Davie gets described as “the town with the horses” by people who have only driven through it on 595. It is that, and it is also sixty acres of gardens, a rodeo that USA Today called the best in North America, a college campus you can wander, and, since August, a walk-in photo booth. Here are the things to do in Davie, FL that locals actually do, written by someone who lives here and went to school here.
Flamingo Gardens
Sixty acres of botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary, with a narrated tram and what the town describes as the largest collection of Florida native wildlife anywhere. Go early, before the heat. It is the one place on this list that out-of-town guests remember, and it is a strange, good kind of quiet for something ten minutes off a highway.
Bergeron Rodeo Grounds
Davie is a real western town, not a themed one, and the rodeo grounds are why. Regular rodeo nights, a proper arena, and a crowd that shows up in boots because they own boots. Check the schedule, because the big events sell out.
Tree Tops Park and Vista View
Two Broward County parks with different jobs. Tree Tops is the shaded one, with boardwalks over wetland and horse trails. Vista View is the hill, which in South Florida is a novelty, with kite flyers on windy days and a view that makes you forget how flat everything else is.
The photo booth at NSU
Full disclosure: this one is mine. SmileMore placed a real walk-in photo booth inside the Don Taft University Center on the NSU campus, 3301 College Avenue. It has a curtain, a bench, and it prints two strips in seconds. Students, parents and random Tuesday visitors all use it; you just need visitor parking. A session is $7.99. Details, hours and directions are on the NSU booth page.
Why it belongs on a things-to-do list: it is a two-minute thing you walk away from holding something. Bring the person you came with.
Old Davie School Historical Museum
The town’s original 1918 schoolhouse, restored, with the story of how people got around here by boat and by horse before there were roads. Small, cheap, and better than it sounds if you go with someone who asks the docent questions.
Davie Pro Rodeo’s neighbor: the Tower Shops and University Drive
This is where Davie eats. University Drive runs the full range from taquerias to sushi, and the Tower Shops cover the errand half of a Saturday. Not a destination, but it is where the locals end up after every other item on this list.
Make a Davie afternoon out of it
Flamingo Gardens in the morning, lunch on University Drive, and a photo strip at NSU before you head home. The booth page has directions and hours.
Davie Golf Club
The only public course in town, open since 1973, with enough water to keep it honest. Cheap for the area and rarely crowded on weekday mornings.
Walking and riding trails
The town maintains a network of walking trails and eight equestrian trails through the neighborhoods. If you have never shared a sidewalk with a horse, this is where that happens. The official list is on the Town of Davie site.
What locals actually do on a weekend
A rodeo night, a Sunday at Flamingo Gardens with visiting parents, and a lot of University Drive. The photo booth is the new one on the list, and the strips have started showing up on Instagram with the campus tag. If you take one, post it and tag us. There is a monthly prize for exactly that.
Questions people ask
What is Davie, Florida known for?
Its western heritage, the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds, Flamingo Gardens, horse trails through the neighborhoods, and the South Florida Education Center campuses including Nova Southeastern University.
Is there anything to do in Davie FL at night?
Rodeo nights at Bergeron Rodeo Grounds, restaurants along University Drive, and the photo booth at the NSU University Center, which is open whenever the building is.
Can the public use the photo booth at NSU?
Yes. The SmileMore booth in the Don Taft University Center is open to visitors during building hours. Park in visitor parking and walk in.
What is there to do in Davie with kids?
Flamingo Gardens, Tree Tops Park, the splash pads at town parks, the Old Davie School museum, and a photo strip at NSU on the way home.
If you think I missed something, you are probably right. Tell me what it is and I will go check it out.
