Birch Park-Finger Streets

Mother Nature -- by land and sea -- is at the doorstep in Birch Park-Finger Streets, a beachside community in Fort Lauderdale. Residents enjoy proximity to the ocean as well as to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, a massive nature reserve. Unlike other areas of Fort Lauderdale Beach, which attract tourists and spring-breakers, Birch Park-Finger Streets tends to be a little less crowded. Locals can rent kayaks or canoes, and surfers can catch a wave in the ocean. For those who prefer to watch the water from a respectful distance, the paved looped road from the park also runs along the Intracoastal Waterway, where jet-skis, yachts and other boats can be seen sailing by. High-rise luxury condominiums, single-family Mediterranean-style homes with terra cotta roofs, and Key West-style beachfront mansions can be found within the neighborhood.

Park & Ocean is a restaurant and garden situated in a shady grove on the southeast side of Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. The restaurant serves farm-to-table Caribbean and Southern-influenced food amid oceanfront views. Park & Ocean also serves up adventure, with sunset kayak tours weekly and full-moon kayak tours monthly. Visitors also can rent bikes, canoes, jet skis and more to experience the park, then close out a day of adventure with live music on Saturdays and Sundays. Located on the Intracoastal Waterway in the northwest corner of Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, Marti’s Meditation Garden is a peaceful spot where visitors can meditate amid natural beauty. Community leader Marti Huizenga funded the garden as a gift to the community. It includes a stone labyrinth, which serves as a focal point and spiritual walk in the middle of the garden. Pink granite benches line the southern hedge of the garden, shaded by cabbage palm trees. Steppingstones hug the eastern hedge, leading to a wooden pergola as well as a large stone sculpture and fountain. More benches line the northern perimeter of the garden, where a colorful mosaic of koi fish adorns the area. Locals come to meditate, practice Tai Chi or yoga, dive into a novel or enjoy a scenic walk. Dutch Schorn, founder of Hangloose Surf School, has been surfing for decades and teaching the community. His surf camps help students ride the salty waves. Residents with green thumbs will find kindred spirits in the Fort Lauderdale Garden Club, which meets in the Glen F. Bates clubhouse in the southern part of Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. Club members maintain the clubhouse’s garden, organize tours of private gardens and study native plants.

The beaches of Fort Lauderdale are the stars of this neighborhood. No matter where you live in Birch Park-Finger Streets, you’re within walking distance of sand, sea and sun. Surfing, jet skiing, boating and other nautical activities are popular. More low-key days can be spent diving into a good book under the shade of an umbrella or going for a serene stroll along the water. Residents can also play fetch or go for a run with canine companions at dog-friendly beaches in the area. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is a slice of wilderness amid the highly developed Miami metropolitan area. The Coastal Hammock Trail provides hikers a 20-minute leisurely walk through a native maritime tropical hardwood hammock ecosystem, some of the last designated within Broward County. Interpretive signs along the trail provide information about the habitat and native flora. Visitors can go snorkeling, swimming or paddling at the adjacent beach to the park. The park is listed on the Great Florida Birding Trail Guide and is known for many sightings of Caribbean species as well as migratory species, with more than 250 species on the park’s bird list. Other wildlife, such as the threatened gopher tortoise and the common raccoon, may be spotted. The park also has native live exhibits featuring a threatened Eastern indigo, corn snakes, rat snakes and diamondback terrapin turtles.

Written By

Rebecca Frankel

Photography Contributed By

Gabor Kovacs

Video By

Scott Wiggins