Fern Forest is one of my favorite hidden gems in South Florida. It is a very peaceful, tranquil park. Staff is always very nice and helpful, and they are always happy to ask my questions about the plants in the park. Bathrooms are nice and clean, they kind of look like the bathrooms youd expect to see in a spa or a nice hotel. 1 trail is fully suspended from the ground and is fully wheelchair accessible. Other trails are primitive, but we had no trouble getting a stroller onto most of them (except Maple walk, that one i only entered during very dry season). Some trails become pretty much swampy when it rains a lot, so if you feel like wandering there in the rain, i recommend wearing rainboots. Mosquito spray is always a plus; they used to have it available in the park, but not after covid-19 hit (at least in my experience). Plenty of beautiful spots to take pictures at, lots of birds, squirrels, turtles, tortoises, iguanas and other wildlife. If you go in mid-October through late November, trees (staff told me they are marlberries) are in bloom. Not only the trees look like veiled brides, it smells heavenly. Fern Forest is the place that gives me peace and full feeling like Im in the actual forest while still being in the city.

Fern Forest Nature center is a beautiful and large nature centure. This is my third visit and every time Ive been here its been a completely different experience because of the parks different plant communities and walking areas. The first time ive been here was many years ago for an event. They have space for a small event which may not be available due to COVID at the time of this review but i would call to find out when it is safer. The second time I went for a family nature walk throughthe trail that didnt have the boardwalk. The third time, and with my camera this time, we went on the boardwalk and learned some of the history of the park as well. Valuable knowlege if you are a local naturalist, nature love, etc. I will be visiting more often.

This is my first time at this place. If you enjoy couple or family walk in the nature even alone youre welcome. You are a new comer like me go to the nature center at the office and get map of the trails and choose whatever you like and start your journey, youll feel like in the wild and dont forget your face mask. My kids and I had fun walking in the mud, lol, dont worry they have a shoe washing station to help you with the mud.

I enjoyed exploring the trails in Fern Forest. This place is so close to my house, yet this is my first time visiting. Ill definitely revisit soon. I did 3.5 miles but did not do all the trails. Next time I want to have a map with me so I can try to cover the whole preserve.

Relaxing, easy to zonk out, if you a nature lover this is the place for you. Don’t hesitate try it you won’t regret it . Have a blast every time I visit.

It’s a cool place to walk and breath nature... you should bring water and OFF! For the insects. I loved the place is very calm and peaceful

This place is absolutely amazing!! Surprised they don’t charge as they should. We visited today for my husband’s bday, it was a true adventure. The trails are so beautiful, we were surrounded by Florida flora and fauna. Truly an awesome place and we will certainly be back. There are also very clean restrooms. Bring plenty of water, although most of the trails are shady it gets hot.

Great place to spend time with nature. Nice trails.

Extremely disappointing in just about every way. The fern forest actually consists of MANY kinds of plants, not at all what I expected. There are trails and a boardwalk, which is also not what I expected and frankly kind of boring.To make matters even worse, this attraction is full of wildlife, most of it extremely rude. Maybe some people enjoy the mockery of birds screaming at you as you walk by, or squirrels who absolutely refuse to hold still so you can take a picture, but thats not what I want in a park. Also there are mosquitoes!However, I did NOT get my vehicle broken into, even though I left a couple of high value items in plain sight, so at least I was happily surprised in that regard.

I loved this small and beautiful park. I enjoyed the trails, the nature and the peaceful atmosphere. Fern Forest was the only park where I ve seen mosquito status informing how bad is the condition in each trail. Also, free repellent at the visitor center. I recommend a visit if you need to be in touch with nature.

Very nice mostly shaded park. Mainly boardwalk trails. I recommend it.

If youre looking for a way to escape the city and walk in nature, this is a great place to take a walk. Its well maintained and the employees are caring. We were lucky enough to see a turtle! If you walk all the trails, it should take you about 1:00-1:30. Theres also a public bathroom available.

Nice boardwalk to walk through the ferns and trails to view the rest. Nature center, restrooms and meeting space all just a short walk from the parking area.

Forest in the middle of the city. Perfect for a nice nature walk. Saw a turtle. Gotta look close.

Im not local and this was my first cool Florida swamp experience. Even though tree wiped out part of boardwalk

This place is absolutely amazing!! I enjoyed the trails, the nature and the peaceful atmosphere.

Use mosquito repellent. Noice place to chill and hang out if they were no mosquitoes.

Great place. Mostly shaded by trees and vegetation. Turtles, birds... very peaceful. The restrooms are very clean and air conditioned.

