New Everglades Visitor Center to be gateway to Gulf waters by kayak and boat

Last updated on January 6th, 2026 at 12:39 pm

Eight years after Hurricane Irma devastated its Everglades City operation, Everglades National Park is ready to open a stunning Gulf Coast Visitor Center that will be a new gateway for exploring the Ten Thousand Islands by kayak or tour boat.

The park service is shooting for a soft opening in early 2026, with ranger-led programming, kayak rentals and boat tours beginning mid-January 2026.

Note: As of Jan. 5, 2026, the new facilities have not opened. A ranger told us it will happen “any day now.”

It’s named the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center after the legendary environmental activist who first brought attention to a unique environment that had been dismissed for decades as a wasteland.

The new Everglades Gulf Coast facility

The most remarkable aspect of the new $47 million facility is how it rises above the Gulf Coast waters with high, thick concrete seawalls.

The site is beautiful, but it was designed first and foremost to be resilient to hurricanes. The flooding from the storm surge of Hurricane Irma left “total devastation,” according to Pedro Ramos, the superintendent of Everglades National Park, at the facility ribbon cutting. Seeing the aftermath, he said, “we were walking around like zombies.”

The new headquarters building is built on tall pilings with all facilities on the second floor. The building was constructed to be 10 feet above Irma’s storm surge, with impact windows and concrete walls strong enough for a Category 5 storm.

New kayak launch and boat dock

The marina will be a hub of activity. One of the most popular activities here has always been boat tours to see scenery and wildlife in the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

The tour boats are a good way to learn about the mangrove islands, have birds identified by naturalists on board and often to see dolphins leaping in the wake of the boats.

A frequent highlight of these tours is seeing flocks of the large white pelicans who winter here. (A boat captain said you don’t want to get downwind of a flock of these birds – phew!)

The kayak launch here has long been popular with paddlers. Its major improvement has been to have the launch area dredged so that at the lowest tides, kayaks are more likely to have enough water to come and go.

New programming at Gulf Coast Visitor Center

A new boat tour that will start in 2026 is a trip out to Sandfly Key, where there is a dock and one-mile boardwalk  leading to what was once a pioneer outpost.

It’s a popular kayaking trail that I have always recommended as an “easy adventure” in the area. Here’s a Florida Rambler story on paddling to Sandfly Key.

Greg Reed, the park ranger in charge of interpretation programs at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center, said he thinks this boat tour will be a favorite activity. He reasons that not everybody can or wants to kayak but many will like the combination of seeing wildlife from a boat and then walking on a remote island surrounded by wilderness.

Reed also said there will ranger-led kayak tours along the shoreline and eventually up the Turner River from nearby Chokoloskee Island.

Sea kayakers launch from here to explore and camp on the sandy shores of wild islands on the western about four miles out. Here’s a Florida Rambler story on camping in the Ten Thousand Islands and paddling through Indian Pass.

You’ll love the view at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center

Visitors who do nothing else but stop here after getting stone crabs in Everglades City will appreciate the visit because of the spectacular view.

With its elevation, the site gives a 180 degree view of the waters of the Ten Thousand Islands. The center has a broad covered second floor balcony that offers a great vantage point.

As if to illustrate the importance of wildlife in the area, a half dozen brown pelicans put on an aerial show during the Dec. 12 ribbon cutting, with the birds repeatedly diving for fish and swooping over the water.

Planning your visit

Everglades Gulf Coast Visitor Center
815 Oyster Bar Lane, Everglades City, FL 34139
(239) 695-3311

The Gulf Coast Visitor Center is located 5 miles south of Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail) on State Road 29, in Everglades City. From Interstate 75 (Alligator Alley), take exit 80 (State Road 29) south and proceed 20 miles to Everglades City. Once in Everglades City, follow the signs to the park. The visitor center is on the right. Approximate GPS coordinates: 25°50’49.03″ N 81°23’06.85″ W

The new visitor center and the newly opened Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk about seven miles away in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park are two more reasons that make Everglades City a fun destination. Here’s an itinerary for a perfect trip to Everglades City.

In Everglades City, we recommend getting a dinner at the historic and atmospheric Everglades City Rod and Gun Club and visiting the historic Smallwood Store on Chokoloskee Island.

If you want to see more of the Everglades, read about Big Cypress National Preserve and our guide to visiting Everglades National Park and camping in Everglades National Park.