Flamingo – The Southernmost City in Mainland Florida, Part I

The number of things to do in Florida just astonishes me.  You can drive two hours and feel like you’re in a completely different country.  That was exactly the case when we set off for Flamingo, FL.

This is looking south from Flamingo into the Florida Bay

There’s only one road into Flamingo and one road out – it’s the road the leads you into Everglades National Park.  While there are plenty of things to do inside the park (like visit Anhinga Trail), if you drive about 35 miles down the main park road, past the “panther crossing” signs, and winding amongst the swamplands, you’ll find the little town of Flamingo.

There’s not much in Flamingo.  People used to live here in the early 1900s, before it became part of Everglades National Park.  Park rangers used to live here too, until 2005 when storm surge from Hurricane Wilma destroyed much of the area.  Today, it’s a great place to take a hike or three.  Here are some of the ones I traversed on my time there, without paying a dime.

Eco Pond Loop

Distance: ½ mile

This trail was one of my favorites, namely because it was only half a mile and we got to investigate lots of nooks and crannies off the main trail.

Although this isn’t really the spot to see alligators, we did see two vultures getting into a fight.

Guy Bradley Trail

Distance: 1 mile one way

We took this trail to the Flamingo Visitor Center and back to the campground amphitheater, making for a two-mile hike.  The trail is named after the Audubon warden, Guy Bradley, who died while trying to protect birds from plume hunters back in 1905. 

I used to secretly wish I had a hat with
bird feathers.  I don't know what I was
thinking, I don't even eat meat!
Courtesy of United States Library
of Congress under the digitial ID
cph.3b0211

Much of the trail is along the Florida Bay.

The scenery is not too shabby!

This trail was heavily biked and walked, and here, we saw a bird munching on a fish about 50 feet in the air.

I like my dinner table a little closer to the ground

The campground amphitheater is pretty cool itself, right on the water, and at night, a ranger gives talks about the National Park system.

Coastal Prairie Trail

7.5 miles one way

We also started this trail, but stopped when we realized it was 7.5 miles one way.

Frank would totally have dragged me along for
7.5 miles, but it was getting ready to storm

If you’re hiking, you might as well walk your way to Flamingo’s one and only restaurant/bar – The Buttonwood Café.

There’s not much on the menu at the Buttonwood, but beers are only $3, which is about as economical as it gets!

Cost: $10.68 for three beers
Best Deal: Seeing so many cool things in nature for free!  Plus, even though there is normally a $10 charge to get into Everglades National Park, for some reason, the ranger waved us through without paying a penny!

For a list of all trails in Flamingo, click here.

White Christmas – See Snow in South Florida for Free!

An event I did not mention yesterday in my rundown of the holiday season was the snow at CityPlace.  It “fell” last night for the first time and will continue all the way until New Year’s Eve.  I have to say, the snowfall was way better than I expected.

You can see the snow glistening in the light

Frank and I plopped ourselves down at Brewzzi and waited for the snowfall.  Monday through Wednesday the snow falls at 6pm and 7pm.  Thursday through Sunday, you can catch the spectacle at 6pm, 7pm, and 8pm.  This is Florida, so even the slightest bit of white excites me.

Nothing says "holidays" like a martini!

Even on the ground level though, you’ll enjoy the snow and the fountain at CityPlace, which has a beautiful show, complete with Christmas tunes.

You can see the colorful fountain right below the Christmas tree

But, this is Florida, and the snow doesn’t make it to the ground very well in 70 degree temperatures, so for the best viewing experience, I suggest the second floor.

I also suggest a hot drink with whipped cream, no matter what the temperature, because it is the holidays after all.

Total Cost: $20 for drinks and apps at Brewzzi

Best Deal: Seeing snow in Florida for free!

I'm drinking a spiked hot chocolate... What's your favorite drink during the holidays?

Everglades National Park - Almost Free

Well, it’s that time again.  Time for another road trip on the way to one of Frank’s races, which means random things to see!  We’ll travel to Clermont tomorrow for the Great Floridian.  Frank will be swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and then running 26.2 miles.  I’m already making a list of ridiculous things to do in Clermont (Frank says he’ll attend if he can walk), so hopefully I’ll have awesome pictures to show.

Frank competes in lots of triathlons and what I like most about them (besides seeing him sweaty and with his shirt off) is that we get to take random adventures because of the races.  Coral Castle, which I talked about earlier this week, was one of those adventures after Frank competed in the International Triathlon at Miami Man in Homestead.  Before the race, we took another detour… this time to Everglades National Park.

Um, I'm not really concerned about my vehicle as much as I'm
concerned about vulture damage to my head.

After entering the park at the Edward Coe Visitor Center, we drove about four miles to the Royal Palm Visitor Center. 

Here is where we took the Anhinga Trail and saw some really wonderful wildlife amidst breath-taking scenery.

Although I’m sure the Anhinga Trail is lovely any time of day, it didn’t hurt that we visited as the sun was going down, casting incredible shadows on the water.

The birds, gators, and other creatures were very active at this time as well, coming out to play before the sun fell beyond the horizon.

Anhinga Trail is one of the most popular trails in Everglades
National Park because there are so many creatures to see up close.

The trail is just less than a mile long and we must have seen about a dozen gators.

These two gators look like friends!

Before the sun disappeared, we also walked Gumbo Limbo Trail, which is right next to Anhinga Trail.

There’s not much wildlife to see on the less than half mile Gumbo Limbo Trail, but there are lots of… you guessed it… gumbo limbo trees.

And before the sun disappeared for the night, we got our fill of wildlife beauty at one of the few national parks in all of Florida.

Total Cost: $10 for vehicle entry

Best Deal: Getting an Everglades National Park Annual Pass for only $25 (if you go three times in a year, you’ve more than paid for it)

What national park has taken your breath away?