Swim, surf, paddle & bird-watch your way along beach

Hollywood, Fla., is taking more of a starring role when it comes to tourism in the Sunshine State. The eclectic beach community, situated between the popular vacation destinations of Fort Lauderdale and Miami, is getting a facelift.

Think high-profile developments, including the sleek “coastal-luxe” Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort, and the $100 million revamp of the Diplomat Beach Resort, which adds eateries from the likes of Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian and celebrity chef Michael Schulson.

The result is a strip of coast that gives visitors a taste of the different sides of Florida, from a low-key burger shack on the Intracoastal Waterway, to quiet kayak paddling trips through mangrove-filled swamps, adventurous surf simulators and ritzy private poolside cabana services.

The defining characteristic of Hollywood is the Broadwalk (floridashollywood.org), a 2½-mile boardwalk-style path made of concrete pavers along the Atlantic Ocean. Condos, restaurants, bars, shops and even single-family houses abut the Broadwalk, and day or night, you’ll find residents and tourists walking, biking and Rollerblading down the path.

I’d visited Hollywood a few years back by accident — a few friends and I stayed there on a last-minute girls’ trip because we were priced out of South Beach, Miami. Our accommodations were a little sketchy, but I fell in love with the easygoing vibe of sitting at outdoor bars along the Broadwalk while people-watching. I’d heard about the new developments then and was curious how Hollywood would change.

On my more recent trip, I started out at Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort, which opened in 2015, and is a part of singer Jimmy Buffett’s empire of restaurants, bars, hotels and merchandise that appeal to a demographic that wants to buy “Growing Older But Not Up” T-shirts, but printed on really nice cotton.

There is of course a Margaritaville restaurant on site, but for dinner, I headed down to dinner at JWB Prime Steak and Seafood, which has all the dark wood trappings of a

Guide Scott Ventura (below) leads a paddle board and kayaking tour of a mangrove swamp in Hollywood. Another fun option is the FlowRider Surf Simulator at Margaritaville Beach Resort. To satisfy the appetite, there are butter-poached lobster rolls...