Everglades National Park was established in 1947 to preserve the biological features of the subtropical Everglades of Florida, and is one of the largest national parks in the United States. With over a million visitors annually, the park has become an international tourist attraction.

Everglades City, a small fishing village located off Hwy 41 South on route 29 is a must place to visit, or maybe stay. With a population of just under 500, the village offers a peaceful atmosphere with a strong taste of old Florida charm and days gone by.

Known as the gateway to the Everglades 10,000 islands,  Everglades City offers many activities including: guided boat tours to the islands, Kayak fishing in the Everglades National Park backcountry, canoeing through the magnificent mangrove tunnels, guided bicycle tours among old-growth Cypress hammocks, guided fishing trips to catch tarpon and snook, guided birding trip or flying the entire area in a float plane.

Air boat tours through the Everglades are most popular with tourists and tour operators can be found in Everglades City as well as scattered throughout the National Park.

Wootens Airboat Tours, located just 4 miles south of Everglades City on Hwy 41, operates in the middle of the Big Cypress National Preserve and offers not only a fun and exhilarating air boat rides, but also an informative swamp buggy ride and exciting live Alligator Show inside their animal sanctuary. The swamp buggy tour is a guided tour that takes you slowly down the Grasslands prairie by an old Indian campsite and among the dense, lush Cypress Swamp where you can view the natural wildlife. It is recommended that you take some form of insect repellent with you, though strangely enough, bugs are not always present. The animal sanctuary is home to some of the largest alligators in captivity as well as crocodiles, panthers, snakes and Siberian tigers. Alligator handlers give a demonstration on how the fascinating creatures snap their huge sharp teeth together. For information and combination ticket price, call 1-800-282-2781.

If adventuring through the swamp land of the Everglades leaves you a tad exhausted, you can always head back North on Hwy 41 and relax on the beautiful white sandy beaches of Marco Island. For those who like fine restaurants, great shopping or a relaxing round of golf, Naples has it all, as well as beautiful Gulf beaches and even a zoo.

No matter what time of the year you go, you can almost always rely on Southwest Florida for a warm, sunny climate. However, the late fall and winter months may be a little more expensive for travel and hotels, so maybe this month is a good time to go.

Another money saving tip...when travelling through Florida, stop off at one of the many tourist information centers or chain hotels and pick up some of the free vacation guides, many offer valuable coupons for most of southwest Florida's hotels and attractions.

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