Here we provide you with a two day itinerary to Everglades National Park with kids in mind! We include Why It’s Worth the Trip, When to Make the Trip, Where to Stay During the Trip and great suggestions on What to Do During Your Trip. We even added extras in case our 2 day itinerary is not enough! We hope this helps you plan your adventure!
Why It’s Worth the Trip
We have a slight obsession with National Parks, so for us that is reason alone to visit Everglades National Park. Did you know Everglades is the third-largest National Park, at 1.5 million acres, in the lower 48 states? Yellowstone comes in second and Death Valley first.
The unique ecosystem of Everglades National Park was protected in the first place because it is like no other in the world making it well worth the visit. From sawgrass prairies, to mangrove forests, to the freshwater slough it is teeming not only with scenic diversity but with diverse wildlife: unique bird species, manatee, and of course with what everyone expects, alligators! There is so much to see here, but as you’ll find in our tips on What to Do During Your Trip there is also so much to do!
Another bonus is that despite it’s size, Everglades National Park can easily become part of your trip to any South Florida vacation as you need a minimum of two days. We tacked our visit to the park onto our trip to the Florida Keys.
When to Make the Trip
We would recommend heading to the Everglades during their dry season which is December through April for obvious reasons, but also because you will struggle less with bugs. Who doesn’t want to be in Florida during the winter months anyway? We went in January and the weather was perfect!
Where to Stay During the Trip
When considering your accommodations, your main goal should be to position yourself near one of the two main entrances: the Miami entrance via U.S. 41 or the Homestead entrance via State Road 9336. While visiting the Everglades, we made a hotel in Homestead, Florida our home base. However, you could go big and book a fun hotel in Miami for even better food and pool options during your visit.
Camping? We’re avid campers, both RV and tent. While we were in a hotel this round, we are always assessing campgrounds for return visits. The Everglades has a number of campgrounds, but we felt Long Pine Key would have been our choice upon return. Traveling with kids I always factor in time spent in the car; therefore, I’m always looking for a centrally located home base to our activities. Long Pine Key Campground fits the bill.
What to Do During the Trip
We suggest a minimum of two days with kids in Everglades National Park. With this in mind we provide a two day itinerary.
DAY ONE
As you head out for day one, note that on this day there are little to no food options. Pack a lunch, road snacks, plenty of water, bug spray, sunscreen, and hats! Here is a MAP of Everglades National Park to get your bearings before you set off.
First stop, Earnest F. Coe Visitor Center!
Whenever visiting a National Park with kids, I suggest making a Visitor Center your first stop. Find a Ranger and ask them for four main things:
- A Jr. Ranger Booklet
- A schedule of their Ranger Programs for the day
- A park map
- Advice
Hearing from the Rangers their top hikes for our family’s ability level, inside tips, and not to be missed sights is key! From there, take your Jr. Ranger books and figure out what you need to do to earn the badge. I highly recommend making the Jr. Ranger program a part of your trip. It gives kids the opportunity to be directly involved in the day. They get to lead, teach, and discover. I love when my kids come home from school and point out a lesson in their science or social studies book and claim, “I learned about this already! I was there!” When kids finish their book they take the Jr. Ranger pledge with a Ranger and earn their badge. I believe it give kids ownership and instills a love and desire to protect our lands. The books are leveled appropriately. Kids of all ages can enjoy!
While the kids explore the Visitor Center and begin their books, sit down quickly with the map and the Ranger Program schedule. If there is anything that would hold your kid’s interest, plan your day around it – a Ranger led hike, an interesting talk with a touch table / crafts geared toward kids – again, this makes the experience so much richer, and I don’t know about you, but my kids learn best when its not mom doing all the talking!
Next, head into the theatre and watch the National Park movie. While some National Park movies are better than others, they are all short and give a good overview of the park! We always learn something!
After the visitor’s center, unless a Ranger Led program you’d like to catch dictates the next stop, we suggest heading all the way down Hwy 9336 to its end and the Flamingo Visitor Center. It is a 50 minute drive, but the kids can begin their Jr. Ranger book and lead the learning along the way! The area has still not recovered from Hurricane Irma in 2017, renovations should be complete in 2021, but it is still worth the drive. Standing on the southernmost tip of Florida is pretty cool and you can spot manatees, crocodile, and alligators! Did you know Everglades is the only place you can find alligators and crocodiles living together in the wild? After wildlife viewing, and eating lunch, head back onto Hwy 9336 for the return adventure!
On your return adventure there will be a lot of fun stops and sights to see! First stop, the Mahogany Hammock Trail, a beautiful boardwalk trail (.5 miles). Next stop the Pa-hay-okee Overlook (.16 miles), then the short Pineland Trail (.4 miles). The last stop is our favorite, the Royal Palm Anhinga Trail (.8 miles) and Gumbo Limbo Trail (.4 miles).
DAY ONE adventure complete! Head “home” for dinner and rest up for DAY TWO adventures!
DAY TWO
As you head out for day two, note that on this day we suggest a lunch option, but you can again pack a lunch and road snacks! Also pack plenty of water, bug spray, sunscreen, and hats!
Day two takes a bit more preplanning as we suggest two activities for which you will want reservations – an airboat tour and a tram ride or bike rental at Shark Valley!
We suggest kicking off Day Two with a bang! An airboat tour! This is an Everglades memory no one will forget! We suggest a similar plan to yesterday in heading to the end of Highway 41 and Everglades City. We chose to use Everglades City Airboat Tours and were not disappointed! We suggest this tour because they give you a two way headset to both hear your guide over the noise and to ask questions. After the fun you can stop at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center. If you haven’t packed a lunch, grab lunch in Everglades City. Then head back along Highway 41 for your return adventure.
On your return you can once again make multiple stops starting with the Big Cypress Swamp Welcome Center which is actually not a part of Everglades National Park, but Big Cypress National Preserve, the nation’s first national preserve.
After Big Cypress Swamp Visitor Center, you can also make stops at HP Williams Roadside Park and Kirby Storter Boardwalk (1 mile). We chose not to do the Loop Road Scenic Drive due to Ranger suggestion at the time, but if you choose to do so, I like this informational guide for the drive! We chose instead to stop at the Oasis Visitor Center. The last stop, Shark Valley Visitor Center, is an awesome finish to the day! The highlight of Shark Valley is the 15 mile round trip trail to a gorgeous observation tower. While I did see people walking this, I would not, could not with my kids. I have pretty solid hikers, but it is long, and well, there are alligators just chilling on the trail. I suggest taking the Shark Valley Tram Tour or biking. If you are considering the tram tour or renting bikes, this is where you do want to inquire and prebook. During the busy season they can sell out. We had our own bikes and LOVED the ride! Reaching the observation trail via bike is rewarding and dodging alligator tails resting in the middle of the trail is pretty awesome!
We kept a running tally and by the end of our two day adventure in Everglades National Park we had seen 165 alligators, 2 crocodile, 9 manatee, and countless, beautiful birds including the anhinga. Keep a running animal sighting tally in your car too!
2 Days Not Enough in Everglades National Park?
Want to add a day to your Everglades National Park Adventure?
While we have provided an adventure packed, 2 day itinerary for Everglades National Park you could certainly add on days for Ranger led tours, canoeing or kayaking, biking, exploring Big Cypress National Preserve, or even an added day to explore nearby Biscayne National Park! South Florida is teeming with ways to explore this unique, beautiful part of our nation!
Feel free to contact us with any questions as you plan your trip! We hope you enjoy Everglades National Park as much as we did!
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