Sober Living in Davie, FL: Trails, Paddling and Fishing for Men in Recovery

Ask men who have stayed sober a few years what saved their afternoons in early recovery, and a lot of them will give you an outdoor answer. A fishing line in a canal. A long walk on a dirt trail. A paddle at sunrise before work. If you’re researching sober living in Davie, FL, you’re looking at one of the best towns in South Florida for that kind of recovery: horse trails, nature preserves, canals, and the Everglades just to the west.

This guide is written from that angle. It covers where to walk, paddle and fish in Davie and neighboring Southwest Ranches, the ZIP codes, how a men’s sober living house fits in, and where The Foundry’s houses are. To be clear: The Foundry has no house in Davie. Foundry: Beachhouse is on the Intracoastal in Hollywood, roughly 25–35 minutes east depending on traffic, and Foundry: Lakehouse is in North Miami Beach, roughly 35–45 minutes southeast. Both houses keep the outdoors close too, with water right out back.

Why the outdoors works in early recovery

I’m not going to pretend a hike cures addiction. It doesn’t. Meetings, a sponsor, step work and an honest house do the heavy lifting. But there are real reasons outdoor time helps a man in his first months:

• It fills the dangerous hours. Late afternoon and weekends are when cravings and boredom team up. A plan to be on a trail gives those hours a job.
• It’s cheap or free. Most men in early recovery are rebuilding their finances.
• It’s social without a bar. Fishing and paddling are things men do side by side, which is often how men talk best.
• It tires you out. Physical tiredness helps sleep, and sleep is often a mess early on.
• It shows you that sober fun exists. A lot of us honestly forgot.

Sober living in Davie: the lay of the land

Davie is a large town in central Broward County, home to more than 100,000 people at the 2020 census. It was first developed as a farming settlement called Zona; residents later renamed it for Robert Parsell Davie, who had bought land there. The town was first incorporated in 1925. Long before that, the Tequesta lived here, and archaeological sites on Pine Island Ridge are thousands of years old.

Davie still keeps its Western, horse-country character, with ranches and equestrian trails throughout. It’s also a college town: Nova Southeastern University’s main campus is here, along with campuses of Broward College, Florida Atlantic University and the University of Florida, grouped as the South Florida Education Center. To the southwest is the Town of Southwest Ranches, incorporated in 2000, a small community of about 7,600 people where most lots are an acre or more and many are small farms or horse properties, at the eastern edge of the Everglades.

The Town of Davie keeps a handy list of local highlights on its official “Things To Do” page.

Trails: where to walk it off

Tree Tops Park and Pine Island Ridge

Tree Tops Park, a 243-acre Broward County park at 3900 SW 100th Avenue, is the one I’d send a newcomer to first. It has natural-surface trails, a marsh boardwalk with covered observation decks across a remnant of the Everglades, an observation tower built around a big banyan, an equestrian trail and a pond. It’s also the walk-in gateway to Pine Island Ridge, the oak-covered high ground with that long human history. Weekend and holiday gate fees apply; check Broward County Parks for current hours.

Robbins Lodge and Preserve, and Vista View Park

The town’s Robbins Vista View Trail ties together Robbins Lodge & Preserve (160 acres of pasture and hardwood hammock, with equestrian trails) and Vista View Park. Vista View is a former landfill that was cleaned up in the 1990s, and its twin hills are some of the highest ground in Broward County, with views east toward Fort Lauderdale and west toward the Everglades. Climbing the highest point in your county is a pretty good one-day goal for a man who feels stuck.

Long Key Natural Area and Davie’s linear park

Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center, a Broward County preserve that opened its nature center in 2008, has trails through oak hammocks and restored wetlands. The town also lists its Linear Park, a path of roughly eight miles, along with Ivanhoe Park, Westridge Park and Palomino Park among its trail parks.

Paddling: getting out on the water

Tree Tops Park offers canoe rentals near its entrance, which makes it the easiest first paddle in Davie: no gear, no boat ramp, no trailer. Early mornings are calm and cooler. If you get hooked, the canals and preserves of western Broward give you more to explore, and the coast is half an hour east.

Basic safety for men new to it: wear the life jacket, tell someone at the house your plan, carry water, and respect the wildlife. Alligators are a normal part of South Florida fresh water.

