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Shark Valley, Everglades Park Clockwise from top left: Shark Valley, Everglades Park; Everglades National Park Junior Rangers play bingo with local wildlife; Everglades National Park from above; riding an airboat through the River of Grass; an alligator swimming in the wetlands; a boardwalk leads deeper into the park; red flamingos; the Ochopee post office is the smallest in the country. 38 SPRING 2019 CHOOSE YOUR OWN EVERGLADES ADVENTURE THESE THREE WAYS TO EXPERIENCE FLORIDA’S WILD SIDE ARE BY EASIER—AND MORE SURPRISING—THAN YOU MIGHT THINK. TERRY WARD FOR MANY PEOPLE, f Florida is all about the WESTON " EVERGLADES CITY FLORIDA beach and the theme parks. GULF COAST MIAMI But nearly its entire southern tip is VISITOR a sprawling network of wetlands and CENTER SHARK VALLEY forests called the Everglades. It’s this VISITOR CENTER vast subtropical wilderness that is Florida’s true heart. EVERGLADES HOMESTEAD NATIONAL Although the Everglades begin up near GULF OF PARK Orlando, MEXICO Everglades National Park ERNEST F. COE (305-242-7700; nps.gov; seven-day passes, VISITOR CENTER $25 a vehicle) protects only a fraction of this fragile ecosystem. The animals that live within the park’s bounds are FLAMINGO VISITOR CENTER as diverse as its 1.5 million acres, which include coastal marshes, pinelands, ATLANTIC hardwood hammocks (dry and shaded OCEAN 10 miles tropical forests), cypress swamps, and TONY GALE/OFFSET; ISTOCKPHOTO; ISTOCKPHOTO; GALE/OFFSET; TONY ; sloughs (low-lying, slow-moving waters). THE LAY OF THE LAND Your options for entry are just as varied: Everglades National Park has four visitors’ centers, three of which Everglades National Park has three main are main entry points. The Shark Valley Visitor Center (36000 access points, each with its own appeal. SW Eighth St., Miami; 305-221-8776; nps.gov for all visitors’ centers) lies right off the Tamiami Trail, a section of U.S. Highway 41. Farther ISTOCKPHOTO (2) ISTOCKPHOTO Whichever approach you and your west on the road lies Everglades City and the remote Gulf Coast family decide on—riding an airboat Visitor Center (815 Oyster Bar Lane, Everglades City; 239-695- through the River of Grass, visiting the 3311). To the south, there’s the Flamingo Visitor Center (1 Flamingo country’s tiniest post office, or spotting Lodge Hwy., Homestead; 239-695-2945), set deeper within the alligators from a boardwalk—the joy park. To reach it, you’ll pass the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center (40001 State Hwy. 9336, Homestead; 305-242-7700), the park’s head­ comes from exploring such a uniquely quarters and an access point close to its edge. You can visit them and naturally abundant place together. all over the course of a week on the same seven­day park pass. PHOTOS, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: RAQUEL GISBERT GIL/ALAMY; NATIONAL PARK SERVICE; SERVICE; PARK NATIONAL GIL/ALAMY; GISBERT RAQUEL LEFT: FROM TOP CLOCKWISE PHOTOS, MUÑOZ/ALAMY; CARLOS JUAN (BACKGROUND) (PHONE); ISTOCKPHOTO ISTOCKPHOTO HRUBARU/ALAMY; OVIDIU ENDLESS VACATION 39 with cilantro, corn, and lime. From Weston, it’s 47 miles along the Tamiami Trail to the Shark Valley Visitor Center. Leave your car here; there’s no driving in this part of the park. Open-air trams (rides, $25; children 3–12, $13) carry families deeper in along Tram Road before stopping at a ramp that leads to views of the fresh water slough. Alligators are common here and, during the spring months, so are all manner From left: One of the Shark Valley Visitor of wading birds (blue herons and Center’s tram tours; along Tram Road, the like), cormorants, and, at the Shark Valley Observation Tower affords 360-degree views of the park. times, roseate spoonbills. Or rent one of the park’s bicycles ($9 an hour) to pedal the same trail, stop- WESTON AND SHARK VALLEY: ping at the Shark Valley Obser- vation Tower for panoramic THE views. Another option is embark- NATIONAL PARK SERVICE (2); HELEN BRYAN; ISTOCKPHOTO ISTOCKPHOTO (2); HELEN BRYAN; SERVICE PARK NATIONAL URBAN-ADVENTURE ing on a slough slog, a ranger-led : trek through a cypress-dome ITINERARY swamp. (Closed-toed shoes and long pants are required.) The free Weston has every crea- 424-7262; evergladestours.com; walks are offered from December ¦ ture comfort you might 30-minute airboat rides, $23; children until March (be sure to call in expect from Florida 4–12, $13), airboats explore what’s advance to sign up); outside of FROM LEFT , CLOCKWISE minus the beach, which is about called the River of Grass. That those times, rangers can instruct 25 miles east in Fort Lauderdale. name refers to the slow-moving you in how to go on your own. PHOTOS MICHAEL HOEWELER BY ILLUSTRATIONS (BACKGROUND). (BINOCULARS); ISTOCKPHOTO But what the town lacks in water- saw-grass marshes and to envi- front it makes up for in wilderness. ronmentalist Marjory Stoneman