If you have one day or its your first visit to the Everglades, this guide will help you see wildlife and experience the essence of Everglades National Park. We offer tips, too, for more in-depth Everglades experiences.
Everglades
Everglades National Park opens eco-tents in Flamingo
Since Hurricane Wilma destroyed lodging in Flamingo in 2005, the only way to stay overnight in Everglades National Park has been to camp. At last, new lodging has opened at Flamingo — 20 eco-tents, a cross beween a tent and a cabin, with beds and linens but using a central bath facility. The eco-tents are $150 a night. We tried them out to share with you the pros and cons.
Visiting Flamingo in Everglades National Park: The end of the road and worth the drive
Flamingo is a long way from the entrance to Everglades National Park, but we love it for the wildlife — manatees, crocodiles and an osprey nest right in the marina. Kayaking into Florida Bay is a splendid way to see the many birds and spectacular scenery. Our guide provides tips for hiking too.
Camping and ‘Glamping’ in the Everglades
The winter season is the best time to camp in Florida’s Everglades, and there are dozens of campground choices, from the front country to the backcountry. Here’s our guide.
Tours open for season of historic Nike missile base in Everglades National Park
In the middle of Everglades National Park is the best preserved Nike missile base in South Florida, a relic of the Cold War and the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Today it reminds us of those days of John F. Kennedy, fallout shelters and Bob Dylan protest songs.
Seminoles’ American Indian Arts Celebration: Nov. 1-2, 2019
The Seminole Arts Celebration offers tradition — fry bread and alligator wrestling — but also celebrates the diversity of native cultures. This year’s native talent headliner is a sketch comedy group from Minnesota and North Dakota called the 1491s.
Stone crab season begins, and Everglades City is ready
Stone crab season starts Oct. 15 and Everglades City, a small, isolated fishing village south of Naples, is a place to feast on this Florida favorite in an authenic Old Florida atmosphere.
Everglades National Park Hell’s Bay Kayak Trail: The name is a hint
Whoever named this kayak trail Hell’s Bay was giving you a hint: It won’t be easy. During National Parks Week at the end of April, I paddled this forbiddingly named trail. It’s mile after mile of mangroves with tight twists and turns that make going slow. If you’re heading for a backcountry camping site — a chickee on a platform in the middle of the Everglades wilderness — then this trail is worth the trouble. If not, well, I have some suggestions for you.