Great nature walk. You can stick to a raised, fenced platform if you like, or get adventurous and follow the ground trails.We covered just over 2 miles, me and my young sons (6 and 10). We will be back

Very nice place to walk around and enjoy the scenery. They have a small nature trail that you can follow and another on a little board walk, just be ready for all the mosquitoes that there are. The facilities here are clean and very well maintained. The park rangers are also very nice and inside once you reach the building they have some animals in display. Small things such as snakes and spiders. The floor above is also available for renting for events and such

Trails are easy to navigate. Nice nature center. Very shaded for a hot sunny day.

What a nice place to relax, walk a trail, and admire nature. Its a bigger place than anticipated so you can take a decent peaceful walk. Make sure to bring water. BTW, the folks at the facility are really nice.

Hey, Broward politicians, the few remaining parcels of trees left? Those should be parks, too. Natural spaces in urban areas are also good for people. Look it up.

Beautiful little paradise in a crowded neighborhoodI recommend

This is an amazing little park. Easily accessible on some trails, and more intense trails as well if youre comfortable wading in water. Honestly a beautiful gem in the middle of the city that Id highly recommend!

Great boardwalk trail. Lots of shade and benches to rest. Also nature trails. Nice

This is one of the most beautiful parks in Broward. A true gem!

Fern Forest is a terrific nature walk through an area of the Cypress Creek Preserve.Elevated walkways first bring you to a beautiful Lodge and Nature Center which I see is available for outside events. Venturing further, you can follow two different trails, one elevated and the other natural through The Preserve. I appreciate that both Trails were circuitous. Dont like to come to dead ends!

Nice place to spend an afternoon. Unfortunately it wasn’t filled with water at the time we visited.

Beautiful park. Has a boardwalk and trails to go on! Always so peaceful and you might even glimpse a snake or a box turtle in the brush! I always love seeing the red eared turtles swimming and theres a soft shelled turtle in there as well! Great experience every single time. Nature is the best therapy!

Nice, quiet, shady walk on boardwalk amidst wetlands. Bring bug spray or repellent for mosquitoes.

Im very disappointed with Fern Forest. You can hear traffic from the turnpike, from anywhere in the park! Maybe this is the best So FL can do for nature? I wouldnt go here if I wanted to relax and to get away from the city.

This is just a beautiful park, with its Boardwalk and trails. I spent over 3hrs walking all the different trails. There are short ones and long ones. Will do the wet trails next time.

I dont know many other spots in florida with a prairie!

Great walk through the FLs nature! This is a big place and half a day can be easily spent here. My little 3 year old son loved it

I was happy to find this beautiful park close to home. Great place! Didn’t see any animals, expect a turtle swimming, a couple was feeding it.. ugh!!!!!!Also barely any litter, just some plastic caps and children’s plastic toys in the water. Ughh. Wish people were more responsible.

Great place to walk. Cool museum with great info on the wild animals that live in the forest.

We love walking around here

I love Fern Forest and I have been going there for many years. It is a great location for nature walks, running or even biking. My favorite area in the forest is the Sensory Garden Trail, for this quiet area helps me relax, reflect, and relieve stress. The forest also has a picnic area and a shelter. Six picnic tables are available in the picnic area while the shelter has eight picnic tables, water, electricity, and lights. In addition, This nature center has an exhibit hall. The hall includes interpretive exhibits of the park’s historical and natural history. Furthermore, it displays many live native reptiles ( mainly snakes and turtles). Moreover, Fern Forest has some of the best trails in Broward County. It has four trails: cypress Creek Trail, Prairie Overlook Trail, Maple Walk, and Wetlands Wander. The Cypress Creek Trail goes through transitional communities, a tropical hardwood hammock, and a cypress-maple swamp. The Prairie Overlook Trail runs through an open prairie and a cabbage palm community. The Maple Walk goes through a red maple swamps. The wetlands Wander trail runs through a butterfly garden and a wetland community. Last, the nature center has an assembly hall called Royal Fern Hall. It is located on the second floor of the nature center. The hall includes a warming kitchen and buffet counter available by reservations for special events.

Very pretty park. Great for a romantic walk with your significant other.

If you are looking for a cool nature walk, the Fern Forest Nature Center is a location that you should add to your list. It has several nice nature trails that are not over the top. It is advisable to go with a friend to enjoy the beauty with you, because it can feel desolate if you are on your own. The plants and trees are just so beautiful to enjoy as you are walking along the trails.

