Search Results for Category: Everglades

Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk along the Tamiami Trail. Photo Credit: All photos courtesy Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau

If you’re looking for a relaxed, laid back getaway that allows you to bask in small town friendliness but still gives you access to some of the most breathtaking natural getaways then head to Everglades City, Florida the gateway to Everglades National Park.

Everglades City is a perfect spot to savor the slower pace of a rural village, and it serves as a popular home base for avid outdoor adventurers as they head out for paddling and fishing in the Ten Thousand Islands portion of the Everglades, and for hiking in the cypress forests of the western Everglades region, known as the Big Cypress Swamp. The new Big Cypress Swamp Welcome Center provides an excellent starting point to educate visitors about the varying ecosystems of the western Everglades and the many recreational opportunities available in the region. The center is located just east of State Road 29 on the Tamiami Trail. There’s a myriad of things to see and do in this region, including:

STONE CRAB TASTING
Everglades City is also known as the Stone Crab Capital of the World. Close to half a million pounds of stone crab claws are processed each season between October and May and shipped to other areas, to be used in local seafood restaurants and for the annual Everglades City Seafood Festival, held every year during the first weekend in February

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
Everglades National Park is the only subtropical preserve in North America and is part of the largest wetlands ecosystem in the United States. It contains both temperate and tropical plant communities, including saw grass prairies, mangrove and cypress swamps, rare orchids, pine lands, and hardwood hammocks, as well as marine and estuarine environments. The park is known for its rich bird life, particularly large wading birds, such as the roseate spoonbill, wood stork, great blue heron and a variety of egrets. It is also the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side by side. Everglades National Park has been designated a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Importance.

American alligator in the Everglades

CANOE AND KAYAK
You can launch your own canoe or kayak from the Gulf Coast Visitor Center docks in Everglades City, or take a trip on the daily guided boats from Everglades National Park Boat Tours into the mangrove estuaries of the Ten Thousand Islands section of the park, where you will see an abundance of wildlife, including manatee, bottle nose dolphin and sea turtles, bald eagles, osprey, roseate spoonbill, swallow tailed kite, Everglades snail kite, wood stork, and brown and white pelicans.

Kayaking in the Everglades

FISHING
The waters of the Ten Thousand Islands are renowned by fishing enthusiasts around the world, yet the shallow waters and meandering trails through miles of mangrove islands requires local knowledge to navigate. Local guides are recommended. Kayak fishing is the fastest growing segment of saltwater fishing – and a local guide service, EvergladesKayakFishing.com, a division of Everglades Area Tours, provides popular motorboat-assisted trips, speeding kayaks and fishermen deep into the Wilderness Waterway for access to the best shallow water fishing in the ‘Glades. Multi-day kayak fishing and camping trips as well as paddling eco trips are also available.

Fishing the shallow waters near Coon Key

ACCOMMODATIONS
The Ivey House B&B provides a pleasant atmosphere, daily breakfast and a swimming pool with tropical garden, as well as guided canoe and kayak trips into the surrounding wilderness. The Ivey House is designated as a Florida Green Lodging. The historic Rod & Gun Club Lodge provides a lodge atmosphere and restaurant on the banks of the Barron River. Also available are the Captain’s Table Lodge & Villas, the pet-friendly River Wilderness Waterfront Villas, Everglades City Motel, Glades Haven Cozy Cabins at Glades Haven Marina and Parkway Motel & Marina. There are several campgrounds on Chokoloskee Island and in Everglades City, Ochopee, Collier-Seminole State Park and the Big Cypress National Preserve. Many visitors to nearby Marco Island and Naples enjoy day trips to the Everglades City area.

For a free visitors guide, brochure or other information on places to stay and things to do along the Paradise Coast of Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades, visit www.ParadiseCoast.com or call 1-800-688-3600. International visitors may call (239) 225-1013.