The southernmost city in Broward County, Hallandale Beach, is worth the trip during any visit to Greater Fort Lauderdale. With its sandy beach, a world-class Thoroughbred racing track and casino, and a growing dining scene, there’s no shortage of things to do.
Hallandale Beach is perhaps best known for Gulfstream Park, a premier Thoroughbred racing venue with meets all year long. That includes the illustrious Pegasus World Cup, Florida Derby, and Championship and Sunshine Meet Stakes. Make a wager on the ponies and enjoy the races from the stands, or level up for seats in the private suites and luxury boxes. A popular viewing space is also at the Ten Palms restaurant, which has uninterrupted racetrack views.
The sprawling Gulfstream Park also features more than a dozen restaurants and bars, two dozen shops, boutiques and art galleries, and a casino with two floors of slots and electronic table games. Following the equine theme of Gulfstream, the Carousel Club is a 14,000-square-foot trackside entertainment venue. Grab a table with friends to watch the races or sit at the namesake bar surrounding the moving carousel—a must-visit, photo-worthy spot. Be sure to check the calendar of events for the Carousel Club, which hosts live entertainment, food trucks, drink specials and themed events.
Want more fun at the casino? The Big Easy Casino has 700 slot machines, thirty poker tables, and the largest number of video poker games in the state.
Hallandale Beach has a growing dining scene. Make a reservation at Juniper on the Water for a waterfront brunch or dinner experience. Dinner fare includes raw oysters, ahi tuna nachos, octopus, seafood paella, decadent cuts of steak, and other surf and turf eats. For brunch, indulge in ceviche tostadas, Mexican street corn, churros French toast, a raw bar, and bottomless mimosas, Aperol spritz, Bloody Marys, and other favorites. Juniper on the Water also offers fun specials, including martini Mondays, ladies’ nights and wine Wednesdays.
What about dining in a shipping container? Count us in! KAO Bar & Grill serves up Argentine-grill-inspired dishes from two-story containers covered in graffiti art. Think milanesa sandwiches, skirt steak, lettuce tacos, Argentinian-style pizzas, and even a tomahawk steak to share. There are also happy hour deals from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, including buy-one-get-one on select cocktails, $5 draft Miller Lite and Sapporo, and $6 house wine.
New to Hallandale Beach is The Wagyu House by Meat n' Bone, a foodie paradise in the Atlantic Village shopping mall. Think salmon tartare, Colorado Wagyu burgers, and unique sides like yuca served with charcoal.
Hallandale Beach is also steeped in history, making it a great place to visit and learn more about the early days of Greater Fort Lauderdale. The Curci House, affectionately known as Villa Providence, was built in 1924 by Frank and Rosina Curci and designed with Floribbean and Italian architecture in mind—think terracotta block walls, Dade pine floors, imported Cuban tile and imported Italian color glass. The home has survived the test of time, including the Great Hurricane of 1926, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
Another place of great historic significance is the Historic Hallandale Schoolhouse, built in 1910, making it the county’s oldest building, having originated as a schoolhouse. When it was damaged by a hurricane that same year, Hallandale Beach locals sprung into action and drove south to Miami-Dade County for lumber and other materials to rebuild it themselves. It was later purchased by the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, abandoned, brought back to life, and reopened as a historic site in 2015.
For some outdoor fun, Hallandale Beach has one mile of beach. The city’s South City Beach Park has access to the beach, restrooms, outdoor showers, an open-air pavilion, two bocce courts, a sand volleyball court, a playground for the little ones, and a full-service concession stand. Playgrounds are also at Sunrise Park, Sunset Park and Golden Isles Park, as well as an outdoor pool at B.F. James Park & Pool and tennis courts at the Golden Isles Tennis Center. Finally, boaters will enjoy a trip to the city marina with both annual lease and transient slips and other amenities.
Whether it’s a day outside, learning about history, getting photos of dinner dishes for social media, or betting on the horses, there’s truly something for everyone under the sun in Hallandale Beach.