After our time in Miami and Key West, it was time for us to spend a day in the Everglades. Admittedly, we didn’t really go at the right time of year. It was too hot to do any guided tours through the Everglades, but since we were there, we figured we’d check it out anyway. Plus we had already booked our hotel.
Since we were driving from Key West, we entered the Everglades at the Royal Palm entrance near Homestead where we would stay. I never knew the Everglades was a huge river, not a swamp. Or that the Everglades dominates almost the entire southern tip of Florida. Or that the alligators are just a few feet away from you when you visit. Interesting…
Since we couldn’t do a tour, we were slightly limited, but the visit was still worth our while.
Below: Can you spot the gator?
If you plan to visit, I would recommend going in the fall or winter when you can see more animals. Seeing just a few gators was already exciting enough for me though.
After visiting the Everglades, we visited the Alligator Farm, not least of all because it included an airboat ride, which was on my to-do list in the Everglades. If you go to the Alligator Farm, you can see a lot of animals in cages, (I didn’t investigate if this was a sanctuary so if that is important to you its best to look it up), and some guys wrestling an alligator, but whatever you do go on the airboat!
Ear muffs, spraying water soaking us, dramatic clouds, the airboat tour was everything I hoped for. And I found it incredible how the boat only needs 1-2 inches of water to take off.
Where we stayed
After our day in the Everglades we headed to Homestead where we stayed the night at the Hampton Inn and Suites which was the perfect driving distance away from the park. Not the most thrilling stay, but hey, it does the trick!
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How’d I find out about the gator farm? My trust Lonely Planet of course – I never leave for a vacation without it! Seriously.. my collection is growing rapidly
Gabby is a native (Northern) Californian who spent the majority of her 20’s living the expat life in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, exploring Europe and beyond. 27 countries later, she’s relocated back to her home base in California where she explores her passions for the travel and the outdoors.
3 Comments
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You need to go back and CAMP!!! Camping is the only way to experience the real everglades. There is so much to explore one day is not enough to see even the slightest bit. Also checking out the visitors center is really neat.
I would love to camp in the Everglades! Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time and I was doing a round the world flight so camp gear was a no-go, but I would so love to go back to the Everglades longer!