Getaways to outdoor recreation in Florida’s Everglades, hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, RV and tent camping, swamp walks, lodging, unique restaurants, road trips and Funky Florida.
Everglades
Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee: Everglades icon still owned by original family
Smallwood Store is an exceptional slice of Florida history at an end-of-the-road site overlooking Chokoloskee Bay near Everglades City.
Visitor tips for exploring Everglades National Park
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.
Robert Is Here: Get a key lime milk shake on your way to Everglades
HOMESTEAD — Robert Is Here, just outside Everglades National Park, is a must-stop for my family on the basis of its Key Lime milkshakes alone. But we also love the menangerie out back, the exotic tropical fruits there for the tasting and the overall ambiance.
Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge: Window to the Everglades
BOYNTON BEACH — About 260 species of birds and waterfowl find their way here throughout the year, and you can find them by hiking, biking or paddling the canoe trail.
Loop Road: Storied road through Everglades is full of wildlife
Loop Road is famous for being a wild place. (That once applied to the people as well as the animals.) It’s a gravel road off the Tamiami Trail in the Everglades. If you’re not in a hurry, it’s a rewarding place to explore.
Everglades kayak trail: Halfway Creek off Tamiami Trail is all about the plants
Halfway Creek is a well-marked kayak trail just off the Tamiami Trail. It’s good for short or long paddles, taking you to a wild green world thick with airplants.
Canoe or kayak Everglades National Park: Coot Bay and Mud Lake trail
Our Everglades National Park paddle on the Coot Bay/Mud Lake trail offered two hours of gorgeous scenery through magical mangrove tunnels. It also required about two hours of hard paddling against the wind.
Ten Thousand Islands: Ride the tide through Indian Key Pass
EVERGLADES CITY — Whitewater paddling in the Everglades? Well, almost. The tides move in and out of the Ten Thousand Islands so quickly, the water rushes and ripples through the passes, so you need to catch the current going in the right direction if you want to make headway.
