Tour the Everglades with the help of Howie Grimm, Mayor Of Everglades City

“There’s more to Florida than the beach,” declares Howie Grimm. He should know. Since 1979, Grimm, 64, has lived in Everglades City, the hub of the Everglades, where there are no beaches but plenty to do.

Howie also happens to be mayor of the town, whose 282 registered voters elected him to a third term last year — 117 votes to 46. The mayor owns Grimm’s Stone Crab, a retail outlet located on the north end of Everglades City. The store is only open during stone crab season, which runs from October 15 to May 1.

We asked Howie to curate a menu of experiences for visitors interested in taking a day trip to the Everglades, especially those who are staying in Naples or Marco Island.

Everglades City, population 378 as of 2022, draws between 500,000 and 1 million visitors a year. If that seems like tourist overload for a town of 1.2 square miles, Howie explains, “It kind of takes care of itself. Most of the stuff people do requires reservations. If they call and everybody’s booked, they just schedule another time.”

Further, most visitors use Everglades City as a starting point and then fan out to explore the many natural wonders that this world-famous ecosystem has to offer.

As a savvy small-town politician, Howie declined to single out any particular businesses, but recommended a number of unforgettable local adventures. We’ve broken them into categories and filled in the names of some trusted operators.

EAT

For such a small town, Everglades City has quite a few restaurants. More than a dozen, in fact. This ‘burg leaves the fine-dining to Naples and Marco Island, and instead focuses on hearty fare in large portions at friendly prices. The emphasis, of course, is seafood. You can’t get stone crab — or any other seafood for that matter — any fresher than here. Think of it as dock-to-table dining.

“There’s nothing real exotic,” Howie says in terms of restaurant offerings. “You can get your alligator meat and frog legs and such, but also all the regular stuff. Some of the restaurants are open-air, but most are air-conditioned.”

CYCLE

“We’ve got a lot of bike paths and sidewalks in town,” Howie says, “so it’s real safe. You can also cycle out in Big Cypress Preserve.”

The federally protected, 729,000-acre park has several roads and trails where cycling is allowed. The National Park Service cautions that there are no repair stations and few places to refill your water along these trails, so prepare accordingly.

Some of the trails are not paved, so we advise you to check with the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in Everglades City for advice on excursions that fit your needs.

TOUR BY BOAT

You can really get the gist of the Everglades via a relaxing tour on a covered pontoon boat. Everglades Florida Adventures offers the Mangrove Wilderness Tour, which navigates the backcountry mangroves and ventures into the Ten Thousand Islands, a vast network of mangrove islands and islets that spans out on the Gulf side of the Everglades.

Everglades National Park Adventures also offers boat tours of the Ten Thousand Islands.

TAKE AN AIRBOAT RIDE

Perhaps the adventure most closely associated with the Everglades is an airboat ride, and we’ll go so far as to say that you owe it to yourself to take one. They’re an absolute blast.

Airboats, powered by a rear-mounted airplane propeller, are nimble vehicles designed to navigate the shallow waters and countless mangrove stands throughout the Everglades. They go fast. They tilt sideways. The rides are hair-raising — in the best way. You’re strapped into your seat. It’s safe, don’t worry.

These tours also make stops: “The airboat operators have adapted a bit more toward eco-tourism,” Howie says. “They stop and explain what people are seeing — because in many ways, there is no better way to get to these places than by airboat. I mean, you can’t go fast the whole time. Otherwise, it would be like being in Disney.”

Count on seeing a gator or two. But don’t worry. They’re not aggressive, and your experienced captain will keep them out of reach.

Here are some airboat tour companies based in Everglades City: Captain Jack’s Airboat Tours, Wooten’s, Jungle Erv’s Airboat Tours, Down South Airboat Tours, Everglades City Airboat Tours.

PADDLE

“There’s so many places to kayak and canoe it’s hard to even start naming them,” Howie says. “You have some boat tour operators that take people and kayaks out into the islands and turn them loose, then bring them back. That way, they don’t have to paddle all the way out.”

Everglades City has several operators that offer private or group tours and also rent kayaks and canoes. Here are a few: Everglades Adventures Kayak & Eco Tours, Tour the Glades Private Wildlife Tours, Jenny’s Eco Everglades, Shurr Adventures.

FISH

It’s no surprise that angling is a favorite pastime in the Everglades. There are countless places to wet a line and countless species to catch. It’s best to head out with a guide because in the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands there are not a lot of wide-open waters. Even the most experienced fishermen can get confused.  
“I’ve done a lot of fishing, stone-crabbing and lobster-fishing, but I got lost several times,” Howie says. “So I bought me a GPS. You can get lost real quick, especially if you don’t know the area.”

The Ten Thousand Islands offer a particularly fertile fishing ground, and most charter operators will take you into that gorgeous wildnerness, combining fishing with an eco-tour. “It’s so beautiful out there that even if you don’t catch one fish, you’re still gonna have a great time,” Howie says.

Here are some fishing charters based in Everglades City. Salty Bird Fishing Charters, Everglades City Fishing Charters, Get Some Fishing Charters, Sea Foam Charters, Steady Fishing, Captain Rapps.

STAY

While this article focuses on day trips, feel free to extend your stay. “Absolutely,” Howie effuses. “There’s plenty of stuff to do to account for two days or more.”
Everglades City is not over-abundant with lodging, so you’ll want to make reservations. The main places to stay are Ivey House, Everglades Adventures Hotel Suites, Everglades City Motel, River Wilderness Waterfront Cabins, Captain’s Table Hotel. There are also a number of Airbnb and VRBO offerings in Everglades City.

One of the most unique places to stay — and this did not come from Howie — is the Everglades Rod & Gun Club. Dating back to the mid-1860s, it’s been called a “living monument to the Gilded Age.” Over the decades, the Rod & Gun Club has hosted an array of presidents (including FDR, Truman, Nixon and Eisenhower), plus Ernest Hemingway, John Wayne, Sean Connery, Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and Mick Jagger, to name a few. The lodge includes a restaurant that’s open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the year.

Howie Grimm is immensely proud to be a long-time resident and mayor of Everglades City. He’s also proud of the vast expanse of wild acreage that surrounds the town. 
He sums up the Everglades’ allure succinctly: “We really are one of the wonders of the world.”