Miami Day 3 & 4

March 3, 2016

Everglade Mangrove Tour

Another day at the Everglades. This time we checked out the Gulf Coast Visitor Center area. Thereare two boat tours available at the site. We took the Mangrove Wilderness tour ($42.40/person). The boats are relatively small, holding only six passengers. The tour was about an hour and forty-five minutes. We saw some birds, including a bald eagle, and some alligators. It was neat to take a boat right into the thicket of a mangrove forest. We learned a lot about the three types of mangroves in Southern Florida – red, white, and black.

Bird along the Everglade Mangrove Tour

After the tour, we had lunch nearby at the Havana Café (Chokoloskee). The food was good, but the service was not the quickest.

Near the Everglades Gulf Coast is the other Big Cypress Swamp Welcome Center. It was really loud at the location, due to nearby airboat rides. There is a short boardwalk behind the building, but there was not much wildlife – we just saw a water snake. We participated in a talk about Mangroves and Manatees. The weather had been warming up so the manatees were moving to the north and we were not able to see any during our visit.

Down the road from the visitor center were a couple of different viewing areas. The best was the Kirby Storter Boardwalk. It was very peaceful, other than the road noise.

We spent the evening checking South Beach. The buildings are lit up really pretty - showing off all of the art deco building styles!

March 4, 2016

Biscayne National Park

Biscayne National Park is made up mostly of water (95%). Boat tours take you out to check out the keys. Boat tours had been suspended for the past year or so due to contract disputes and recently began tours again.  The visitor center shows a short video that is worth-while. The museum is also very nice. The boat tour ($29+tax/person) we joined took us out to Boca Chita Key and lasted about two and a half hours. The key was relatively small. There was a lighthouse, a beach and a hiking trail. The boat allows you about 45 minute to explore, that was plenty of time to check out everything.  On the return to the mainland we were able to check out a shipwreck.  Water levels to the key were as shallow as 3.5 feet!

Biscayne National Park - Boca Chita Key Lighthouse

There was enough time left in the day to check out the last portions of the Everglades. We stopped for lunch at Gator Grill. It was okay.  First, we stopped at the Royal Palm Visitor Center and then we headed down to the Flamingo Visitor Center. There was not much to see or do at the Flamingo location. There were boat tours, but since we had already been on two we decided not to do another. We did hike the boardwalk trail called Anhinga Trail (0.8 mile loop). On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the Robert Is Here Fruit Stand and got milkshakes. I had the Strawberry Key Lime – it was yummy!