Stopped in here and was given lots of great information from the very friendly owner. She…read moresuggested great ideas of fun things to do in Key West and offered discounts for certain activities. The gift shop is also full of unique items that are really nice. Great place to stop!

I can't say enough about this place. David Shine helped us find the best things for us to do. Looks…read morekinda dumpy from outside but believe me, worth the time if you are a first time or repeat visitor. Deals, information or just a nice friendly face.

Your gateway and first stop to Everglades! You can easily do laps around the area and start your…read morejourney to get a feel of how it is inside the park. Definitely stock up on liquids before you go and you have enough gas because it will take a while to get to flamingo and you will have to walk around to enjoy the trails.

I decided to take the nice drive with my family to visit the Park. We started from Homestead, where…read moreI live, and drove all the end by the Ocean. It was towards the end of Hurricane Season, so everything was packed away like the canoes etc. It was about a 2 hour drive and we got there after 5:30pm. So the store was closed and people where loading up their boats and canoes. There's a two story building that very under used with overgrown shrubs. We then drove around the campsite area and started dreaming of going camping . We then drove by the restroom area close to the ocean but we were in prepared and were attacked by mega mosquitoes. Wow we got bitten. There were a lot, or we were just fresh blood. I'm not saying this to take away from the review; but to enhance. We will return 2/10/17.

**Pre Hurricane 2024 season visit review…read more It was a nice spot to use the restroom and grab drinks once we left the mainland. Nothing wonderful to say about it, but also nothing negative to say about it. 02.03.2025

Absolute must if your first time visitor. Crissy was amazing.She helped book our entire itinerary…read morefor a spontaneous trip into the keys.She had a lot of insights and got us some good deals.

What a beautiful park! I can't believe I've never visited before…read more The trail is really nice and there are several things to see. The park happened to be decorated for Halloween. Lots of shade to enjoy a walk in nature. The fish pedicure is a perfect place to rest for a while, I loved it. The museum is great with very interesting artifacts and history.

We stopped by Crane Point Nature Center and Museum in Marathon around 3:30 pm in mid-January. It…read morewas a bit late in the day for a full visit, but we still found it interesting. The trails were peaceful and easy to walk with toddlers, and the main lookout point was definitely the highlight. The views alone made the stop worthwhile. The museum had some informative displays about local history and the environment, which was a nice addition even though our kids were more focused on walking the paths. Since we arrived later in the afternoon, we didn't get to explore everything, so I'd recommend visiting earlier in the day if you can. Still, it was a pleasant, low-key outing and a solid stop if you're in the Marathon area.

If you are wanting a taste of the Everglades without spending a ton of money or a lot of time, this…read moreis the BEST place to go from Miami to do that. It's an easy drive (beware speed traps on the way though), parking is easy, there were not a lot of people the day we went, and the trails are well maintained and easy for everyone, from kids to older adults. You will almost definitely see alligators, fish, birds, turtles, and other creatures on your walks. There's some nice shaded seating areas and good signage. Both trials are fairly short (less than a mile each). Bathrooms are fairly clean and there's a small gift shop. There's a larger visitors center and museum on your way in. All in all, a great taste of the Everglades that can be done in a half-day from Miami!

Small visitor center, two trails starting here, gumbo limbo trail about 0.5 mile, shaded by trees,…read morenot many viewpoints. Anhinga trail 0.8 mile broadwalk, nice viewpoints with many wildlife but it's not shaded and kind of hot even in winter.

John Pennekamp State Park is a great location to discover all the outdoor adventuring in Key Largo,…read morewhether you're boating, picnicking, cycling, paddle boarding or gathering with family for a BBQ. Our group arrived in time to catch the tail end of a triathlon and got to cheer for a few athletes. We were there to paddle and enjoy a few of their easy to intermediate water trails. The beautiful views, peaceful surroundings and just being out on the water was exactly what we came for. Entry was $8 per vehicle, plus a 50¢ per person surcharge. Our group member is a veteran so he was able to get us all in for free with his military park pass. The staff we came in contact with were super friendly and provided us a map and what to expect for the day. All in all, a great place to explore and relax when you want to experience the Keys without the sandbar flex.

