An Exhilarating Everglades Adventure

In the Everglades — a massive subtropical wetland ecosystem — you'll find sawgrass marsh, known as the “river of grass,” cypress forests, mangrove swamps, pinelands, hardwood hammocks and other habitats.

Big Cypress National Preserve, all 729,000 acres of it, makes up most of western side of the Everglades. The park’s coast is flanked by Ten Thousand Islands, a labyrinth of small islands and mangrove islets that’s full of native birds, dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, and fish galore. In fact, this 35,000-acre area is prized as an angler’s paradise.

As we drove toward the lush expanse of the Everglades, we considered our nautical options upon arrival: kayak, canoe, chartered boat. Or just walking through the shallow sawgrass, the warm water enveloping our ankles, the soft earth underfoot. Choosing the vessel you'll use to explore the western Everglades is part of the fun.
 

EVERGLADES CITY, THEN A BOAT TOUR

Our first stop, Everglades City, was the end of the line for our car. Get your bearings here with a quick tour of the Museum of The Everglades, with its permanent and rotating exhibits that provide an in-depth overview of “Florida’s Last Frontier.” Look for a cute pink house with white trim. The historic building first opened in 1927 as a commercial laundry.

Everglades City (population 378 as of 2022) is also just about the only place within the vast wetlands that you can grab a restaurant meal. At eateries like City Seafood, Triad Seafood Market & Cafe and Island Cafe, enjoy seafood that’s dock-to-table fresh, including giant stone crab claws when in season.

A good way to start exploring is with a 90-minute Everglades Florida Adventures boat tour. Starting from the southern tip of Everglades City, the cruise eased us into the complex system of mangrove channels. Park naturalists narrate the journey, pointing out roseate spoonbills and sunning manatees along the way. Our guide was quick to find osprey, wood stork, red-shouldered hawk and other resident birds.
 

Paddling the “River of Grass”

The vast, flat expanse of vibrant green that author Marjorie Stoneman Douglas dubbed “The River of Grass” makes for a great expedition. And location names like Shark River Slough and Graveyard Creek, you might even feel a tinge of trepidation.

While paddling through the seamless waters on a guided trip with Everglades Adventures Kayak & Eco Tours, we were alert to every splash and rustle. With the scent of musky cypress in the air, alligators slinking from the banks (a ways away) and tranquil pools around every corner, we ultimately found the excursion quite relaxing.

Kayak Fishing in the Everglades

Want to see what lies beneath? Try an Everglades kayak fishing excursion with Everglades Area Tours. It would take days to paddle to the areas that this operator shuttles kayakers to in short trips. Deep in the park, practiced fly fishermen and novices alike can cast for grouper, snapper and one of the region’s favorite sport fish, snook.

Make a customized trip for the family or join in one of the open fishing trips, where kayakers are welcome to spend all day angling, or take a break for some shelling.
 

FISHING AND EXPLORING TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS BY CHARTER BOAT

Leaving the intricate waterways of the inland Everglades behind, we embarked from Marco Island aboard a Six Chuter Charters sportfishing jaunt. Our destination was Pavilion Key, one of the outermost Ten Thousand Islands.

Six Chuter took us from saltwater to freshwater to brackish and back to saltwater for an invigorating journey. We chased snook and redfish. Six Chuter tailors its trips to the experience and interests of its customers. The fishing-charter crews instruct anglers in everything from casting to choosing artificial baits. They'll even pull the fish off the line for you, a service we took advantage of.

Charter trips that take you around Ten Thousand Islands and slip out to Pavilion Key are daylong excursions that involve plenty of angling mixed with leisurely turns through pristine waters.

Once ashore on Pavilion Key, we unpacked a picnic on the northern tip of the small island. Settling into the soft sand, we marveled at how remote this place felt, even though we were less than 30 miles away from the luxury beachfront resorts on Marco Island.

The lovely environment made our food taste better.