Fishing: patience practice

Fishing might be the most underrated recovery hobby there is. It teaches patience, it gets you outside at dawn, and it gives you something to talk about with other men. Davie is crisscrossed with canals and ponds. At Tree Tops Park, fishing is allowed with a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission license, and the same rule applies most places: get your FWC license before you cast. Ask an old-timer in the rooms where they fish; the fellowship has more anglers than you’d guess.

Davie and Southwest Ranches ZIP codes

Davie has no single “Davie” post office ZIP; most of its ZIPs carry Fort Lauderdale as the default postal name, with Davie accepted. The ZIPs below appear for Davie in both Wikipedia’s article and the zip-codes.com listing, and the Southwest Ranches ZIPs appear in Wikipedia and in unitedstateszipcodes.org’s accepted city names. Several cross into neighboring cities, so confirm an exact address with USPS.

For the rest of the county, see our Broward County ZIP code guide.

Getting to the trailhead without a car

Davie is spread out. Broward County Transit runs routes along University Drive and other corridors; use BCT’s trip planner. There’s also a useful link to the train: according to Tri-Rail, a free South Florida Education Center shuttle runs between the Fort Lauderdale Airport station in Dania Beach and the college campuses in Davie. For trails out west, plan on a ride. At The Foundry, residents get rides to meetings and appointments early on, and men in good standing may have a car.

What to look for in a men’s sober house

All the trails in Broward won’t keep a man sober in a house that doesn’t hold the line. Before you choose, check:

• Certification. Florida’s voluntary certification for recovery residences is set out in section 397.487 of the Florida Statutes, with the Florida Association of Recovery Residences (FARR) as the credentialing body. Our FARR certification explainer walks through it.
• Enforced rules. No alcohol or drugs, randomized drug testing, a curfew, chores and required meetings. See sober living rules.
• Structure. Work, school, volunteering or an outpatient program within the first couple of weeks.
• Men-only, if that’s what you need. Many men find a men’s sober living house easier for honesty and focus.
• Honest admissions. If you need detox or treatment first, a good house tells you and points you to resources like FindTreatment.gov, the federal treatment locator.

Meetings: the trail you walk every day

Outdoor time supports a program; it doesn’t replace one. Central and southwest Broward have plenty of AA and NA meetings. Use AA’s meeting finder and NA’s meeting search for current times. The Foundry’s program is built around the twelve steps: meetings, a sponsor and real step work. Our guide to Hollywood AA meetings covers finding a home group near the Beachhouse.

Work around Davie

Entry-level jobs in Davie tend to be in retail and restaurants along University Drive, landscaping and grounds work, equestrian and ranch work, and service jobs at the campuses. CareerSource Broward offers free job-search help, and The Foundry helps residents with resumes and interviews. Being a college town also means it’s easy to look into classes once you’re steady.

For families

If you’re a parent or partner, you may be glad to hear about a recovery plan that includes fresh air and fishing poles. Ask any house about its rules, visiting policy and what happens after a relapse. The Foundry has an initial blackout period before visits, and a relapse leads to an honest conversation about the right level of care. Read our family page, and look into Al-Anon for your own support.

The Foundry’s houses: water out back at both

Foundry: Beachhouse is at 701 Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood, on the Intracoastal Waterway minutes from Hollywood Beach, roughly 25–35 minutes from Davie. It has kayaks, a pool, a rooftop terrace, ping pong and a billiards room with a view of the water. For an outdoors-minded man, a waterway out back and the ocean down the street are hard to beat.

Foundry: Lakehouse is at 871 NE 182nd Terrace in North Miami Beach, near Aventura and I-95, roughly 35–45 minutes from Davie. It sits on a lake, with canoes and kayaks, a hammock, a tree swing and a fire pit, plus eight bedrooms and five bathrooms.

Rooms are furnished, and utilities, linens, laundry and high-speed internet are included. Sober living is private pay, with scholarships for qualified men; we give rates over the phone and don’t publish bed availability. Most men stay three to twelve months.

More from western and southern Broward

Neighboring guides in this series: sober living in Cooper City and sober living in Pembroke Pines.

Get outside, and get started

If you’re looking at sober living in Davie, FL, for yourself or a family member, call The Foundry at (954) 817-7143 or visit our admissions page. We’ll tell you honestly whether one of our houses fits.

If anyone is in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.

Maps: Davie to the Foundry houses

These routes start in Davie; tap a button for live directions from your own trailhead.