Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park
Copeland
239-695-4593
www.floridastateparks.org
Hike into a park that contains the largest concentration of orchids and royal palms in the country.
Flamingo Lodge and Marina
Flamingo
800-600-3813
www.flamingolodge.com
Canoe a stretch of the 99-mile Everglades Wilderness Waterway; camp along the coast of Florida Bay. Canoe rental: $40 a day.
The Disney Wilderness Preserve
Kissimmee
407-935-0002
www.nature.org/florida
Take a swamp buggy ride through the Everglades headwaters at this 12,000-acre preserve just a few miles from Disney.
Where to stay
Rod and Gun Club
200 Riverside Drive, Everglades City
239-695-2101
www.florida-secrets.com/Bed&Breakfast/SWBeds/Rod.htm
Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Hoover, and Nixon stayed here, as did John Wayne. Rooms $95-$110.
Where to eat
Both of these restaurants in the Flamingo Lodge are closed in summer. They reopen in fall.
Flamingo Restaurant Everglades National Park
239-695-3101
www.flamingolodge.com
Eat a blackened mahi-mahi sandwich overlooking Florida Bay.
Buttonwood Cafe
Everglades National Park
239-695-3101
www.flamingolodge.com
Casual fare, pizzas and sandwiches.
Maps
Everglades maps are available at www.evergladestrail.com.
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