Coral Springs/Parkland Children's Activities and Places (Miami, Fort Lauderdale: home, YMCA)

[Sophmonster]

Hi All!

We're moving to the Coral Springs/Parkland area in a few months and I'm hoping someone could help me with fun activities and places I can take and do with my 2 year old. (I'm a stay at home mommy)

I moved to Fort Lauderdale from Philadelphia last year and it took me a while to find all the activities on my own (the majority being in the Plantation/Davie area) and I'm not familiar with Coral Springs/Parkland/Boca at all!

You're responses are greatly appreciated

[Nelra]

My kids haven't been 2 years old in a while so I probably won't be a huge help... but I do remember going quite often to "The Walk" in Coral Springs which is just an outdoor shopping/dining strip. It's on University Drive South of Sample. There's a Barnes & Noble there which is always great for kids, Starbucks, frozen yogurt place, etc. and most of the restaurants there have outdoor seating which I remember being very convenient with little kids since they can be a mess so I didn't feel so bad when they would drop their food on the floor... You can also check out Parkland Y Community Garden. I believe they have some "mommy and me" activities for little kids. Look them up on facebook for pictures. There are tons of parks in Coral Springs and Parkland and they're all listed on the cities' websites. I'm a big fan of Betty Stradling Park on Wiles Rd and Coral Springs Dr because the play area is shaded which is nice when it's 100 degrees outside.

[garyhitchcock]

The new dog park in Parkland is awesome and it is right next to a nice toddler park.

[Dragonmam]

Cypress water park has an interactive kiddie pool. There is also one in Coconut Creek.
The Coral Springs gymnasium offers sports and classes for all ages. The playground at Mullins Park is popular and there are many other smaller parks in Coral Springs as well.
In Parkland, Liberty Park is the popular one. Also, Parkland has a very nice YMCA facility.
The Art Museum in Coral Springs also runs some family programs and has art lessons for older children.

For event type activities I'd check the schedules for the Performing Arts Center in Coral Springs as well as the Broward Center for kid shows (like Dora the Explorer). There's also the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale and Butterfly World in Coconut Creek for an afternoon.

If you feel like spending a whole day doing something, there's Miami Zoo (lots of walking), Parrot Jungle, Miami Seaquarium, Lion Country Safari, Everglades Boar tours and lots of beaches.