Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale

Downtown, told by the river

⏱ 1-3 hours👤 All agesFree

A riverfront promenade was first proposed in 1926, but the Riverwalk only took shape after a 1986 bond issue, with the first section finished in 1990. Today it runs for just over a mile from the Sailboat Bend neighbourhood in the west to near Stranahan House, turning a working river edge into the city's front porch. Its value for visitors is connective: almost every downtown entry on this site touches it, and walking between them reveals how compact the old core is. Start at the Broward Center and History Fort Lauderdale, walk east past the residential towers and the river's moored yachts, and finish at Stranahan House and the base of Las Olas Boulevard.

Things to notice: the drawbridge openings, which stop traffic while yachts pass, and the variety of vessels, from canoes to boats worth more than the buildings beside them. Evenings bring dog walkers, joggers and diners, and the path feels safe and busy until late on weekends. The biggest recent change is at Huizenga Park, the green where the Riverwalk meets Las Olas: a redesign led by the Downtown Development Authority and the Huizenga Park Foundation unveiled its first new section in June 2025, with new canopy trees, accessible paths and a Bicentennial Liberty Oak, and further phases were scheduled to follow, so expect some construction fencing. To the west, the Riverwalk Arts and Entertainment District around the Broward Center and the Museum of Discovery and Science draws more than a million ticketed visitors a year, and the Himmarshee Street bars give the path a livelier late-night edge.

Practicalities: wear comfortable shoes, bring water in summer, and check the events calendar for markets and festivals that can make the path crowded. Combine it with a Water Taxi ride for a car-free downtown day, or use it as the scenic walk between a Broward Center show and dinner. A good car-free sequence: take the Water Taxi from the beach to its downtown stops, walk west past Huizenga Park and Esplanade Park to the Broward Center and History Fort Lauderdale, lunch near Himmarshee Street, then walk back east to Stranahan House as the light softens toward sunset.