After our visit to Shark Valley Visitor Center in the Everglades we continued our exploration of…read morethe Everglades. Local knowledge directed us to take Loop Road through the Miccosukee tribal lands to reach Big Cypress NP-Oasis Visitor Center. Note: Loop Road is only paved to about the Miccosukee Cultural & Visitor Center. Very interesting one hour route through virtually untouched Everglades with sporadic homesteads. We then arrived at Big Cypress in the afternoon. Staff was very helpful. To my surprise there are still Miccosukee/Seminole men that put on alligator handling shows for tourists. The canal that parallels the visitor (Rt 41 Tamiami Trail) is filled with alligators, fish, turtles, ahingas, egrets & herons. A worthwhile stop when travelling through the Everglades. Nick & Liz, Albany, NY, USA

Would love to come spend more time here. It was relatively spread out, but there's a quaint visitor…read morecenter to help guide you on your way. We visited in November and it was still pretty hot for the season, so definitely recommend water / hats / sunscreen as nothing was super shady.

We had a great tour with Mikayla! She was a very helpful guide. We had a bit of a windy day but we…read morestill caught a glimpse of a gator. The tunnels were fun and pretty to kayak through. We have limited kayaking experience and this was an easy outing.

Outstanding 3 hr trip with guide Mr Edge. Alligators, turtles, birds, a rare river otter, and then…read morefor the peak experience, a large Florida black bear in a Brazilian Pepper tree, feasting on the berries, which eventually could make it drunk. See the attached video. Joe Sortais

This is trail not to far from Everglades National Park. It's located within Fakahatchee Strand…read morePreserve State Park. It's an easy walk and suitable for all ages. It was not busy at all, very quiet. You are able to see some wildlife and many different trees, like cypress trees and royal palms. This is not a loop trail. We did see a baby and an adult alligator. The boardwalk ends at the lake and if you continue to walk the sandy road you will see a gift shop. The parking lot is a nice size and does offer handicap parking as well. The first part is shaded and there are a few viewing stations. I did pay the $3 not sure if it's mandatory, but it goes towards the preservation of the park. It's a very nice path, but definitely remember to bring your sunscreen!

Well worth the $3 for parking. Saw several gators. Took about an hour to walk through including…read moretime to look at wildlife like turtles and birds.

Awesome local and tourist attraction if you ever want to take a peek at wildlife in their natural…read moreuntouched environment you can't miss it. Lots of gators in their natural habitat with in feet of your car, public restrooms and short nature walk too. I don't suggest getting out of the car since again you are in the middle of the Everglades and in their natural habitat. Never the less an awesome quick trip into nature.

My parents and I had an awesome time on Old Time Charters. Louis was super friendly and…read moreknowledgeable of fishing and the area. His family has been here a very long time so he had a lot of interesting stories and told us about the history of Everglades City. We will definitely be coming back! HIGHLY recommend. Thanks for a great time, Louis!

I had an unforgettable experience on my half day bird tour with Tod. Not only was he very…read moreknowledgeable and professional, he also showed great enthusiasm for the Everglades ecosystem and the wildlife in it. This passion for every creature that we encountered truly made the day even more special. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in birding in the Everglades!

Kayaking the Everglades was so beautiful and serene! And not nearly as buggy as I expected. Our…read moretour guide Tod was very knowledgeable about local flora and fauna, and provided very thoughtful touches like extra bug spray, sunblock, and yummy snacks. Plus he had a great calm, level energy and a good sense of humor, and great stories! We'll join him again next year for another adventure, at a different location.

Kirby Storter Roadside Park gets you up close and personal to the grandeur of Big Cypress Preserve…read more The park is named for Kirby Storter, a member of one of the areas pioneering families. He worked as an electrician and carpenter for Barron Collier and he also worked for the Florida Roads Department where he oversaw the construction of the Tamiami Trail which the park sits on. The parks was created through the efforts of Friends of Big Cypress Preserve. This park is located halfway through Big Cypress Preserve. There are picnic tables and a primitive restroom next to the parking area. From the parking lot you can take a stroll on a half mile boardwalk that takes you from a sawgrass prairie to a cypress swamp before ending at a gator hole. This area provides food and shelter for alligators, birds, reptiles, and mammals. The park is open dawn to dusk and it is a great place to get out and stretch your legs. I didn't see any alligators but I did spot some turtles and birds. Interpretive signs along the way let you know what you are looking at. My favorite boardwalk along Tamiami Trail is the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk but this one is definitely worth a stop if you are in the area.

Nice spot to take a break and have some lunch. I was surprise at how active this place is. They…read morehave 4 little pavilions with picnic tables. It was very peaceful as we were sitting there. After we had our lunch, we decided to take a walk on the bridge to see where it took us. A lot of walking and we finally hit a dead end. I was disappointed that the end of the bridge didn't have better scenery. If it wasn't so hot, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. I DO NOT recommend the restrooms. My husband tried to go in one but turned around and walked right back out. There are more decent restrooms at the Oasis Visitors Center about 2 miles east of here.

Worthy of a visit if you are staying in Marco Island. This is another bit of Florida history which…read moreis interesting. It was interesting to see the walls being made by huge shells. Welsh that we saw a wild rabbit. Listed below is some information I found about the mound on Wikipedia. The preserve is named for a previous resident, Ernest Otter a one-time owner who had occupied the property until 1997. Otter is credited for the unique whelk shell terraces that define the preserve's signature man-made feature. The initial preserve was established with a 1.77 acre purchase in 2004 followed by an additional acquisition of .68 acres in 2007.Otter Mound and the property surrounding it was a home site for early settlers in the Caxambas Village who worked in the Marco Island clamming industry. The "Mound" on which Otter Mound Preserve sits was constructed by the Calusa native inhabitants from oyster, southern surf clam, lightning whelk, and other shellfish species and dates between 700 AD - 1200 AD.

Great little nature Trail off the beaten path in Marco Island. We were driving through exploring…read morethe neighborhood when we came across it and pulled in. It has some great nature trails that you can walk around and possibly see some wildlife. There are several areas marked off for tortoise nesting, but we did not get to see any that day. However, we enjoyed a nice little walk on the trails and viewed the pretty flora. Watch out for mosquitoes, though as the foliage is dense and we certainly got bitten. Check out the remnants of old walls made out of shells, which was super cool.