Florida Everglades Tours

Marjory Stoneman Douglas: The Grande Dame of the Everglades

One of the most important and fascinating figures in Florida, and in the world of conservation is Marjory Stoneman Douglas. With her breakthrough book The Everglades: River of Grass, Marjory Stoneman Douglas broke out onto the conservation scene in 1947. Her friend Herve Allen was an editor at Rhinehart Publishers, and was in charge of putting out the Rivers of America, a series of books highlighting the nation’s most notable rivers. At first he asked her to write about the Miami River, which she did not think was dignified enough to be placed in the series. She parlayed the idea into writing about the “River of Grass”– The Everglades, instead. After five years of research she had written nearly 40 papers concerning the Everglades.

Her book published the same year that Everglades National Park opened and heralded a call to action to combat the destruction and mismanagement of the Everglades. Her work was considered proof that the majority of South Florida was not a swamp, but one large river, an ecosystem of immense size and complex in nature. The Quarterly Review of Biology contended that the account of the “swamp” would give rise to a real conservation program for the entire Everglades system for the future.

Since it’s publication, The River of Grass has gone through 500,000 copies sold and produced numerous additions. In Florida, her appearances were heavily attended and she was seen as the “Grande Dame of the Everglades”. Douglas was a lifelong supporter of conservation in South Florida. She passed away at 108 years old and is remembered as a world-renowned environmental advocate.

We here at the Everglades Adventures feel that we carry on this tradition of conservation providing education in fantastic fun ways! Join us on a tour and explore the land that Marjory cherished so much.

Slow Down: Looking for Turtles in the Everglades

Throughout your tour of the Glades, you will with no doubt, catch a glimpse of these little shelled creatures falling into the water or lounging in the sun, on logs and the swamp banks.

The Everglades boasts an incredible amount of wildlife both in and out of the water.

Numerous species of turtles populate the waters of the Everglades, including the Florida Softshell, Florida Snapping Turtle, Florida Chicken Turtle, Atlantic Leatherback and hawksbill, Striped Mud Turtle, Peninsula Cooter and the Lowly Stinkpot.

The Striped Mud Turtle is probably the most common and can be found all over the Glades, associated with them are the Florida Mud Turtle that live in freshwater. These turtles are rather small with a radius of only 3 to 4 inches. They have no pattern and vary in color from yellow to black and have webbed feet they use during their time in the water.

The Florida Red-belly Cooter is  another common turtle you will see lounging on logs in the sun. They live primarily anywhere in freshwater areas, but can also survive in brackish water. The red-belly has been known to lay their eggs in alligator mounds, as they are generally safe and dry areas. If you get the chance to see their bellies you will see the reddish color that gives them their name.

The Stinkpot gets it’s name from the particular skunk-like scent it gives out when agitated or threatened. They live most of their lives in the water, even sunning themselves in shallow waters or floating amongst vegetation. Full grown, the stink pot will only be 3-5 inches, though remarkably this species can live up to 50 years.

We will be sure to point out any turtles we may spot during our tour, be on alert! These creatures are easily spooked and will swim away in the blink of an eye if you aren’t paying attention. We hope that you will enjoy your fascinating tour into the Everglades with us and enjoy our world of reptiles!

Going Green in the Everglades

Hello, Friends! We’re so glad you stopped by today to check out what’s new with Everglades Adventure! Whether this is your first time with us or you’re a seasoned explorer, when you journey with us you’re going to see and experience something extraordinary and unique every time! From dolphins to snakes, birds to alligators, we see them all, it’s a matter of where are they hiding and when is the best time to find them! Many are hiding beneath the brush and sawgrass, believe it or not the Everglades is home to some of the most diverse array of plant and flora life on the planet!

Located at the crossroads of North America and the tropical Caribbean, the Everglades National Park is home to flora and foliage from both regions. This convergence of regions provides a most colorful, dynamic landscape that supports nine distinct ecosystems within the Everglades.

