One of our favorite parks to visit this summer was the Everglades National Park in South Florida. This visit was part of our trek to visit all three National Parks in Florida. We stayed in a campground in between the Everglades and Biscayne National Park since we would be visiting both parks within the days. Prior to our trip we prebooked a couple of excursions.
The first we booked was a private airboat tour with Coopertown Airboats. Normally we do not book private tours, but this trip we booked a couple just because there seemed to be more offered from taking a private tour. The airboat in particular we booked private because the shared boats only went into the glades for about 40 minutes. The private tours offered 1.5 and 2 hours to go within the glades of the Everglades. I did not feel like 40 minutes would be enough time – and even the 2 hours did not feel like enough! We could have spent all day in the glades. If you have your National Park Pass or Every Kid Outdoors Pass you can save a bit on the entrance fee.
After our boat ride through the glades, we took a break for lunch before heading to Big Cypress National Preserve. This was mainly to kill some time before heading to our next tour. Big Cypress had a nice overlook to view the gators, as well as, a walking trail.
Next stop was Shark Valley. This was another prearranged ticketing event. We purchased tickets for the tram ride that would take you to the observation tour. I really wanted us to bike the trail, but my family gave a hard no on that. Turns out biking in the summer might not have been the most fun, so we were grateful for the tram ride! So much wildlife within the park and knowledgeable guides.
