Hollywood Beach has about 5 miles of golden-brown sandy beaches,
about half of which are accessible from the 27-foot-wide Hollywood
Beach Broadwalk. The broadwalk is two-and-a-half miles of pavement
that runs along the beach, passing in front of the open-air
Hollywood Beach Theatre, and giving access to the many shops and
restaurants as well as the beach itself. Coconut palms are numerous
enough to lend a tropical feel, and the art deco design of many of
the mom & pop hotels reminds you that you are in south Florida, not
too far from Miami.
The ocean off Hollywood Beach is a
beautiful blue-green color and is quite clear most of the time.
There is usually no surf here because most of the open ocean swells
are blocked by the Bahama Islands. The major concern here would be
from the occasional jellyfish or from seasonal sea lice (thimble
jellyfish larvae). Check the lifeguard stations before going in the
water. If there is a purple flag flying, inquire.
Hollywood
Beach is accessed from Sheridan Street (822) from I-95, or from
Hollywood Blvd. (820). Sheridan Street takes you right to North
Beach Park, while Hollywood Blvd takes you right into the heart of
Central Beach.
The Broadwalk begins at in the north at
Sherman street and its southern end is at Jefferson Street. However,
north of Sherman street, the Broadwalk connects to Simms Street,
which continues north in front of
North Beach Park for another 1500
feet or so. It is like an extension of the Broadwalk and is closed
to cars.
The central district is where all the action is.
It
is busy, but lacks the edgy, ostentatious, high-priced feel of Ft. Lauderdale.
There's a lot crammed into a two miles of beachfront (see the
panoramic photo at the top of this page). Streets are
very narrow, parking is tight. Walking or bike riding is the best
way to get around. You could spend your entire vacation right there
on the Broadwalk and never run out of things to see or people to
watch. Mostly there are a lot of small older hotels and beach
apartments for rent, but there are a couple of nice hotels along the
Broadwalk. If you need to "get away from it all" for a couple of
hours, or for the day, just take a short drive up to John Q. Lloyd
State Park in Dania and you can find plenty of beach for yourself.
Or if you want some glitz and glamour, Las Olas Boulevard in Fort
Lauderdale is just minutes away. If you just want some shaded picnic
tables and a place to set up a barbeque, head on over to
North
Beach Park.
If you want to do some fishing, or just check
out another beach access in the area, head over to
Dania Pier
and Ocean Park.
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