch was an attorney from Chicago who came to South Florida in 1893 to find a secluded area to call home.  He chose to settle in Fort Lauderdale, a small village at the time that had a store, a few houses, and the remains of an old army post.

He eventually owned a 3.5 mile stretch of land (180 acres) along the beach which he purchased for about a dollar per acre.  In 1940, at 90 years old, he built his home there, an Art Deco-style estate, which he called Terramar or “land to the sea.”  He later dedicated his estate for use as a public park; he did this to preserve his subtropical paradise as there was a lot of development springing up around his estate.  On December 31, 1941, The Florida Board of Forestry and Parks obtained the title to the land and it became Hugh Taylor Birch State Park.

Now it’s an island of trees and greenery in the middle of busy, urban Fort Lauderdale – kind of like Central Park in New York is a peaceful area of green in the midst of a bustling city.  The park is actually on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway and it’s one of Fort Lauderdale’s most unique features. 

The park is open 365 days of the year, from 8 a.m. until sunset.  Visitors can rent a canoe and paddle peacefully along a mile-long stretch of a freshwater lagoon.  Turtle, ducks, and plenty of fish can be seen – the mangroves provide habitat for many animals and birds, like herons, raccoons, squirrels and rabbits.  Visitors can go fishing along the seawall that runs along the Intracoastal Waterway.  Also along the Intracoastal Waterway you’ll find plenty of picnic areas that provide a perfect spot to relax and gaze in amazement and jealousy at the million-dollar yachts that pass by.  Of course, there are playgrounds for the little ones, too.

If you love nature, there are two short hiking trails where you can learn about local plants and wildlife.  Gopher tortoise and gray fox are provided safe harbor at the park.  Many bicyclists and skaters can be seen gliding along the paved drive that runs through the park.  The beach can be easily accessed via a tunnel for pedestrians that runs underneath A1A, aka “The Fort Lauderdale Strip.”

Birch’s 2-story home is now the Visitor Center for the park and it features exhibits of the park’s and South Florida’s natural and cultural history and a short video tells you more about the park.