Anyone who visits Florida knows the beaches can be expensive to access. Some spots, especially near Clearwater, can charge up to $40 per day. On a recent trip to Fort Lauderdale we visited Dania Beach. This beach is located on the south side of the Fort Lauderdale channel and is only $6 but as they say in the commercials… “But wait! There’s more.”

The advantage of visiting Dania Beach Ocean Park is that there are multiple beach experiences in one location.

Traditional Beach

 

 

First and foremost, Dania Beach has a traditional beach. It is the perfect location to lay out your towel on the warm sand, bask in the sun and play in the breakers.

 

Whiskey Creek

 

Behind the beach is a small creek called Whiskey Creek which boasts possible manatee sightings. We didn’t see any while we were there but many in the area said it really is a great location to look for these gentle giants.

They also have water sports equipment rentals such as kayaks and beach volleyball courts.

Pier

 

At the very north end of the park is a long pier which offers a great view of the cruise ships and container ships coming and going from Port Everglades. We were also able to watch the fishermen along the pier pulling in their catch of the day.

 

Whiskey Creek Restaurant

Whiskey Creek is an open air restaurant which sits on the side of the creek where you can watch for manatees. Their special of the day when we visited was a fried conch platter.

A fun little guest even visited us while we were relaxing.

Beware

Before heading to the beach I warned by daughter to not touch ANYTHING that looked like an inflated grocery bag as that could be a Portuguese Man-O-War. I didn’t think we would really see any but it’s better to be safe than sorry, right? Well guess what? We saw a couple of them washed up onshore in the seaweed. Remember, DO NOT TOUCH ANY PART OF THEM… even if they appear to be dead. They can still cause a painful sting even after their dead.

Are you going to be in the South Florida area? Make sure to check out Dania Beach for a fun beach day.

Sue Nowicki is an alumna of the 2014/15 Disney Parks Moms Panel. She splits her time between planning her next Walt Disney World vacation and being team mom to ten high-energy volleyball players where she fills the roles of secretary, navigator, head cheerleader, treasurer, athletic trainer and team psychologist. You can follow her on Twitter @MQPodcast.

You can follow our pixie-dusted journey here: Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for more great Disney and Lifestyle content.