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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Parkland
Parkland, Florida
Skip Parkland as a base: no hotels inside the city. Stay in Coral Springs or Coconut Creek and drive in for golf, airboat rides and parks.
Parkland is a residential city in western Broward County, about 32 km (20 mi) northwest of Fort Lauderdale, built around parks and golf-course subdivisions. There are no hotels inside the city limits and almost no sightseeing in the usual sense. It works as a half-day or one-night add-on to a Coral Springs or Fort Lauderdale stay: golf, an Everglades airboat ride, a dog park and a handful of restaurants.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Parkland, Florida
- Best months
- Nov–Apr (dry season, 20–27 °C (68–81 °F))Nov–Apr (dry season, 68–81 °F (20–27 °C))
- Avoid
- Jun–Sep (heat, humidity, afternoon storms); peak hurricane season Aug–Oct
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $120–190 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Poison control 800-222-1222
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Lunch main (Mexican or Thai) | $8–20 |
| Dinner main | $15–29 |
| Airboat ride, adult | $75 |
| Golf green fee, public rate | $60–150 |
| Rideshare, 8 km (5 mi)Rideshare, 5 mi (8 km) | $12–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FLL · Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International
- Closest of the three; the usual route is the Sawgrass Expressway or I-95 and Sample Road.
- PBI · Palm Beach International
- North of Parkland; useful if you are combining the trip with the Loxahatchee airboat side.
- MIA · Miami International
- Farthest of the three. Only worth it if the fare is much cheaper.
Typical fares
- Rideshare, Coral Springs → Parkland
- $12–20
- Broward County Transit, single ride
- about $3 (2018 listing)
- Airboat ride, adult
- $75
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
You need a car. Broward County Transit runs routes through Parkland, but service is sparse and slow: a Fort Lauderdale Central Terminal bus with a transfer at West Terminal was listed at about 1 h 50 min in 2018. Distances between the golf clubs, the airboat launch and the restaurants are 5–15 min by car; rideshare is thin outside the centre, so book returns in advance.
See and do
Known for
- Parkland Golf and Country Club
- Heron Bay Golf Club
- Everglades airboat rides
- Barkland dog park
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Coral Springs | Car south on Coral Springs Drive or University Drive, 10–15 min | About 15 min |
| Deerfield Beach | Car east on the Sawgrass Expressway then I-95, 25–35 min | About 35 min |
| Fort Lauderdale | Car via the Sawgrass Expressway and I-95, or bus with a transfer | 35–50 min by car |
| Pompano Beach | Car east on Sample Road then I-95, 25–35 min | About 35 min |
| Weston | Car south on the Sawgrass Expressway, 25–35 min | About 35 min |
| Hollywood, Florida | Car east on I-595 then I-95, 40–55 min | About 50 min |
Sleep
- Coral Springs (just south)
- Closest cluster of chain hotels, 10–15 min from Parkland sights; the practical base.
- Coconut Creek (just east)
- Hampton Inn & Suites Coconut Creek sits on SR 7 minutes from the city line.
- Fort Lauderdale
- Beach, airport and nightlife, 30–40 min away; use it if Parkland is one stop on a bigger trip.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the airboat launch? | Where is the airboat launch? |
| A table for two, please | A table for two, please |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is there parking here? | Is there parking here? |
| How long is the wait? | How long is the wait? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- No hotels inside the city limits: book in Coral Springs or Coconut Creek and drive in.
- Airboat seats sell out in season: book ahead and confirm the operator's current season before you drive out.
- Summer heat and humidity are serious; carry water and go out early.
- Hurricane season runs Jun–Nov, peaking Aug–Oct: watch forecasts and know your airline's change policy.
- The 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting is part of the city's recent history; the school site is not a visitor attraction and there is no public memorial access.
Parkland is a residential city and feels calm by day. The real risks are driving (I-95 and the Sawgrass are fast and busy), summer heat, and hurricane season Jun–Nov: keep a weather app and a plan B.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Parkland yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Parkland Golf and Country Club
- Heron Bay Golf Club
- Everglades airboat rides
- Barkland dog park
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Parkland (Florida), revision 5167533 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5167533
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
ParklandParkland, Florida
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Poison control800-222-1222
No consulates in Parkland. Consulates-general cluster in Miami; embassies are in Washington, DC.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% for taxis and rideshare.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/parkland-florida). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.