The large pavilions at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park have been closed for construction since September 22, 2025. The Banyan restrooms and North End restrooms closed the same day. That makes this the second winter season the park has had without its group-gathering buildings. Since May 11, 2026, the floating dock has also been closed. Since October 27, a park notice has warned that the Main Loop Road may close at times during seasonal high tides.
For Bay Colony households, the green space at 3109 E. Sunrise Blvd. still opens at 8 a.m., closes at sunset and runs 365 days a year. Entry is $6 per vehicle. What has changed is the park's shape. With the shelters fenced off, the best parts of a Birch visit this season are the ones on a fixed schedule. That schedule peaks once a week, on Friday.
What Sits Behind the Fence
The construction replaces buildings outright. In December 2024, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection put out a bid to replace a restroom and a pavilion, along with site improvements. The bid added two alternates: a second pavilion and a second restroom. Bids opened January 28, 2025. The state's results page named Primus Construction Services, Inc. as the anticipated awardee, with a total bid of $1.49 million covering the base work and both alternates.
Here is the park's posted status as of publish day:
- Large pavilions: closed for construction since September 22, 2025
- Banyan restrooms and North End restrooms: closed for construction since the same date
- Floating dock: closed since May 11, 2026
- Main Loop Road: may close periodically during seasonal high tides, per a notice effective October 27, 2026
The closures cost the park its open-ended uses: the long pavilion afternoon and the group cookout under cover. What still runs are the programs with a start time and the services with a counter.
The Week, Laid Out
Florida State Parks runs two recurring programs, and both happen only on Friday and Saturday. The Ranger-Guided Walk starts at 10:30 a.m. and lasts about an hour. The Live Animal Presentation starts at 1 p.m. outside Terramar Visitor Center. Terramar is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed on weekends and holidays.
| Day | Ranger-Guided Walk, 10:30 a.m. | Live Animal Presentation, 1 p.m. | Terramar Visitor Center, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | No | No | Open |
| Friday | Yes | Yes | Open |
| Saturday | Yes | Yes | Closed |
| Sunday | No | No | Closed |
On Saturday the animal presentation still happens outside Terramar, but the building is closed. Friday is the only day a visitor can take the walk, see the animals and then go inside the house where the exhibits are. From Friday, November 20, through the end of February, that comes to 15 Fridays.
The walk is free with park admission. Friends of Birch State Park describes it as a one-mile tour that usually runs 45 minutes to an hour. Before your first Friday, call the park at 954-564-4521 to confirm where the walk starts.
Terramar Is the Reason Friday Wins
Terramar was Hugh Taylor Birch's own home. The state now runs it as the visitor center, with displays on local history and the park's ecosystems. According to Friends of Birch State Park, it reopened as a visitor center in 2015.
The house is closed on weekends, so a Saturday visit never gets inside. The same Friends record lists two smaller projects in the beach tunnel. The tunnel aquarium mural was finished in 2019, and the beach-tunnel entrance mosaic in 2020.
None of the posted closures cover the trails. The state's amenities page lists the Coastal Hammock trail, the Mid trail, a canoe and kayak launch on the park's largest coastal dune lake, and beach access through the Beach Gate. The floating dock is the only water-access feature posted as closed.
The Grove Picked Up What the Pavilions Did
While the pavilions are down, the park's concession carries the food, drink and gear. The Grove runs a café and bar called The Grill at The Grove. Its menu runs from burgers and fish tacos to salads, with beer, wine and what it calls beachy cocktails, all served with an ocean view. The Sun Sentinel reported that the Grill replaced Park & Ocean and opened January 1, 2024.
The Grove also handles rentals, from the Marina Building and on the beach. It rents kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and bicycles, plus beach umbrellas and chairs. You can book online through The Grove's rentals page.
This affects how you plan a Friday. A paddle on the dune lake, lunch at the Grill and the 1 p.m. animal presentation all fit between the 10:30 walk and Terramar's 4 p.m. close. If the high-tide notice is in effect and the Main Loop Road closes, the Marina Building, the Grill and the visitor center are still the anchors for the day. Check the park's alerts page the morning you go.
Two Dates Past the Fridays
The park's covered gathering space this season belongs to The Grove. Its homepage calls the event venue The Coastal Grove and describes it as newly renovated. One public evening on the calendar there is the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce Holiday Social 2026. It runs Thursday, December 10, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The listing promises food, an open bar from The Grove and live music. The chamber also collects toys and gift cards there for local nonprofits. Tickets cost $50 for members and $65 for nonmembers.
Later in the season, Great Sun Nation has posted a Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Campout. It runs from 4 p.m. on February 19, 2027, to 11 a.m. on February 21. The organizer's listing says "Details coming soon."
Between those two dates, the Friday-and-Saturday programs keep running every week.
Veroushka MacLean Volkert tracks what is open, closed and coming back along the stretch of East Sunrise Boulevard closest to Bay Colony, including the pavilion work at Birch. If you are weighing how the area around your Bay Colony home is changing, or how a seller might describe it this winter, schedule a free consultation.
