Everglades help

[FunnyCamper]

We never been but thinking of a week in the beginning of April to drive down and check it out.

Thing is have no idea of the area and best place to camp kinda thing so hoping someone can point me in the right direction and give some recommendations.

Hubby this time wants a cg with a pool and amenities and not our usual state park type of camping we always do...just for a change 🙂

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[Hank_MI]

Oh ya, 'Robert Is Here'. We stopped there on the way back from the everglades. There is also a winery/brewery in that area. All of the wines are made from different tropical fruits, no grapes.

[LarryJM]

FunnyCamper wrote:
We never been but thinking of a week in the beginning of April to drive down and check it out.

Thing is have no idea of the area and best place to camp kinda thing so hoping someone can point me in the right direction and give some recommendations.

Hubby this time wants a cg with a pool and amenities and not our usual state park type of camping we always do...just for a change 🙂

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

We went several year ago and stayed at Everglades RV Park. We took three of the Ecological based tours:

1. NPS Shark Valley Tram Tour

2. Everglades Safari Park Grasslands Airboat tour (off Tamiami Trail prior to Shark Valley)

3. Captain Jack's Mangrove Airboat tour out of Everglades City,Fl

Don't miss Robert's fruit stand in Homestead for some unusual and interesting edible offerings.

Larry

[FunnyCamper]

Aquanut wrote:

FunnyCamper wrote:

ppine wrote:
One of the best ways to see the Glades is to rent a boat. Get out there with the birds and the quiet. Don't go too far and pay attention to your route. Get back well before dark. Much better than any tour or campground.

Thanks, that is a wonderful idea. We owned many a boat so it would be an easy thing for us to do and enjoy the heck out of it also.

If you’ve never been out in the glades by boat, I highly suggest you hire a guide. It’s a very tricky place to navigate. Lots of oyster and sand bars that are hidden. Also if you don’t pay attention to the tides you’ll be stranded in no time.

Ahh, I am sure that is something to consider definitely. When we hit the state parks and kayak etc. we always just float around easy and fish and swim off the kayaks etc....When we pulled our big boat with the truck camper back in the day, again it was to lakes we knew. I am sure that we won't be swimming off any craft in the Everglades. Lunch for a gator? Not me LOL It would be a whole new day on the water, not our usual lake living we handle. This might be the time to get a guide. Thanks for the tip!

[FunnyCamper]

ppine wrote:
Pool? golf carts? might as well stay home.

What the heck does that mean? might as well stay home?
what a stupid post truly LOL 🙂 People can combine nice resort cgs and state/national forests in their trips if they want ya know 🙂

[FunnyCamper]

Hank MI wrote:
You can but not sure if it's worth it, guess you need to decide. Depending on where you are it can be a bit of a walk to the office or pool area. Maybe 1/4 mile tops if that, that's if you're in the farthest corner away. Which you most likely won't be as most of those sites are filled with people staying at least 6 months. There are a few people here with carts, but only a couple. Lot's of bikes, people will ride them up to the pool, etc. I can see the pool area from our site.

Yea that is the info I needed if it would be worth bringing or not, probably just ride the bikes we bring instead. Thanks again!

[Aquanut]

FunnyCamper wrote:

ppine wrote:
One of the best ways to see the Glades is to rent a boat. Get out there with the birds and the quiet. Don't go too far and pay attention to your route. Get back well before dark. Much better than any tour or campground.

Thanks, that is a wonderful idea. We owned many a boat so it would be an easy thing for us to do and enjoy the heck out of it also.

If you’ve never been out in the glades by boat, I highly suggest you hire a guide. It’s a very tricky place to navigate. Lots of oyster and sand bars that are hidden. Also if you don’t pay attention to the tides you’ll be stranded in no time.

[ppine]

Pool? golf carts? might as well stay home.

[Hank_MI]

You can but not sure if it's worth it, guess you need to decide. Depending on where you are it can be a bit of a walk to the office or pool area. Maybe 1/4 mile tops if that, that's if you're in the farthest corner away. Which you most likely won't be as most of those sites are filled with people staying at least 6 months. There are a few people here with carts, but only a couple. Lot's of bikes, people will ride them up to the pool, etc. I can see the pool area from our site.

[NanciL]

ppine wrote:
One of the best ways to see the Glades is to rent a boat. Get out there with the birds and the quiet. Don't go too far and pay attention to your route. Get back well before dark. Much better than any tour or campground.

As one who knows the Everglades very well(from one end to the other); I would never advise renting a boat to a person who has never been there before.
At the northern end they would get hopelessly lost in and around the ten thousand Islands and at the southern end if they went into the Gulf, and didn't know the waters, they would end up on a bar. If they headed in land, the only way to go is via the Buttonwood canal and all they would see would be mangroves.

Either way they went, they would never see the true Everglades

On another note: If you stay at Miami Everglades campground, Key Largo is only a half hour away and you could get in a snorkeling trip out to the reef or a glass bottom boat ride to it out of John Pennekamp coral Reef state park

Jack L

[FunnyCamper]

Hank, since you are at that cg now, can we bring our golf cart, I mean is it worth bringing with us to this cg? just curious, thanks

[FunnyCamper]

ppine wrote:
One of the best ways to see the Glades is to rent a boat. Get out there with the birds and the quiet. Don't go too far and pay attention to your route. Get back well before dark. Much better than any tour or campground.

Thanks, that is a wonderful idea. We owned many a boat so it would be an easy thing for us to do and enjoy the heck out of it also.

[FunnyCamper]

Rangerman40 wrote:
We are going down there in about 5 weeks but we are staying at Collier-Seminole SP. I figured that was the best mix of being in the swamp yet only 25min to the beach.

It does sound like a good mix! Hope your trip is fun! Not 100% sure what we are doing yet but I am gonna book something, we have the wandering rv feeling happening now.

[FunnyCamper]

Hank, thanks for that extra info about the long drive down to the keys. It would be a very long day with wanting to hang out for a lot of hours and you are right, we could venture a bit down the keys but don't have to go the whole route.
One thing after a long drive to our destination, extra long drives don't sound so appealing 🙂

[Hank_MI]

Miami Everglades is not far from the ocean. There are also places in the keys where you can fish. Key West, it's a long drive. Could be looking at 3-4 hours from here. Depends on traffic and there are lots of places where it's one lane. If someone decides they want to drive slow you're stuck. An accident can shut down everything. Not saying you shouldn't make the trip, just be aware it's an all day, long day adventure. You can also take a drive into the upper keys and check them. Good snorkeling in Key Largo. The reefs are located in a national marine preserve.