Broward County Has a Wild Side

Story and photos by
Kathleen Walls

There's far more to Fort Lauderdale than beaches and nightlife. The city bills itself as "The Gateway to the Everglades," and that gateway truly opens onto another world. Our bus left behind the high rises and traffic and carried us straight into Florida's wild heart.

Sawgrass Recreation Park

At Sawgrass Recreation Park, Captain Jack took us out on an airboat tour. He was knowledgeable and engaging, explaining how the shallow water lets sunlight reach the bottom, encouraging plants to grow up through the water and create the "river of grass" we were skimming across.

Within minutes, he pointed out an osprey perched high in a tree and an anhinga drying its wings nearby. As the anhinga spread its feathers, Captain Jack explained the difference between the two birds: ospreys avoid getting wet and shake off excess water after catching fish, while anhingas dive underwater with their light bones and rely on spongy feathers for weight. Those feathers leave them soaked and unable to fly until they dry, a dangerous pause in a place where alligators are the main predators.

We didn't see many alligators on that first tour, but we did spot a stately blue heron, a red shouldered hawk, and a variety of other birds. I returned that evening for a night tour with Captain Ron. The river of grass felt quieter, almost hushed. We saw a lone alligator paddling toward shore, and the sunset alone was worth the trip.

There's more to Sawgrass than airboats. We had lunch at the covered pavilion behind the welcome center, where the Gator Grill , housed in a small RV, serves simple fare, including Gator Bites. Visitors can book primitive tent camping or rent boats to explore the waterways on their own.

One of the best things that happened to the park is the Soverns family, who bought it in 2005 and expanded it from a 1950s fishing camp and one boat operation into one of South Florida's top destinations. They've done it while respecting the ecosystem. Their Sawgrass Reptile Exhibit and other displays rescue wild and domestic reptiles and mammals that wouldn't survive in the wild. I was thrilled to pet a young alligator.

The Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park

The Anne Kolb Nature Center, along the Intracoastal Waterway, is one of Florida's largest urban parks, a 1,500 acre preserve of mangrove forests, tidal channels, and wildlife rich wetlands right on the edge of Fort Lauderdale.

Inside, the exhibit hall offers an immersive introduction to these ecosystems. A simulated mangrove habitat lets you walk through tangled roots and brackish water, while a 3,500 gallon aquarium filled with snook, tarpon, rays, and smaller estuary creatures reveals the underwater world. The hands on EcoRoom explains tides, mangroves, and wildlife adaptation, and the video at the front of the hall is an excellent primer on Florida's complex ecosystems.

I didn't have time to explore all 1,500 acres, but I walked the boardwalk and rode the elevator to the top of the four story observation tower. From there, the view shows the other side of Fort Lauderdale and stretches to the Atlantic Ocean, with the mangrove canopy rippling like a green sea. At the end of the boardwalk, a covered pier with a mounted telescope invites you to linger and look for wading birds, manatees, and other wildlife. I even spotted a curly tailed lizard , a cute but invasive species introduced in the 1940s to control agricultural pests and now common throughout South and Central Florida.

Beyond the exhibit hall and tower, the grounds include an outdoor amphitheater, an Intracoastal fishing pier, and miles of nature, biking, and paddling trails. Boats and kayaks are available for rent at the marina next door.

The center is named for Anne Kolb, a dedicated environmentalist and award-winning journalist who became the first woman elected to the Broward County Commission in 1974. Admission is free on weekdays.

Flamingo Gardens

Later, I visited an even more vibrant wildlife community: Flamingo Gardens. Its citrus-growing past is preserved in the Ray House, built more than a century ago when the Ray family settled here to grow citrus.

The 60-acre property is far more than a garden. It's the largest collection of Everglades wildlife and a sanctuary for permanently injured or non-releasable animals including black bear, bobcats, otters, hawks, flamingos, and an astonishing variety of birds. Even iguanas roam freely. I crossed paths with peacocks, egrets, ducks, geese, and one bold scrub jay who perched on a fence, posed for a close-up, and then brushed my hair with his claws as he flew off.

I began with the tram tour, where our guide Enrique pointed out plants, birds, and wildlife along the route. We stopped at the butterfly house, where those flying jewels drifted among blooms I couldn't begin to name, and passed the Cactus Garden, Cycad Garden, and a grove of mango trees.

At the Wildlife Encounter, I met Sugarcane the barn owl, Roni the tailless alligator, and Pepper the eastern striped skunk.  They are just a few of the rescues now living comfortably throughout the sanctuary.

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