The Everglades!
The Everglades were a huge surprise! I thought it would basically just be a really big swamp. Which it is–but a really COOL really big swamp. There’s so much variety of ecosystems. We loved the hardwood hammocks and seeing wild manatees. The pink spoonbill was pretty cool too. We looked so hard the whole time for an alligator, but found turtles instead. The bright yellow and pink tree snails were fun to look for, like little ice cream cones stuck to the trunks. An amazing place.
Tip: Check for manatees in the harbor at the Flamingo visitor center.
Visiting the Everglades with Kids
Tip: Bring like a gallon of bug spray. You’re in a swamp, after all.
Tip: We didn’t know this before we went, but if you look you can find these large, brightly colored snails crawling along the trees in certain areas. Several inches long and banana yellow or bubble gum pink, they’re fun to look for. We found many at the Pinelands Trailhead
Tip: Definitely do a hike through one of the hardwood hammocks. That’s where the ecosystem is the most interesting and exotic.
Tip: Visit Echo Pond down by the Flamingo Visitor Center. We saw an unexpectedly huge variety of birds here, including the handsomely hot pink spoonbill.
Walkabout 