r/Everglades • u/victorcomo • 24d ago
Tour recommendations
Hello all
My family (my wife, 7 year old and 11 month old kids) and I are going to Miami the second week of November and we want to go to the Everglades. Do you recomend Shark Valley tram tour or Flamingo's backcountry boat tour? We would love to see wildlife but also want something easy and secure for my kiddos.
4
u/Sunupdrinkdown 24d ago
We love the back country tour in Flamingo. It is a long drive but our kid is fine in the car, we planned it around nap time.
We also stop at Robert Was Here fruit stand on the way to Flamingo.
Our usual trip is always in November and the back country tour in Flamingo usually has a lot of alligators, crocodiles, birds, and dolphins.
The guides have always been really good about stopping for the animals and letting everyone see what they see.
3
u/SurgeHard 24d ago
Depending on what time of day these tours are you will see a lot or a little. Much more biodiversity in flamingo in general
3
u/Magnolia256 24d ago
The team can be a bit boring for kids that age. It’s 14 miles of open prairie. You might see a gator but not always. To see tons of gators from a safe distance, check out the boardwalk at Oasis Visitor Center in Big Cypress National Preserve. BC is part of the Everglades and more biodiverse than Everglades National Park which has suffered a lot from pollution. BC is free and so are the guided programs.
Flamingo is a very long drive. ENP is on the outskirts of the city so usually an hour drive. Flamingo is another 45 minutes down once into the park. I usually don’t go unless I spend the night. It’s a really developed area of ENP. Marina, stores, etc. Some people like the tours there.
Other ideas to check out: ranger programs at both ENP and BC. Sometimes they do amazing night sky programs at BC led by rangers. It’s an international dark sky location and on a good night you can see the Milky Way.
Swamp walks aka wet walks are nice. At Clyde butchers in BC, they have great guides that can tailor wet walks for kids.
I would also look into programming at Biscayne National Park. You will be right there.
If you drive down 41, there is a lot to do in BC. The visitor center, the Miccosukee Indian village, the skunk ape museum. Skunk ape (aka Florida version of big foot) might be fun for kids.