Travel Itineraries - South Florida
The Everglades
Suggestions to plan your trip in the Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park in Collier County or plan your own daylong adventure or a multi-day stay in the area.
Everglades City is a small fishing town 35 miles south of Naples and 80 miles east of Miami. The city has a tiny airport, so you can fly in or book a float plane tour to get a bird's-eye view of the islands before putting your paddle to the water.
Glades County
Suggestions to plan your own daylong adventure or for a longer stay in the South Central Florida region. Savor the slow roads of five counties by taking the Big Water Heritage Trail, a scenic auto tour route that links the assets around the great Lake Okeechobee, or choose from the options below to plan your adventures in Glades County, Florida.
Hendry County
Suggestions to plan your trip in Hendry County or plan your own daylong adventure or a multi-day stay in the South Central Florida region.
Savor the slow roads of five counties by taking the Big Water Heritage Trail, a scenic auto tour route that links the assets around the great Lake Okeechobee.
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park/Collier-Seminole State Park
Suggestions to plan your trip in parts of Collier County or plan your own daylong adventure or a multi-day stay in the area, ideally from November to April, as the bugs will be bad in the warmer months. Always be prepared for weather changes, including full sun and afternoon rain, so pack hats, sunscreen, bug spray, and water.
The Everglades is a 1.5-million acre tropical wetland system that reaches from Orlando to Florida Bay. The Everglades is known as the “Amazon of North America” and recognized as an international treasure – a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve and a Wetland of International Importance.
Oleta River State Park
Oleta River State Park is a 1,032-acre park located on Biscayne Bay in northeast Miami-Dade County in the busy Miami metropolitan area. Although it offers a variety of recreational opportunities, the park is best known for miles of off-road bicycling trails, ranging from novice trails to challenging trails for experienced bicyclists.
Along the Oleta River, at the north end of the park, a large stand of beautiful mangrove forest preserves native South Florida plants and wildlife.
Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Located 12 miles south of Stuart on U.S. 1, Jonathan Dickinson State Park teems with wildlife in 13 natural communities, including sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, mangroves and river swamps. The nature and history of this state park come to life for the kids and for the whole family through programs, exhibits and displays in the Elsa Kimbell Environmental Education and Research Center and the many opportunities for nature-based activities in the park.