Hollywood Beach & the Broadwalk

Twenty to twenty-five minutes south of the nest, Hollywood Beach keeps a slower, more old-fashioned feel than the A1A strip up in Fort Lauderdale. The draw is the Broadwalk, a brick promenade along the ocean that has been a South Florida ritual for generations. Come for a walk, a bike ride and an early dinner with the sound of the water right there, and you have the whole afternoon figured out.

What the Broadwalk actually is

The Broadwalk runs about two and a half miles along the sand, and walking the whole thing takes roughly forty-five minutes to an hour at an easy pace. It is flat, brick-paved and car-free, which is the whole point: no traffic, no curbs, just a wide path between the dune line and a row of low-slung hotels, cafes and shops. It stays lively and well-lit into the evening. Travel + Leisure has named it one of America’s best beach boardwalks, and it feels like a place people have been coming to forever.

The path is busy in the best way. Walkers, joggers, cyclists and skaters all share it, and there is a marked bike lane so the wheels and the strollers stay out of each other’s way. Along the sand you will see sand volleyball, beachfront paddleball, and morning yoga or tai chi groups depending on the day. The beach is wide and looked after, and the water is calm most days.

A little history

Hollywood was a planned city, and the Broadwalk was part of the plan from the start. City founder Joseph Wesley Young laid it out in the early 1920s as part of his “City Beautiful” vision for a new resort town, and the original promenade was a cement walkway running along the ocean, modeled loosely on the boardwalk at Atlantic City. Young built an open-air band shell on the beach for free entertainment and called it the Theater Under the Stars. A century later the Broadwalk still runs on that idea: a public place on the water where anyone can show up and there is something going on. The brick came later and the businesses have turned over many times, but the bones are the same.

How to spend a half-day

You do not need a plan here, but if you want one, this is the shape most people fall into.

1. Park once (see the parking section below) and walk down to the sand to get your bearings.
2. Walk or bike a stretch of the Broadwalk; even a mile out and back gives you the feel of it.
3. Swim or just get your feet wet; the beach is wide and the entry is gentle.
4. Grab an ice cream, a coffee or a cold drink from one of the windows facing the water.
5. Stake out a bench or an early dinner table as the light drops and the promenade fills up.

The Broadwalk is genuinely good in the evening. Many of the cafes and bars have live music at night, the crowd is families and couples and older regulars rather than a party scene, and the whole thing is walkable end to end. If you time it for late afternoon into evening you get the best of it and you sidestep the worst of the midday parking crunch.

Live music at the Theater

The open-air beach theater sits right on the Broadwalk at Johnson Street, with the ocean behind the stage. It carries on the old Theater Under the Stars idea, with free live music on many evenings. The nights, set times and who books the acts change with the season, so treat any schedule you see as a rough guide rather than a guarantee. Bring a folding chair or just stand at the back; it is a low-key, everybody-welcome kind of show.

The beach itself, and going with kids

This is a good beach for a group that includes little ones. The sand is wide, the water is calm most days, and because the Broadwalk is car-free you are not managing traffic while wrangling kids. The standout for families is Charnow Park, on the Broadwalk at Garfield Street, which has a splash fountain for kids, playgrounds, picnic pavilions, shaded seating, and public showers and restrooms. It is a natural home base if you want a spot where the adults can sit while the kids run.

If you are building a whole trip around the youngest travelers, it pairs well with our roundup of beach days with kids closer to home. And if the group prefers the bigger, more built-up strip up north, compare it against Fort Lauderdale Beach and its promenade, which is only about ten minutes from the nest.

Bringing the dog

Dogs are welcome on the beach only in the designated stretch between Pershing and Custer Streets, not on the main beach and not on the Broadwalk itself. If you are traveling with a dog, that is the section to head for, and keep them leashed and off the promenade to stay clear of any fines.

Getting there and getting around

From Turtle Nest it is a straightforward drive south, roughly twenty to twenty-five minutes depending on traffic and exactly where along the beach you aim for. Because Hollywood sits between Fort Lauderdale and the airport, it slots in easily on the way to or from FLL, or as an add-on in the same direction as a couple of the big day trips.

Once you are down there, a trolley runs between the Broadwalk and downtown Hollywood, which is handy if you want to park once and see both; check current routes and hours before you count on it. On the Broadwalk you can rent a beach cruiser and cover a lot more ground than you would on foot. Just know the rules: bikes stay in the marked bike lane, and motorized scooters and skateboards are not allowed on the promenade.

Parking, plainly

Parking near the beach is metered lots, street meters and garages, and the meters are often enforced seven days a week, so do not assume a free Sunday. On busy weekends the close-in lots and garages fill early, so either come earlier in the day, come later in the afternoon, or park a little farther out and walk. The residential blocks just west of the beach, across the bridge, are the local workaround, with meters that are often cheaper and a short walk to the sand. Rates and enforcement change, so glance at the posted signs or the meter app when you arrive rather than trusting anything you read weeks ahead.

Where it fits with everything else down that way

Hollywood Beach sits in the same direction as some of the region’s biggest day trips, which is why it is an easy pairing. Both the Everglades airboat tours and a Keys drive head south and west out of Fort Lauderdale, so a morning at one and a late-afternoon walk on the Broadwalk on the way back makes a full day. If you would rather keep it mellow, the promenade is also a fine standalone evening. For getting your money’s worth on the bike-rental option, our cycling guide covers the wider network of flat, easy rides in the area.

How it compares to the beach up north

	Hollywood Broadwalk	Fort Lauderdale Beach
Drive from the nest	About 20-25 min south	About 10 min east
Feel	Slower, old-Florida, brick promenade	Busier, modern beachfront strip
Best for	Walking, biking, low-key evenings	Quick swim, close to Las Olas dining
Path surface	Brick, car-free, marked bike lane	Wide sidewalk promenade along A1A
Kids	Charnow Park splash fountain	Open sand, lifeguards, easy access

What to bring

• Cash or a parking app loaded; meters near the beach run most days.
• Comfortable shoes if you plan to walk the full length and back.
• Sun protection; the Broadwalk itself has limited shade between the parks.
• A light layer for the evening if you are staying for the music.
• A leash and the right beach section if the dog is coming.
• A folding chair if you want a seat for the evening show.

Best time to go

The Broadwalk is a year-round spot, but the weather makes a real difference in how it feels. The cooler, drier months are the most comfortable for a long walk; the summer is hot and humid with afternoon storms that roll in and clear out, so mornings and evenings are your friends. Weekends and holidays bring the crowds and the parking pressure, while a weekday afternoon is the quiet version of the same place. For the fuller picture on months and weather, see our guide to the best time to visit Fort Lauderdale.

Back at the nest

Hollywood Beach is the kind of outing that does not need much: a half-day, a pair of walking shoes and a loose plan. Because it is only twenty-odd minutes south, you can drive down for the evening music and walk, then be back at Turtle Nest before it is late, with a swim in the private pool, the fire pit going, and the day wrapped up on your own patio. If you would rather stay closer, the beach about ten minutes east and Las Olas Boulevard a few minutes away cover most of what you need without a longer drive. Whenever you are ready to lock in dates, check the calendar and book the nest.

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