Always beautiful at Fern Forest. Worth the time.

244 acres of pure pleasure. Perfect place to clear the mind.

Great quite, full of nature.

Its a beautiful park. Its so nice trials and some wildlife like turtles, butterfly, spiders, fishes and birds. It was exciting .My husband and I was walking around almost the hole park, the only downside for me with the park is the noise from the cars. Love going in nature and is quiet.Recommend this place for all ages.

We enjoyed meandering along the variety of different paths: boardwalk, sand, and dirt.

This place is great. The staff is very friendly, they have plenty of amenities, and it is beautiful.

Such a peaceful walk. If you are looking to get lost into nature, you should go.

The best and biggest trail Ive been to so far. We thought 2 hours would have been enough, bit we were wrong. We had to leave as it was about to close.

Peaceful, beautiful, and that was cool to see our intimate moments you can have.

If you like hiking, this is a prime spot in the middle of the suburbs. I thought I was going for a walk but soon I was climbing through ferns and over swamp. It was amazing and beautiful! I was so happy. Parks are nice but this was NATURE.

This is a nice trail. There is public restrooms and an information center. You will encounter brief uneven grounds in the beginning of the trail. My group seen poison ivy so be on the lookout for that, a random patch of cactus, turtles and an owl. The trees form a natural canopy.

I have been going to Fern Forest for over 30 years. Wonderful trails.

Its a great place to walk around and the tiny museum showing Florida flora & fauna is different. They DO NOT allow bicycles here. Walking trails only

Beautiful place for a walk with your kids

Beautiful boardwalk through the cypress forest. Did it twice it was so good, and saw an armadillo!Great service at the interpretive center, and a beautiful place to spend an hour.However, their wading bird walk is disappointingly short, about 200 ft at best, without a great view of the small pond/canal either.No wading birds at 4pm in January, which wasnt too surprising, but I felt the map implied the walk would have been longer and closer to a larger body of water.

Beautiful park!!! Friendly staff! I can’t wait to hold an event here

Went for a college class field trip. Its very nice and relaxing. We learned a lot about the habitat, such as the trees and wild life. Perfect place to gather ones thoughts. Theres plenty of seating in the open area and the bathrooms are very clean and updated.

Such a beatiful place! So much natural wild life to see.

Been coming here 30 years. The nature center & boardwalk is nice...but for those that want to do the prairie trail and see the most wildlife, here are some tips for enjoying yourself: wear waterproof hiking boots (there can be lots of deep sand, deep water, deep mud), socks that are tall enough to keep thorns and such from scratching your ankles and lower legs, tank top, lightweight shorts & sunglasses. Also get there right when it opens and head straight back to the prairie before other people get there and scare everything off. The feeling of spiderwebs clinging to every inch of your body and clothes will let you know that youre the first there.....btw, its hot as balls. Year round. No matter what time of day. Its Florida, thats how we roll: sweating when you just got out of the shower and sticking to leather couches. So make sure you are hydrated beforehand, wear skimpy clothes, & have a fresh, dry t-shirt (& possibly socks & shoes) to put on when you get back to the car. Youll thank me later.....btw, they have bobcats, coyotes, armadillos, tortoises, turtles, snakes, Jesus-lizards, squirrels and a few other creatures back in the prairie. Ive seen people playing with their phones walk right past animals and not even notice them being 2 feet away from their feet. The animals really dont notice you & arent going to wave you over so you can get a pic of them. So, you have to actually LOOK for them. They are all around...and they are harmless. Maybe scary at times, but harmless.

Amazing! Went for the first time today with some friends and saw a snapping turtle. It was an A+ turtle, folks

A lil bit scary lol but I had a good time. I wish there were a swing to enjoy it more.

We had our wedding here. Love this place !

Had fun, I love walking and listening to audio to study there.

Great place to get out of town and walk either on the boardwalk trail or footpath trails. May have the opportunity to see some wildlife like I did over the weekend. Armadillo, Green Heron, Box Turtle. Good place for exercise and stress relief at the same time. You should also check to see what programs or activities are going on almost every month.

Love the nature here, nice trails and pretty fungi and other plants to see

I love going here with my family. Its very nice and quiet. Last time I was here the staff was rude at the exhibit which is a two story building in the middle. At 1130AM with no wedding party in sight we were told we had to leave. Next time post a sign that says CLOSED on the first floor. Dont be pompous jerks.

We just missed the baby alligators according to another walker. We did see a nice sized box turtle and a bull snake. Completely safe and easy raised boardwalk trail through wooded area. Impossible to get lost. Worth checking different times of day for different wildlife.

