Deerfield Beach, FL

Deerfield Beach is a beach city at the northern edge of Broward County, just across the Hillsboro River from Boca Raton. It has a small-town, walkable oceanfront built around the Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier and the Ocean Way boardwalk, and inland it has Quiet Waters Park, one of the county’s biggest parks.

Things to do in Deerfield Beach

The main public beach runs along A1A beside the boardwalk, with the pier at its center and restaurants and shops across the street. The beach is popular with surfers and is protected sea turtle nesting habitat in summer. Deerfield Island Park, the only island park in Broward County, is reached by a free public ferry from Sullivan Park and has nature trails along the Intracoastal Waterway. Quiet Waters Park, a 431-acre county park, has fishing lakes, a cable water-ski park, mountain bike trails, camping and a splash area, and each winter it hosts the Florida Renaissance Festival. History fans can visit the 1923 Butler House and the Old Deerfield School, and the Deerfield Beach Arboretum has more than 200 kinds of trees and palms.

Getting to Deerfield Beach

Deerfield Beach is the northernmost coastal city in Greater Fort Lauderdale. I-95, Florida’s Turnpike and the end of the Sawgrass Expressway all reach the city, and Hillsboro Boulevard is the main road east to the beach. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is about 25 to 30 minutes south, and Palm Beach International is roughly 35 minutes north. Amtrak and Tri-Rail both stop at the historic Deerfield Beach Station. Beach parking near the pier is metered and fills early on winter weekends.