☰Hollywood Beach

Hollywood Beach is the main attraction and it is genuinely good — wide, clean, and with calm Atlantic waters that are safe for swimming. The beach runs the full length of the Broadwalk. It is busiest at the central section near the main parking areas; walk a few hundred metres north or south and it thins out considerably.

The sand is white and the water is warm from April through November, reaching peak temperatures of around 28°C (82°F) in August. The ocean here is calmer than on the Gulf Coast for surfing but good for paddleboarding and kayaking. Chairs and umbrellas are available for hire along most of the beach.

Hollywood Beach has a wide range of restaurants, from casual beachside cafes on the Broadwalk to more serious dining on Hollywood Boulevard. The Broadwalk restaurants are convenient but predictable — burgers, fish and chips, margaritas — and most of the better eating is a short walk inland. The Boulevard area has several independent restaurants with more interesting menus.

Given the large Brazilian and Latin American community in South Broward County, there are good options for Brazilian churrascaria, Colombian cuisine, and various Latin American options scattered around the town. Seafood is the obvious strength of any coastal Florida restaurant, and several places along the Broadwalk do it well.

Hollywood Beach is between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is the most convenient airport, about ten minutes by car. Miami International Airport (MIA) is about forty-five minutes away. Both airports have taxis, rideshares, and car rental.

By train, the Tri-Rail commuter rail system stops at Hollywood station on the western edge of the city, and a free shuttle connects the station to the beach. Amtrak also stops at Hollywood. From Miami or Fort Lauderdale by car, Hollywood Beach is on US-1 south of Fort Lauderdale, about twenty minutes from downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Hollywood Beach is built around its beach and its Broadwalk — a wide oceanfront promenade that is the social centre of the town. Most of what you come to do here is outdoors: swimming, cycling, rollerblading, and walking. The downtown arts district a few blocks inland offers galleries and cafes for those who need a break from the sun. The historic district preserves some of the original architecture from Hollywood's 1920s development as a planned city.

The best time to visit Hollywood Beach is from November through April — warm and dry, with temperatures in the mid-20s Celsius (mid-70s Fahrenheit), low humidity, and clear skies. This is high season and the beach and Broadwalk are at their liveliest. December through February attracts snowbirds from the northeast and Canada, which keeps the place busy even in what would be off-season elsewhere.

Summer (June to September) is hot and humid with frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Temperatures regularly reach 32–35°C (90–95°F) with high humidity. The beach is less crowded than in winter because the locals know better. Hurricane season runs from June through November, peaking in August and September, though direct hits are rare. The shoulder months of October and May offer good value and good weather.