Early colonial settler such as farmers and developers have left behind a trail of change from their draining of the wetlands to cultivate land for farming and living. Development of the natural Everglades habitat destroyed many plant species that once grew abundantly. Everglades National Park still harbors 39 native orchid species. Still, The Glades has fought with resilience and remains the largest pine rockland habitat in the world. There are also 164 unique plant species listed by the State of Florida as native to the Glades. Of these species, 47 are threatened (includes the Beach Creeper, Threadroot Orchid and Mountain Laurel), 113 are endangered (including Dogtooth and Clamshell Orchids, Dimpled Dogtooth Lily and Sanibel Island Lovegrass) and 4 are commercially exploited ~ including the Butterfly and Greenfly orchids.

Plants and floral life are a primary resource of the park as they each have vital roles within the Everglades ecosystems. It would be our pleasure take you on your next big adventure and teach you about these, and many other wonders of this stunning part of the world. Isn’t it time to get outdoors and explore this summer? We’re ready to help, check us out and book today with Everglades Adventure Tours!

When you join us for one of our Everglade tours, you will no doubt ask yourself- Looking into the future, what could potentially destroy the Glades?

As development began at the beginning of the last century and the Tamiami Trail was constructed reaching from the East Coast to the West Coast, many exotic plants were introduced to the Everglades area. Unfortunately these plants such as Brazilian Pepper, Melaleuca, and Australian pines all adapted well to the environment and blossomed across the Everglades. These invasive plants disrupt the natural cycle of the Southwest Florida ecosystem and today, efforts are still underway to remove these unwanted plants before  they strangle out native species.

Alongside invasive plants, invasive animals can also cause lots of problems for the vast Everglades ecosystem. Among the predators that are affecting native animal populations are the Burmese python, the Nile monitor lizard and the Cuban treefrog. These species can out compete our native species for food, shelter, and can also take out large numbers of native animals.Many introduced species might not have any predators and they find themselves on top of the food chain. Unfortunately, many people still think that they can bring their non-native snakes and assorted reptile pets to the Everglades after they tire of them. The release of these non-native pets into the wild is one of the largest threats to all animal life in the Glades.

Restoring the Everglades is everyone’s job. All of us will continue to monitor local threats and take part in conservation efforts to remove these invasive species.  When you take one of our amazing tours please enjoy what you are seeing and experiencing and also know that we also are closely monitoring restoration efforts taking place in this vibrant swampland ecosystem.

Spectacular Snakes of the Glades

Many don’t care for snakes, BUT, they are an integral part of the ecosystem of the Everglades and we’d like to familiarize you with the different species we may come across during our tour. It is a fascinating journey into the reptile life of the Glades, and we hope that you will come to appreciate them in their own right, even if you prefer not to get too close to them!

Though many think of Snakes as “slimy” or “creepy”, there is so much more to these creatures than what meets the eye. After all, most varieties are non-venomous and play a large role in the food chain of this vast swampland. Regardless, all snakes should be approached with caution because there are plenty of dangerous snakes out in the Glades.

Let’s start with the rattlesnake that call South Florida Home, such as the Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake. Contrary to popular belief these creatures are not out to get you– in fact they do everything they can to warn you away from them. You are not their prey. Their “rattles” alert you that you are in their territory and to exercise caution and back away.

Another common, and to be honest, extremely venomous snake found in South Florida is the native Coral snake. These black, red and yellow snakes should be avoided and left undisturbed if you come across one. Most snakebites occur on the hand or arm because folks try and pick them up. These snakes are on the predator list and definitely have their place on the food chain eating rodents small and large.

Our guides are fully trained to identify a variety of snakes and are prepared to keep your tour out of harms way.

Not all of our local snakes are harmful. With over 50 different types of snakes in the State of Florida we are lucky to have these insect eaters to round out the ecosystem and keep the balance. Eastern Garter snakes, Brown Water snakes, Blue Indigos and Florida Brown snakes are indeed a staple to the Everglades and eat spiders, slugs, small frogs and insects of all kinds. Without them we would be over-run with the many insect varieties we have here. Snakes are for the most part shy and will quickly remove themselves from your area.

Don’t forget on our Interactive Animal Experience, where you can handle a number of non-venomous and safe snakes. You can’t imagine how much fun this is and also a fantastic day of learning. Don’t forget to have your photo made holding one of our 50 pound snakes, a reminder you can take home to remember that all creatures have a part in our world.

