The best free things to do in Fort Lauderdale with kids are the water trolley, the beach, the free shuttle and the Riverwalk, with eight more below. The water trolley is the one to plan the week around. It is a free city boat on the New River, ten in the morning to ten at night with eight stops, and a child will ride it three times. We travel slowly with kids, one thing a day and a long afternoon in the water, and a town whose free things are real outings rather than filler makes that easy. Every item was checked against the park, city or county’s own page on September 14, 2026, and where a small fee sits beside a free thing it says so. By the end you will have a week of days that cost nothing and know which two carry a small charge.
How We Chose These
Free means the thing itself costs the family nothing to do. We left out anything that is only free for one age group, anything that is really a free walk past a paid attraction, and the tips-based tours. Where a free place charges for one part of itself, or charges for parking, that fee is printed in the item rather than left for you to discover at the gate. Ten of the twelve carry no charge at all. The other two are Hugh Taylor Birch State Park ($6 a car, the state park fee) and Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park (free on weekdays, $1.50 a person at weekends).
Hours and fees change. Every item links to the page the operator maintains, and the dates and prices here were read from those pages on September 14, 2026. If a line below disagrees with the official page on the day you go, the official page wins.
The 12 Best Free Things to Do in Fort Lauderdale with Kids
1. The LauderGO! Water Trolley
A free city boat that shuttles up and down the New River every day, past the yachts, the Riverwalk and the drawbridges, with a stop every few blocks. This is the best free hour in Fort Lauderdale and it is a boat ride. Get on at any stop, ride the whole loop, get off for the playground at Esplanade Park and get back on. Waits between boats run 20 to 30 minutes and the drawbridges add to that, which is part of the show.
Where: The New River through downtown, eight stops from Riverwalk Laura Ward Park to Smoker Park. When: Daily, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Huizenga Plaza stop is closed for construction at the time of writing. Cost: Free. Check the official page before you go.
2. Fort Lauderdale Beach and the A1A promenade
The city’s main beach, wide and public along its whole length, with the promenade, the wavy white wall and the palms that are the photograph everyone takes. The beach is free from end to end and the promenade is where a scooter or a stroller goes at sunset. The sand shelves gently, the lifeguard stands run along the central stretch, and the beach at the foot of Las Olas has the most going on around it.
Where: Along A1A from Las Olas Boulevard north, the wave wall and the wide brick walk. When: Always open. Lifeguards are seasonal and daytime. Cost: Free. Parking along A1A and in the beach lots is metered, so arrive by the free shuttle below or park once and walk. Check the official page before you go.
3. The LauderGO! MicroMover shuttle
A free electric shuttle that runs between downtown, Las Olas Boulevard and the beach, hailed through the Ride Circuit app. It is how a family stays downtown and gets to the beach without paying a meter, and children treat it as a ride. Download the app before you arrive, request a pickup, and let it carry the beach bag.
Where: Downtown, Las Olas and the beach. When: Daily, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cost: Free. Check the official page before you go.
4. The Riverwalk and Esplanade Park
A landscaped linear park along the river with a brick walk, shade, a playground at Esplanade Park and the water trolley stopping along it. The walk is flat and shaded, the boats go past every few minutes, and the playground is beside the science museum for the day you decide to pay for that. On the first Sunday of the month the Riverwalk hosts a free jazz brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., bring your own blanket and picnic.
Where: Both banks of the New River through downtown, west of Andrews Avenue. When: Always open. Jazz brunch the first Sunday of the month, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost: Free. Check the official page before you go.
5. The Las Olas Oceanside Park markets
A farmers, antiques and artisan market on Saturdays and a maker market on Sundays, on the park lawn across from the beach. Free to walk through, with food stalls, music and a lawn to sit on, and the beach is across the road for afterwards. Buy breakfast and the fruit for the week.
Where: 3000 East Las Olas Boulevard, at the beach end of Las Olas. When: Saturdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost: Free to enter. Check the official page before you go.
6. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
A 180-acre state park of coastal hammock and freshwater lagoon in the middle of the beach district, with trails, a lake for canoes, and a pedestrian tunnel under A1A to the sand. The tunnel under the road to the beach is the thing they remember, and the shaded trails are the walk on a hot afternoon. Canoe rentals are paid. For a family on the beach side of town it is the green space that does not exist anywhere else on A1A.
Where: 3109 East Sunrise Boulevard, between the Intracoastal and the beach. When: 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year. Cost: $6 per vehicle with up to eight people, $4 for a single-occupant vehicle, $2 on foot or by bike. Check the official page before you go.
7. Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park
A county nature center inside 1,500 acres of mangrove wetland, with a five-level observation tower, boardwalk trails through the mangroves, an Intracoastal fishing pier and two playgrounds on the south side, one with a water feature. Climb the tower first, then walk the boardwalk and count the crabs. The playground with the splash feature on the south side of the park is the reward, and the exhibit hall’s aquarium is the rainy-day backup.
Where: 751 Sheridan Street, Hollywood, a short drive south of the airport. When: Open daily from 8 a.m. Kayak and paddleboard rentals Thursday to Sunday. Cost: Free on weekdays. On weekends and holidays the county charges $1.50 per person to enter the park, and the exhibit hall has its own small charge. Check the official page before you go.
