Dania Beach, FL

Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park puts both an uncommon stretch of Broward shoreline and a civil-rights landmark inside Dania Beach. The 310-acre park spans the land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway and protects the county’s last undeveloped coastal ecosystem. More than two miles of beach support swimming, fishing, and bicycling, while Whiskey Creek provides a sheltered paddling route. This was once Broward County’s designated beach for Black residents. Eula Johnson and Dr. Von Mizell helped lead wade-ins against segregation, the site became a state park in 1973, and Florida renamed it for them in 2016. Farther north, the city’s Ocean Park combines the municipal beach, a roughly 930-foot fishing pier, marina, lifeguard stands, and the Florida Atlantic University SeaTech campus. Daily recreation also extends well inland. Frost Park has a community center, fitness and reading rooms, a skate park, courts, exercise equipment, and four ballfields; C.W.

ATTRformulanone from Huntsville, United States / CC BY-SA 2.0

Thomas Park adds a pool, playground, basketball courts, and multipurpose field. The city scheduled festivals, food events, and holiday programs at downtown and park sites in 2026. Free east and west community shuttles run Monday through Saturday, stopping at places such as City Hall, Dania Pointe, Paul DeMaio Library, shopping centers, and the Tri-Rail airport station, where riders can connect to regional rail and an airport shuttle. The city counted 31,723 residents in 2020; its 2024 estimate was 33,076. The bureau’s 2020–2024 profile found that 43.7 percent of residents age five or older spoke a language other than English at home and 29.7 percent were foreign-born. The shoreline, neighborhood centers, and transit routes therefore serve a city whose community activity reaches well beyond a visitor’s trip to the beach.