We stayed at Markham Park. It ‘s a huge county park that also has a campground.
We finally got to go on an airboat tour in the Everglades. If there is only one thing you can do there, this would be it. The airboat was the most fun watercraft I’ve ever been on. It’s loud, but the way it glides on the water and drifts into turns is cool. We would highly recommend going to Coopertown Airboats for the tour.
We then headed to Shark Valley Visitor Center in the Everglades. There is a 15 mile trail loop that has an observation tower at the midway point. You can walk, bike, or take a tram. We chose to bike. The trail out is along a canal. I counted 26 alligators that we passed, either lying in the grass along the trail or in the water’s edge. One of the photos below is an alligator starting to open its mouth to bellow. The other photo has a baby alligator sitting on moms head.
The observation tower providing great views of the Everglades. When we left the tower there was an alligator on the walking path that we had to go by. I went by as fast as I could, not stopping to get any pictures.
Click here for a panoramic view https://photos.app.goo.gl/Gd11GGCm5ZUziwkH7
We spent the next day in and around Miami. Our first stop was walking around Little Havana and having Cuban food for lunch at Old’s Havana.
We then walked around Wynwood, known for its colorful murals.
We ended the day at South Beach during the day and night, with a Peruvian dinner at Chalan on the Beach in between.
We spent our last day in Fort Lauderdale. We had a great sushi lunch at Sun, Surf, and Sand. We would recommend all the restaraunts mentioned. After lunch we stopped for a drink at the Elbo Room, which I frequented during my last trip to Fort Lauderdale in 1985 for spring break. I was surprised to see the bar was still here and that it looked exactly the same.