Big Purrs from the Everglades

Calling all adventurers and animal lovers, we have an Everglades Adventure Tour ready and waiting for you! Come hang with us for a day and we’ll show and teach you about a part of Florida you’ll never forget– The Everglades!

One of our most treasured inhabitants of the Everglades is the Florida panther, a BIG kitty that is a subspecies of the cougar. Florida panthers have dwindled dramatically from being scattered throughout several southern states to living primarily in and around the Florida Everglades and Big Cypress Preserve. Named an endangered species in 1967 when they receded to merely a couple dozen, now there are approximately 80-100 of these solitary felines left. Serious efforts from animal and environmental activists has resulted in their slow re-population, but there is still work to be done for their safety and continued population growth. Let us teach you what we know, our tour guides are ready to go!

Remarkable in every way, Florida panthers maintain a home range of 70-80 square miles (for the females), and up to 275 square miles (for the males). They will travel up to 20 miles a day, primarily during the evening’s cooler temperatures. These majestic cats can swim across large bodies of water and host a very keen sense of smell, as well as 130 degree field of vision. One ought not try to outrun these stealthy creatures, as they can move up to 35 MPH, although they do not typically run that fast for more than a few hundred yards.

On our Everglades excursions, we provide our guests the opportunity to catch sight of the Florida panthers. June is a prime time to catch a glimpse of this elusive feline as, as females prepare to give birth to their litters. Our pinelands, hardwood hammocks and swamp forests are their ideal habitat– so let’s set out to catch sight of the Florida panther as they nap in the afternoon shade or come across one indulging in a late afternoon alligator snack (wouldn’t that be something, to catch a panther tangling with an alligator!) The residents of the Everglades see them pretty often they say, but for those of us that only visit, maybe once a year!

Visit us and book online today!

How much fun can you have on our fantastic tours? You guessed it– endless amounts!   We have something for everyone. Starting at  pickup in our comfortable van, guides will make sure that you enjoy every minute to the drop off after your day of adventure.

The Everglades are such a rich area of excitement, pleasure and education.

As you experience this wild wetland I’m sure you’re curious as to who the native people have been that were able to exist here without our modern conveniences.

About 15,000 years ago Florida was a much larger place offering a vast prairie landscape and large mammals, hunted by the Paleo-Indians.  Around 11,000 years ago with climate change came a shrinking of this land to a wet environment full of scrub land and swamps.  The larger mammals had become extinct leaving smaller wildlife to be hunted. As a new shift in the climate came around 5,000 years ago, the water pressed even further inland and created similar landscapes that we see today, with Lake Okeechobee flooding regularly into the large area South of it, where we find ourselves now in South Florida.

The two major groups were the Calusa centered around the Ft. Myers area and the Tequesta in the Miami area. These were the groups that the first Spanish Conquistadors encountered on their expeditions for Gold, Glory and God. Soon they were mostly extinct as disease brought from Europe carried them away rather swiftly. Both of these tribes would cross this wet area, but did not necessarily live in it. There were after the ravages of war and disease only a handful of pre-Columbian tribe members left, some taken to Cuba, some to be absorbed into the next wave of settlers.

Who are the current inhabitants of the Everglades that you can easily meet and talk to?  These are the Seminole and Miccosukee tribe who came from areas just north of Florida, uprooted by war with the United States. Having fled South they found a home in the Everglades which were almost impregnable to the U.S. Army. This remote watery wilderness offered protection and a way to live. These were our first teachers in how to survive in a to us harsh environment.

There is too much history to cram into one blog but you can learn so much more on our tour.

Enjoy your tour with Everglades Adventure and enjoy seeing a land that has been both home and refuge to so many through many thousands of years!

As the largest tropical wilderness, the third largest national park in the lower 48 states, and covering over 1.5 million acres, the Florida Everglades ranks as the Sunshine State’s most diversely adventurous natural attraction. There’s no better time than now, and no better way to take in the mysteries of the largest mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere than on a tour with Everglades Adventure!

The Everglades is home to many threatened or protected species.  We have our fingers crossed as mating season kicks into high gear that some of these rare friends will multiply!  Florida panthers, American crocodiles, Green Turtles, Hawksbill Turtles, Leatherback and Loggerhead Turtles and Eastern Indigo Snakes, two threatened swallowtail butterfly species– just to name a few!  The Everglades provides a safe haven to more than 350 species of birds, 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish, 40 species of mammals and 50 species of reptiles.