Ive only been once so far and I already love it. I plan to visit often, but might wait until it cools down again. Not because of the temperature, since the lush Forest does an incredible job of reducing the heat, but because The State Bird of FL, the mosquito, has resumed their annual residence and are in full flight.I was only able to explore a small part of the center because I was there for a training, but from what I experienced it was nothing short of magical. Oh BTW, the meeting room boasts the best view you could have for any type of class, training or event you could plan. It has a kitchen area that should be on a TV cooking show, and ample chairs and tables to host family, friends, or coworkers.As it is so aptly named, there are tons of ferns, and native vegetation throughout the nature center. The staff, in addition to being extremely helpful and pleasant, do an incredible job of maintaining the park. Even with all of that, entry is free during the week and only $1.50 on the weekends.If you love being immersed in nature, follow the boardwalk. It will lead you head over heels to happiness.

Well maintained park with relaxing trails. Wear shoes you dont mind getting dirty as the off the path trail can sometimes get muddy. Their is a shoe washing station however. There is also a neat learning center that children will enjoy. One of the top nature centers in South Florida by far.

So happy with this venue for my friends special day !

This place was amazing and quite. It’s very vast and open. I find the experience very therapeutic and calming. It’s like an ASMR session.

Such a beautiful and quiet place. A great place to just get away from it all for an hour or 2. Most of the path is shady.

This place is amazing. Beautiful natural to admire while you workout for have a family outing

Beautiful slice of wild Florida. Wildlife and magnificent old oaks.

I absolutely love coming to this particular nature center. The options of dry vs wet land is great! I often go there to clear my head and ALWAYS met really amazing people.

Love this quiet nature boardwalk. One of my recommendations when people move here.

So tranquil a must-see if you are visiting Broward

Beautiful. Clean. Perfect Sunday stroll !

Very relaxing.its my little escape from the fast paced city life. Didnt get to see any wildlife went I went. Sad. Maybe next time.

Great place to visit and go for a walk. Very well kept.. Love going here to just walk and think. No phone no technology just me and nature..

Bring bug spray! LOL this was a beautiful park, so much beautiful foliage and lovely facilities and education center, but we had to cut our visit short because of the mosquitoes! Wish we could have stayed longer, this was a beautiful place!

Gem of a park absolutely brimming with wildlife. Maybe bring bug spray and long socks (or boots).

Great place to take your kids or stroll around you like nature walks. Very safe for the little ones.

Best nature trail Ive been too thus far.

Very cool place to visit. Very nice people, great boardwalks. Id go back again for sure.

Absolutely Beautiful. Plus you can take your bicycle and ride a 16 mile round trip to the sawgrass. Nice scenic ride with some intetesting wild life along the way. Like burrowing owls!!!

Stumbled upon this place by chance, and arrived less than an hour before close. Still had a great time quickly walking the trails! Beautiful scenery, plants, little lizards everywhere, squirrels, lots of water/wetlands. Trails are clean and well kept. Trails close at 4:45pm and I almost got locked in walking up to the trail gate at 4:40. Staff was very nice and unlocked the gate for me. You could also walk around and take a dirt road to get back to the lot if youre locked in.

Lovely experience would definitely do it again

Short trails, confusing because of poor markings. Not much wildlife. Plus is that its free. Otherwise, well maintained.

This is a great place to get quiet and get with nature. At the same time, there are many events to enjoy at the main entrance building.

Nice place, well-maintained, kinda wet

Dont forget your bug spray, but this is a really peaceful and relaxing hike otherwise. I will definitely be back.

Guided nature tours are offered every Sunday at 1:00.We had a great tour with Paul. He took us through the boardwalk loop, pointing out all of the trees and other plants. He even used birdcalls on his phone to attract birds.Finally, he took to the prarie section, where he showed us some gopher tortoises.

We went to visit today and loved it. Lots of cool trails so many different trees and animals to see. Really loved the board walks and fun Trails. It also has a great nature center . There are so many birds to see. Butterflys all over. Overall we had a great time.

Actually Im a little disheartened by the lack of care this place has had the last year. A little run down lately.Dont worry, I emailed them.

Amazing walk in the nature great performance its a must to visit

Nice park especially for video shoots

Very short trails. Some trails bring you to a dead end. If you have an hour or two, this might be a place to visit once or good for a picnic.Some trail intersections not marked.

Loved the walk...not too much for those who are looking for a brisk walk. Stay in the shade and bring plenty of water.