Admission fee $4.50 ea, things to do for free - picnic, swim in the lagoon and walk on the nature…read moretrails. There is canoe, kayak and paddleboard rentals in the park next to the public restroom. Double kayak for $55/4hours. It's fun to kayak in the mangrove jungle with clear water. We saw lot of fish while kayaking. There are two kayak routes, each about 1.5 to 2 hours, we were given the laminated map and kayak follow the route. remember to wear hat and bring water, as some of the routes are pretty hot.

It was a beautiful Saturday to explore the Everglades. We headed to the Ernest Coe Visitor Center…read moreto visit the Everglades. I brought my America the Beautiful National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Pass giving us all access to Everglades National Park and supporting conservation efforts & visitor services enhancements here. The Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center is at the Homestead entrance of Everglades National Park. The park's 1.5 million acres are home to wildlife including more than 360 different species of birds, at least 50 kinds of reptiles, manatees and the Florida panther. The center is named after the "father of the Everglades," Ernest Coe. This center features educational displays, works by local artists & informative films. Visitor center staff are available and eager to help plan our visit & provide information about hiking trails and camping. The visitor center provides access to Long Pine Key Nature Trail, one of 5 Everglades National Park biking trails. We you can rent an e-bike from this center.

I visited the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, located inside Everglades National Park, and it's a…read moregreat first stop before exploring the park. The center features educational exhibits that both children and adults can enjoy, making it informative without feeling overwhelming. There is also a small gift shop where you can purchase souvenirs, and clean restrooms are available. perfect if you want to take a break before heading further into the Everglades. Overall, it's a convenient and worthwhile stop that helps set the tone for the park experience.

This Shark Valley trail itself is five stars, but the way it's operated isn't…read more Get there early if you'd like peace and quiet before the trams start which seems to be 9:30. Trail is paved, direct sunlight. In Jan saw over 60 gators a couple crocs. Took about 2.5 hrs with stopping to watch. Most national parks will allow you to access and pay earlier hours -- this park doesn't. This park gate opens at 8:30am, and creates a line that goes out into traffic, clearly only catering to people using the trams. We had to park on the Hwy and bike in, which was allowed but there was someone at the booth even at 730 to take money-- why not just open the parking lot early if someone is manning it anyway? To cater to the trams, which are very expensive. We were trying to enjoy watching some baby gators and the tram came up to about a foot behind us on our bikes to loudly scream over an intercom about the babies. Really takes away from the natural experience.

I am generally a fan of National Parks. The Everglades is fairly uniform and spread out over a huge…read morearea. There are multiple entrances (and perhaps visitors' centers) but we only checked out this one. Shark Valley is about an hour west of Miami on Hwy 41. En route, you pass 3 - 4 airboat tour companies that all take you near or into part of the park on their tours. That is, to me, the quintessential Everglades experience. However, you can't do that tour at the Park HQ. At Shark Valley, the main apparent draw is a large (15-mile) loop road that goes south from the highway. At the far end is some tall observation tower. You cannot drive on this road, so you have 3 options: walk it, rent a bike from the ranger station, or take a periodic tram tour (2 hours) that costs (I think) about $34. When we arrived, it was already 3 p.m. and if we took the 4 p.m. tram tour, we'd have been driving back through downtown Miami in the dark. Traffic there is scary enough in daylight, so we skipped that. They also had a boil water advisory that day (?), so we could not refill our water bottles. The ranger station was nice enough, with a few exhibits. I think the entrance fee is $20 per car. When we arrived, the lot was full so you could either wait in a short line of cars (where the let one in as one left) or park out on a wide shoulder of Hwy 41 and walk to the ranger station (probably about 1/3 of a mile one way). Depending on what sort of Everglades experience you're looking for, this may be worth a stop. Or you may just want to choose one of the airboat places instead.