According  to Wikipedia, there are over 80 neighborhoods in Fort Lauderdale.  Some, like Coral Ridge or Sailboat Bend are well known by most city residents while others, like tiny Dolphin Isles are hiding... in plain sight,   Lining the east coast of the Intracoastal and stretching from Northeast 29th Street to the very edge of Birch State Park,

 

Dolphin Isles is a mere two avenues wide. Originally part of a development called Lauderdale Beach, this steps-to- the-beach neighborhood was developed in the 1950s and 60s and originally had street names such as Sailfish Road and Dolphin Drive. It is punctuated by no less than nine canals along its Intracoastal side, and boasts about 100 properties with water frontage, While the neighborhood is primarily single family homes, at the far north end there are a handful of multi-family buildings and several vintage co-ops and condominium buildings.

 

Visions of old Florida still exist here with sweet, one-story homes lining the wide canals named Cero Bay, Snook Bay and so forth Mixed in on each of the waterfront streets are the mansions of the last boom Mostly built between 2000 and 2007, these large homes usually have between 3,500 and 7,000 square feet as opposed to the 2,000 square foot average of the older homes. And, while the teardown craze of the last decade has slowed to a crawl, there are still a few projects underway or in the planning stages. Many of the original homes have been completely renovated and are in pristine condition. In terms of landscape, the look is manicured without veering toward fussiness. There are still quite a number of mature mango and avocado frees in the neighborhood and landscaping on private properties tends to be well looked after.

 

Dolphin Isles, with its limited entry points from North Ocean Boulevard and Oakland Park Boulevard tends to be quiet, the type of neighborhood where locals see their neighbors mornings or evenings for the requisite dog walk. The neighborhood was blessed with a recent upgrade of streetlights with buried power and decorative entry stanchions as well as the addition of a nearby pocket park, dedicated last year on Northeast 33rd Avenue

 

Birch State Park, a 180-acre swath once the estate of Hugh Taylor Birch is located on the south end. Access to the park from the neighborhood side is scheduled to be reopened with a manned gate for the public, but is currently open to neighborhood residents who purchase a yearly pass for $60. As far as the ocean, local residents tend to use stretches of beach from about Vista Park on the north to just past the Pelican Grand Beach.

 

Birch State Park Considered Fort Lauderdale's version of New York's Central Park, the real Florida still exists in this long and slender 180 acre State park, this pristine bit of natural Florida was donated to the State in 1941. With 500 species of trees and plants, this park is easily walked or

biked and now, segway tours are available. This is also the spot to rent a kayak or paddleboard for a day's adventure on the ocean, just across the street, Birch State Park, East Sunrise Blvd. at AIA.

While residents swear by this quiet little beach side neighborhood, they do grumble a bit that Dolphin Isles lacks its own walk-to shopping district and the nearest supermarket is either Winn Dixie at Galt Ocean Mile, the Coral Ridge Mall or the new Publix at The Galleria. There are places to dine out however, either a short walk or a longer one, depending on which end of the neighborhood you live in On the South end.

 

Many restaurants are only a walk away..Chart House, Shooters, Ocean Grille, Greek Isles, NISI  and more. 

 

Source: Tropics Magazine