Overview: The 55 acres that make up Secret Woods Nature Center most certainly would have had a date with a bulldozer more than 50 years ago had it not been for citizen pressure to preserve this rare piece of land on the banks of the South Fork of the New River. At the time, it was the last stand of ancient cypress and hardwoods remaining in heavily developed Broward County. It serves as a reminder of what a united citizenry can accomplish working with enlightened government officials
We don't know exactly how "secret" Secret Woods really is these days. After all, it's just a short drive from two major downtowns in densely developed Broward County. But the "woods" part of the name is dead on. Secret Woods sits along the New River, and provides a glimpse of what Fort Lauderdale might have looked like when the city's namesake army major first arrived in the 1830s during the Second Seminole War. Two trails weave through the center, the Laurel Oak and the New River. The two combined are just short of a mile, making the center an easy place to explore thoroughly in an afternoon.
History: In late August 1971, a tract of land along the South Fork of the New River legally known as the Rebecca Cohen Subdivision was scheduled to be rezoned and subsequently cleared and developed. A Miami Herald journalist named Matt Taylor caught wind of the plan, published a story and raised public awareness of the proposed change. In his story, he dubbed the land the "Secret Woods." In 1972, The Broward County Commission abandoned the rezoning effort after public outcry; instead, with the help of the Nature Conservancy, the commission agreed to buy Secret Woods. Three years later, it bought nearly 30 acres, and in 1979, Secret Woods opened as Broward County's first interpretive nature center. The last significant purchase came in 1994, when the county added nearly 18 acres to Secret Woods, bringing the total to its present 55 acres.
What You'll See: What you'll see are woods and more woods. The name doesn't lie. Two trails meander through a hardwood hammock filled with red maples, cabbage palms, royal palms, strangler figs, gumbo limbo and laurel oaks and a mangrove swamp filled with reds, blacks and whites that creep up to the banks of the New River. A section of trail provides a nice view of the river but was closed during our most recent visit to the park (February 2025). The understory includes a variety of ferns, wild coffee, cocoplum, myrsine and cure-for-it-all.
The Laurel Oak Trail is mostly mulched surface with a series of short bridges or boardwalks over wet areas. The New River is mostly boardwalk that winds its way through towering oaks, cypress and mangroves to the banks of the New River. Manatees, shorebirds, crabs, woodpeckers, ospreys, hawks, warblers, blue jays and the occasional sleeping raccoon are among the wildlife encountered. There's also a butterfly garden.
Amenities: Secret Woods offers two main hiking trails, the Laurel Oak and the New River. The trails are well marked with interpretive signs. It has a butterfly garden and an area for kids called nature play. There is a nature center with exhibits, but it was closed during our most recent visit. Portable restrooms were available while the nature center was closed. There's plenty of parking.
Nearby: Secret Woods Nature Preserve is in a highly developed part of Broward County and there isn't a lot of neighboring preserves and parks of note. The closest might be the Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, also in Dania Beach. Others relatively nearby include the Plantation Preserve Linear Trail and Treetops Park and Pine Island Ridge Natural Area.
Links: The Institute for Regional Conservation's inventory of plants for Secret Woods is here The Great Florida Birding Trail has no data for Secret Woods.
Of Note: There is no admission fee to Secret Woods Nature Center. It is open 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. every day of the week
Cover Photo: A raccoon caught napping high in one of Secret Woods' trees. Raccoons are probably the most common mammal seen in the preserve. Second Photo: The trunk of a dead bald cypress tree along the New River boardwalk. It was live versions of trees like this, a couple of hundred years old, that gave impetus to the drive to save Secret Woods from developers. Even now dead, it still serves a purpose in the natural scheme of things by providing shelter to insects and birds.
We don't know exactly how "secret" Secret Woods really is these days. After all, it's just a short drive from two major downtowns in densely developed Broward County. But the "woods" part of the name is dead on. Secret Woods sits along the New River, and provides a glimpse of what Fort Lauderdale might have looked like when the city's namesake army major first arrived in the 1830s during the Second Seminole War. Two trails weave through the center, the Laurel Oak and the New River. The two combined are just short of a mile, making the center an easy place to explore thoroughly in an afternoon.
History: In late August 1971, a tract of land along the South Fork of the New River legally known as the Rebecca Cohen Subdivision was scheduled to be rezoned and subsequently cleared and developed. A Miami Herald journalist named Matt Taylor caught wind of the plan, published a story and raised public awareness of the proposed change. In his story, he dubbed the land the "Secret Woods." In 1972, The Broward County Commission abandoned the rezoning effort after public outcry; instead, with the help of the Nature Conservancy, the commission agreed to buy Secret Woods. Three years later, it bought nearly 30 acres, and in 1979, Secret Woods opened as Broward County's first interpretive nature center. The last significant purchase came in 1994, when the county added nearly 18 acres to Secret Woods, bringing the total to its present 55 acres.
What You'll See: What you'll see are woods and more woods. The name doesn't lie. Two trails meander through a hardwood hammock filled with red maples, cabbage palms, royal palms, strangler figs, gumbo limbo and laurel oaks and a mangrove swamp filled with reds, blacks and whites that creep up to the banks of the New River. A section of trail provides a nice view of the river but was closed during our most recent visit to the park (February 2025). The understory includes a variety of ferns, wild coffee, cocoplum, myrsine and cure-for-it-all.
The Laurel Oak Trail is mostly mulched surface with a series of short bridges or boardwalks over wet areas. The New River is mostly boardwalk that winds its way through towering oaks, cypress and mangroves to the banks of the New River. Manatees, shorebirds, crabs, woodpeckers, ospreys, hawks, warblers, blue jays and the occasional sleeping raccoon are among the wildlife encountered. There's also a butterfly garden.
Amenities: Secret Woods offers two main hiking trails, the Laurel Oak and the New River. The trails are well marked with interpretive signs. It has a butterfly garden and an area for kids called nature play. There is a nature center with exhibits, but it was closed during our most recent visit. Portable restrooms were available while the nature center was closed. There's plenty of parking.
Nearby: Secret Woods Nature Preserve is in a highly developed part of Broward County and there isn't a lot of neighboring preserves and parks of note. The closest might be the Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, also in Dania Beach. Others relatively nearby include the Plantation Preserve Linear Trail and Treetops Park and Pine Island Ridge Natural Area.
Links: The Institute for Regional Conservation's inventory of plants for Secret Woods is here The Great Florida Birding Trail has no data for Secret Woods.
Of Note: There is no admission fee to Secret Woods Nature Center. It is open 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. every day of the week
Cover Photo: A raccoon caught napping high in one of Secret Woods' trees. Raccoons are probably the most common mammal seen in the preserve. Second Photo: The trunk of a dead bald cypress tree along the New River boardwalk. It was live versions of trees like this, a couple of hundred years old, that gave impetus to the drive to save Secret Woods from developers. Even now dead, it still serves a purpose in the natural scheme of things by providing shelter to insects and birds.
