Hollywood, Florida

Contact Information
6503 N. Ocean Drive
Dania, 33004
(954) 923-2833

Adjacent to busy Port Everglades is a beachfront park that preserves some of south Florida's vanishing natural resources. Beyond preserving them, the Florida Park Service is actively restoring natural areas that were damaged by earlier users.

John U. Lloyd Beach is 251 acres of barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, from Port Everglades on the north to Dania on the south. Its natural setting contrasts sharply with the urban development of Ft. Lauderdale.

Plantlife
Further inland are stands of subtropical coastal hammock (seaside hardwood forest). A self-guided trail offers a leisurely 45-minute walk through the hammock. Non-native plants are regularly removed from this area. Removing these "exotics," such as Brazilian pepper and Australian pine, is a long-term process throughout the park.

On the west side of the park, along the Intracoastal Waterway, a man made wetland is bringing back red mangroves to the shore. The mangroves not only screen the view but provide a rich nursery ground for fish and other sea life. The wetland is a mitigation site to replace wetlands destroyed by Port expansion in 1989.

Wildlife
Changed beach sand can cause problems for nesting sea turtles. Lloyd Beach, one of Broward County's most important sea turtle nesting beaches, produces some 10,000 hatchlings a year. When necessary to prevent them from washing away, turtle eggs are sometimes moved to a protected hatchery.

Hours of Operation
Florida state parks are open from 8 a.m. until sundown 365 days a year.

Driving Directions
I-95 to Sheridan Street (Milepost Exit 21 - Old Exit 24), east to A1A, north 1.5 miles; or Florida Turnpike to Hollywood Blvd. (Exit 49), east to A1A, north 2.5 miles.

Park Activities

Boat Ramp
Lloyd Beach has two boat ramps at our marina with easy access to the ocean through the Port Everglades Inlet. There is a user fee for the boat ramp. There is plenty of room for boaters to beach along the northern end of "Whiskey Creek" where the whole family can enjoy a picnic with easy access to their boat.

Boating
Boating is excellent at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park. Whiskey Creek, a manatee sanctuary, flows through the park and is adjacent to Port Everglades and the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). It provides an excellent opportunity for viewing scenic wildlife by canoe or kayak. Motorboats can be accommodated from the ICW to just south of the restaurant, which is a short walking distance from our popular swimming beach. The park also has a boat ramp ($5.00 fee) which provides easy access to the ICW. Ocean access is available through the Port Everglades Inlet, about a mile away. There is also a full service restaurant, “The Loggerhead Café”; at the north end of the creek which provides canoe and kayak rentals.

Canoeing
The mangrove-lined waterway is a scenic place to canoe, observe bird life and take photographs. Limited picnic supplies, as well as bait and rental canoes, are available at Loggerhead Cafe, the park's refreshment stand.

Fishing
We have some of the finest shore fishing on our jetty at the entrance to Port Everglades.
Nature Trails
At the south end of the park, we offer a relaxing, 45-minute self-guided nature walk through a native subtropical coastal hammock. Here you can see examples of a seaside hardwood forest unchanged from the impact of development. You may also see wildlife such as squirrels, raccoons and a myriad of birds.

Picnicking
We are pleased to offer park visitors a total of seven picnic pavilions, six of which are located within two-hundred yards of the beach. All of the pavilions include water, electric, picnic tables and a barbecue area. The seventh pavilion overlooks Port Everglades where visitors can enjoy watching the arrival and departure of the cruise ships.

There are over 300 individual picnic tables situated throughout the park that are available to visitors at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis.

Scuba Diving
For those interested in the underwater beauty of South Florida, Lloyd Beach has one of the easiest and interesting shore dives in the area. You can follow the submerged Eurojacks to the first reef. This allows snorkelers and divers to see a vast array of sealife including tropical and sport fish, sharks and Florida lobster.

Swimming
The park's broad, flat beach is popular for swimming and sunning. We offer swimming along nearly two and a half miles of natural native beach.

Sailing
Located in the park is the Loggerhead Sailing Club. Club members receive special reduced rental rates on all of the concession’s watercraft including three models of Hobie Cats, canoes and ocean kayaks. The annual membership fee provides the member and their family access to the fleet of new performance catamarans from Hobie. The fleet, currently at fourteen boats, consists of the twelve-foot ‘Bravo,’ the fourteen-foot ‘Wave’ and the sixteen-foot ‘Getaway’ models.

The club also offers sailing instruction programs designed for beginners through experienced sailors. The classes include sailing theory and actual on the water training. Special events, such as regattas, special destination trips, and picnics are held on a regular basis.