West Lake Park / Anne Kolb Nature Center551

As of Oct. 1, 2009, the park is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays due to budget constraints. Check the Broward County website for additional details.

West Lake Park/Anne Kolb Nature Center is loaded with family friendly activities. Picnicking, biking, tennis, hiking, volleyball, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, basketball, eco-tours, hands-on nature exhibits, and playgrounds are all available here.

Anne Kolb Nature Center, named for a Broward County environmentalist, opened in 1996 and includes a five story observation tower, a fishing pier, two nature trails (one of which is handicap accessible), an outdoor amphitheater, and exhibit hall. The exhibit hall and EcoRoom demonstrate through visual and hands-on exhibits the mangrove ecosystem and the local plants and animals. The fee to enter this facility is $1 per person.

Environmental Boat Tours on West Lake are offered Tuesday thru Saturday 10am to 4pm (tide permitting). The boat excursions last 40 minutes and cost $5 for adults, and $3 for children (17 and under per person).

If you don't feel up to a guided boat tour, rent a canoe or kayak ($7 per hour, or $13 per 4 hours) and explore the 1,500 acres of West Lake and its mangrove wetlands. If being near the water makes you want to fish, go for it, but you need to fish from the shore.

If hiking or biking is more your family's thing, there are paved lake observation trails for biking; a pier and mud flat trails for walking.

Picnic tables and grills are available throughout the park on a first-come first-served basis. Interpretive shelters (shade only) and pavilions are available for rent.

The playground is handicap accessible and has a splash fountain, so kids can cool off while they play.