8. The Hollywood Beach Broadwalk and the Charnow Park splash fountain
A two and a half mile paved walk between the beach and the low-rise hotels, with Charnow Park at its center, which has playgrounds, picnic pavilions and a splash fountain. It is a different beach town from Fort Lauderdale’s, old Florida and flat, and a child can ride a bike the whole length without a road. The splash fountain at Charnow Park is free and shaded seating is beside it. Go in the late afternoon, eat on the Broadwalk, and let them run.
Where: Hollywood Beach, along the ocean from Charnow Park at Garfield Street, about 20 minutes south. When: Charnow Park is open daily 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Broadwalk is always open. Cost: Free. Parking in Hollywood Beach’s garages and lots is paid. Check the official page before you go.
9. Free First Thursday at NSU Art Museum
The city’s art museum opens free on the first Thursday of every month from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with drop-in art-making for children in the late afternoon. It is a real museum and not a children’s museum, but the free art activities between 4 and 6:30 p.m. are built for them, and a free afternoon in air conditioning is worth planning a week around. It sits at the downtown end of Las Olas, a walk from the water trolley.
Where: 1 East Las Olas Boulevard, downtown. When: First Thursday of the month, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Children’s art-making 4 to 6:30 p.m. Cost: Free on that day. Check the official page before you go.
10. The Winterfest Boat Parade
The city’s holiday parade, on the water, with decorated yachts and lit-up boats running twelve miles from downtown along the river and up the Intracoastal. It is the biggest free evening of the year here. The 2026 parade is on Saturday, December 12, starting downtown at 6 p.m. with a pre-show of non-motorized boats at 5:30. Watching from the Riverwalk, the bridges and the public parks along the Intracoastal is free, and the grandstand seats are the paid option. Arrive early with a blanket.
Where: The New River downtown and the Intracoastal north to Pompano Beach. When: Saturday, December 12, 2026. Pre-show 5:30 p.m., parade from 6 p.m. Cost: Free from the public viewing areas along the route. Grandstand tickets are paid. Check the official page before you go.
11. Deerfield Island Park and its free boat shuttle
A 53-acre island park at the meeting of the Intracoastal and the Hillsboro Canal, reached only by a free county boat shuttle on weekends, with trails through the hammock and a boardwalk over the mangroves. A second free boat, this one to an island with no cars on it. It is a half-hour drive north, weekends only, and the shuttle schedule is short, so check the county page for the current departure times before you go.
Where: Deerfield Beach, at the north end of the county. When: Weekends only. Shuttle times are posted by the county. Cost: Free, including the boat. Check the official page before you go.
12. Free Saturday surf lessons at Deerfield Beach
A free surf lesson on the beach every Saturday morning from 7 to 9, open to all ages and skill levels, boards provided. A school-age child who has never stood on a board will, by nine in the morning, and it costs nothing. It is early and it is a drive north, so pair it with Deerfield Island Park across the water or the pier beside it.
Where: Deerfield Beach, at the pier, run by Island Water Sports. When: Saturdays, 7 to 9 a.m. Cost: Free. Check the official page before you go.
When You Are Ready to Spend
A free week still needs a bed and usually one paid outing. The paid outings worth the money here are the Everglades airboat and the riverboat cruise, and they book through GetYourGuide. For lodging, Fort Lauderdale splits between the beach on A1A, where the promenade and the state park are, and downtown along Las Olas, where the trolley and the Riverwalk are, and the free shuttle links the two. Our Fort Lauderdale activities guide covers the paid side of the town, and the Fort Lauderdale beaches guide covers every public beach access.
Fort Lauderdale is one of the towns in our ranking of the best beach towns in Florida for families, which covers what a week here costs against the rest of the state.
FAQs About Free Things to Do in Fort Lauderdale with Kids
Is Fort Lauderdale expensive for a family?
The beach hotels and the paid attractions are, and parking at the beach is metered everywhere. The town itself is generous with free things in a way few Florida cities are. A free boat on the river, a free shuttle between downtown and the beach, a free art museum day each month, and the beach and the promenade cost nothing. Ten of the twelve things on this list carry no charge at all, and a family that plans around them and buys one boat trip has a full week.
Is the Fort Lauderdale water trolley really free?
Yes. The LauderGO! Water Trolley is run by the city, costs nothing to ride, and operates every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. along the New River with eight stops through downtown. The wait at a stop is 20 to 30 minutes and it is not the same as the Water Taxi, which is a private service with a paid day pass.
What is free at Fort Lauderdale Beach?
The beach itself and the promenade along A1A, which is the walk, the bike ride and the evening out. The Las Olas Oceanside Park markets at the beach end of Las Olas are free to walk through on Saturdays and Sundays. Parking at the beach is metered, which is why the free MicroMover shuttle from downtown is on this list.
When is the Fort Lauderdale boat parade?
The Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade is on Saturday, December 12, 2026, starting downtown at 6 p.m. with a pre-show of non-motorized boats at 5:30. It runs east along the New River and north up the Intracoastal to Pompano Beach, and watching from the Riverwalk and the public bridges and parks along the route is free.