After I graduated from college, I moved to Boca Raton, FL for a job. There were so many places to dine, shop and kid-friendly activities to do there (even though I do not have kids, my sisters have plenty!) But just down the road sits Deerfield Beach.

The beach isn’t too big but it can fill up quickly.

There’s a nice promenade you can walk on and even enjoy a shaded canopy.

You can even have a picnic while watching the sunset under one of the huts. There’s a special place in my heart for Deerfield. My husband proposed to me on that sidewalk. (sigh) Memories!

Parking is a little tricky if you want to get a spot along the promenade. Those spots are metered and are hard to come by. There is a public parking garage where you may pay more but you won’t have to deal with the hassle of waiting for a spot to open or getting more quarters to fill the meter.

There isn’t much shopping available near the beach. They have the traditional beach shops where you can buy the tourist essentials and some boutique shops. If you want to experience some serious shopping check out Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale or Delray Beach.

Things to do in Deerfield Beach:

Surf, Stand Up Paddle and Skim Lessons

Another kid (and adult) friendly activity you can do is take a FREE surf, stand-up paddle or skim lesson from Island Water Sports! That’s right. I typed FREE!

Lessons are offered every Saturday from 7am-9am.

I personally took one of the surf lessons and boy was it hard! I admit I was the oldest person there but I didn’t care. Everyone was at a different level and there was no judging. The instructors really wanted you to enjoy yourself and worked hard to get you to stand up on that board on your own.

You need to register online and there there is a maximum number of students available for each class.

Surf Lessons: 150 students
Stand Up Paddle Lessons: 21 students
Skim Lessons: 15 students

You can also arrange for private lessons of each of the above activities! But get your feet wet (pun intended) and try the free lessons first.

Fishing

You can take a stroll along Deerfield’s International Fishing Pier. According to www.deerfield-beach.com,

The 976 foot Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier is the crowning jewel on our beach, attracting thousands of visitors and fisherman annually. In addition to renting fishing rods, the pier concession stocks live, fresh and frozen bait, tackle, fishing accessories, ice and t-shirts.

You can also rent a fishing pole for $15.00 and buy some bait and reel in a fresh fish!

This is a great kid-friendly activity! They also offer group and private fishing lessons. The lessons include the rod, bait, tackle and a friendly instructor to show you the basics. There is usually a minimum of 10 people per group.  It is $5 per child and $10 per adult.  Private lessons are for ages 7+. They are $40 per person and also include the bait and tackle. Be sure to call the pier to reserve your spot!

If you don’t catch a fish. don’t worry. There are plenty of restaurants nearby where they serve it fresh. Read on for some of my favorite spots in Deerfield…one of which is my favorite restaurant in ALL OF SOUTH FLORIDA!!