3 Popular Day Trips to Experience in the Everglades

The Everglades National Park is stupendously large, filled with intricate natural creeks and channels, weaving and coursing through just a portion of the 8,000 square miles of the Florida Everglades.

So you are staying at one of our rental condos in Fort Myers Beach, but you want to get off the radar. What can you do at the Everglades National Park?

• Kayak
• Take an eco-tour
• Go on an airboat ride in the Everglades
• Fishing
• Travel by pontoon
• Try to see the acclaimed Florida panther
• Visit local animal exhibits
• Hike
• Golfing
• See playful monkeys

As you can see, popular day trips in Everglades National Park often result in some awesome fun for all. Due to the size of the park and the many things to do, we have narrowed down our top three favorite popular day trips to the Everglades.

Wooten’s Total Everglades Adventure, Tamiami Trail, Naples

Have a blast at Wooten’s, your go-to source for all things “authentically Florida.” This day trip is a great addition for anyone seeking the unabashed Old Florida lifestyle. Wooten’s Total Everglades Adventure is an airboat tour provider. Guests get access to a live alligator show at a local sanctuary. The airboat trip itself is a fun romp through about 300 acres of protected Everglades. You can head to the most isolated nooks of the area to see plentiful alligators. There are also swamp buggy and pontoon boat tours. Swamp buggies are rambunctious and wild while pontoon boats are (usually!) a little quieter.

The best route to take in the area is Tamiami Trail. It can carry you directly over to Naples after a morning airboat run. It manages to avoid the interstate and turnpike and offers far superior views of thick cypresses and Everglades.

Everglades National Park and Boat Tours, Everglade Road, Naples

A quick everglades day trip from Fort Myers beach can carry you right into a boat tour.

There are multiple boat tour providers to choose from. The park leaders recommend the official Everglades National Park Tours. You can have the chance of seeing manatee during November through March, as well as eagles, dolphin, spoonbills, and alligators, of course!

The best boat ride throughout the park will take you right into the mesmerizing thick of Ten Thousand Islands. Tours are fully narrated by an expert park naturalist.

Tours are around $40 per person and last about 90 minutes. Different tours offer different experiences, so be sure to ask what kind of adventure you are getting into!

If you want a more casual trip, consider an Everglades bus tour with a provider like Shark Valley Tram Tours or Everglades VIP.

Jungle Larry’s Zoological Park, Goodlette Road, Naples

Kids will simply adore the wild and wonderful fun of Jungle Larry’s Zoological Park or, more simply, the Naples Zoo.

This nature park is a celebration of animals. It features live animal shows, animal exhibits, educational displays, special events, water cruises, and much more. It’s a collective of all the animals that make Florida so famous.

This tropical Caribbean gardens in Naples is a safe and practical way to see the sights and sounds of Florida. You are certain to see plenty of animals. The highlight is likely the island full of monkeys, playfully bouncing and playing the Florida afternoons away.

This safari is part of the larger Naples Zoo, a 43-acre natural park filled with various location-specific exhibits. These include the Giraffe field, Lake Victoria, the Fosas of Madagascar, Black Bear Hammocks, Clouded Leopards, and many more.

While the park is massive, you and your family can conveniently traverse the area by park tram and boat rides.

It is the soul of Naples, right at the popular Goodlette Road. Visit the Naples Zoo website for more on hours and admission.

What’s great about staying in Fort Myers is that you can take a quick day trip to the Everglades while still staying by the city. Enjoy bountiful water views, city amenities, and a quiet beach town with our Fort Myers Beach vacation rentals. Stay close to civilization (but not too close) by booking a trip today.