Weston backs up along the eastern Douglas’s 1947 book, The Ever- edge of the Everglades, although glades: River of Grass. Sawgrass also it’s an hour’s drive from the has an animal exhibit showcasing nearest park entrance. Still, it’s native denizens, including bobcats ideal for families who want to stay and the elusive Florida panther. in a city between activities. All that wind in your hair can The adventure starts before you make you hungry. Consider lunch- even enter the park. Just outside, ing at Peruvian restaurant La scores of operators lead airboat Perla Seafood Bar & Grill (1396 excursions. The flat-bottom, fan- SW 160th Ave., Weston; 954-385- powered vessels skip across the 1102; laperlaweston.com; lunch for area’s shallow swamplands like two, $30*). The corvina marinated a highly caffeinated water bug. in citrus juices is tasty, as is the At Sawgrass Recreation Park jalea mixta—a pile of deep-fried (1006 U.S. Hwy. 27, Weston; 888- calamari, fish, and mussels topped Everglades City Hall. 40 SPRING 2019 WILDLIFE SPOTTING More than 40 species of mammals thrive in the Everglades, making it a thrill for kids and adults alike. Here, a few to look for. f WHITE-TAILED DEER The Everglades’ variety is smaller than elsewhere in the U.S. since it doesn’t need extra fat to protect it from winter’s chill. f FLORIDA PANTHER Between 120 and 230 of these endangered cats still live in the wild in South Florida. f GRAY FOX The only fox that can climb trees is at home in the Everglades’ hardwood hammocks. f BOBCAT This spotted beauty prowls the Everglades’ cypress swamps and hardwood hammocks. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE (2); HELEN BRYAN; ISTOCKPHOTO ISTOCKPHOTO (2); HELEN BRYAN; SERVICE PARK NATIONAL : f WEST INDIAN MANATEE Nicknamed “sea cows,” Florida’s official marine mammals eat sea grass and other aquatic plants. f NORTH AMERICAN , CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT , CLOCKWISE RIVER OTTER The spring at the Anhinga Trail is a good place to spot these web­ footed, water­loving creatures. PHOTOS MICHAEL HOEWELER BY ILLUSTRATIONS (BACKGROUND). (BINOCULARS); ISTOCKPHOTO EVERGLADES CITY AND THE GULF COAST: .biz; adults, $12; children 4–12, $6). Owner Dave Shealy stokes the THE lore of a Sasquatch-like creature he calls the Skunk Ape. Whether QUIRKY-MEETS-NATURE you’re a believer or not, it’s worth ITINERARY the entrance fee for the small but incredible reptile exhibit. The kids Everglades City and day or visit this area on its own. are bound to love the reticulated " the Gulf Coast Visitor But before you reach Everglades python, Goldie, who tips the scales Center lie another City, a chapter from quirky Florida at more than 350 pounds. 45 miles west along the Tamiami awaits. A Big Foot–style statue by It’s a mile farther to the Trail from Shark Valley. You the road marks Skunk Ape Head- Ochopee United States Post can either tack them onto your quarters (40904 Tamiami Trail E., Office(38000 Tamiami Trail E.; Shark Valley itinerary for a long Ochopee; 239-695-2275; skunkape 800-275-8777), reportedly the *Estimated meal prices do not include drinks, tax, or tip. ENDLESS VACATION 41 tiniest in the U.S. A single staffer works inside what once was a tomato farm’s irrigation- pipe storage shed. People from around the world stop here to buy prestamped post- cards with photos of the post office, in operation since 1953. The remaining four miles to the turnoff for Everglades City bring one airboat-ride operator after another into view, but wait to get on the water until you From left: A ranger takes reach the Gulf Coast Visitor Cen- travelers on a guided ter. Here, Everglades National tour of the Everglades; handmade milkshakes Park Boat Tours (815 Oyster Bar from Robert Is Here. Lane, Everglades City; 239-695- 2591; evergladesnationalparkboat toursgulfcoast.com; 90-minute boat tours, $32 a person; children 5–12, $16) steers travelers among the Ten Thousand Islands (a HOMESTEAD AND THE ROAD TO FLAMINGO: chain of mangrove islets) while a park-trained naturalist points out THE manatees, stingrays, and dolphins. You can fuel up on stone DRIVE-THROUGH crabs and gator bites at Camel- ITINERARY lia Street Grill (202 Camellia St.; 239-695-2003; lunch for two, $30), in Everglades City. Then “When you take the After the Everglades National pop over to the Museum of the " road to Flamingo, Park entrance sign south of Home- Everglades (105 W. Broadway you get the complete stead and before the pay station, Ave., Everglades City; 202-252-5062; picture of the Everglades,” says consider pausing at the Ernest evergladesmuseum.org; admission, park ranger Rudy Beotegui. “You F. Coe Visitor Center to watch free). Its fascinating collection pass through all the habitats that an 18-minute film about the includes an ox yoke used during the Everglades has to offer.” Here, Everglades’ history and wildlife.
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