Each day brings a new variety of wildlife to observe and delight about, and we take an entire day to check it all out with our amazing tours.  We tread carefully to protect and preserve this wildlife sanctuary, of which only about 20% of the original Everglades remains today.  Since the turn of the 20th century, around 93% of the wading bird population has vanished.  Now, most of South Florida’s wildlife depends on the remainder of the Everglades for a safe place to call home.

To give our guests an opportunity to truly appreciate the wildlife likely seen on your adventure with Everglades Adventure, we’ll take you through an interactive animal experience where you can get up close and as personal as you dare with our not so furry friends ~ the alligators, snakes and tortoises!  It’s an experience that will be talked about for years and years to come, that’s a certainty!

Let’s appreciate Southwest Florida together with our wildlife neighbors in the Everglades ~ check us out here or give us a call today at: 239.405.2060.

All Aboard the Alligator Adventure of Love

Calling all adventurous spirits near and far, it’s time to explore the Everglades!  Although it’s always a unique journey to go out on one of our tours, which begins with a nature cruise of the scenic mangrove estuary of Estero Bay and then go by van to the Everglades where airboats, swamp buggies and an amazing interactive animal experience await, this is the time of the year, from mid-April through May, to experience the oooohhh’s and aaaaahhh’s of alligator mating season.

These creatures offer a scaly rendition of the swingin’ seventies with the males getting all ‘decked out’ to show off to their female counterparts.  The alligator’s bellow sounds a lot like motorcycles revving up in the distance. During courting time they are extra rumblesome and loud!  You can check out the sounds at the Everglades National Park website here.

Mating rituals of the male Alligator also include head slapping, often accompanied by a series of unique, attention seeking techniques that include holding their bodies straight and somewhat elevated so that most of the body is hovering above the water surface – sometimes a male will ‘hang’ like this for more than 30 minutes!  When one begins to show off, the other males respond with a head slap or bellow of their own, forming an alligator bellowing band! These techniques often work to draw a crowd of ladies ~ it’s common to see one male surrounded by 3 or 4 females. Some ladies are not as impressed with the spectacle and choose to leave him behind.  Even the most gnarled of alligators can get jilted!

Alligators ‘court’ for up to 6 weeks, and they have quite the underwater ‘party’ as the batch of eggs laid by any one female will have several paternities! We’d be thrilled to take you on a “uniquely yours” adventure through the area, share in amazing exploration of this wondrous habitat and much more.  Whether young or old, visiting the area or local, book a trip with us at Everglades Adventure.  Let’s explore together!

When Everglades Adventure ventures into the Everglades, we are looking to show you creatures you are unlikely to see in your backyard. Some of them are kind of scary. At the top of the list are alligators. Even though they are humorously portrayed in cartoons and as college mascots, they can be quite dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing– especially if they have been fed by humans.

Think of it this way, if you were looking for food wouldn’t you go to the last place you received any? That’s what alligators do to. And alligators aren’t able to distinguish between the food and the source of the food. If an alligator has not been fed by humans, it is more like to be afraid of you than vice versa. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to give them a wide berth. During mating season especially, they have been known to get aggressive. Don’t think they are slow just because they look like they might be. Alligators have been clocked at 40 miles per hour in a sprint.

When you are with us, however, we know alligators. We know when they are aggressive and when they are not. We know not to feed or provoke them. And we won’t let our guests do it. The preferred safe behavior is just to watch and not get too close to one.

What else is scary in the swamp? Lately, Burmese pythons, an invasive, exotic snake is on the list. They have entered the Everglades, mostly on the Eastern edge, and they are reproducing there. While they are seldom seen in the Western Everglades, they do migrate and they could show up anytime. In the dry season, they shelter in gopher tortoise burrows, where they mate. Adult Burmese pythons average a length of 10 feet or more. They acquire their food by crushing the life out of their prey and then swallowing it whole. Once again, they sound scarier than they are in reality, since they seldom go after humans. But be wary, as we at Everglades Adventure always are when taking tours into the swamp.