Another lovely breakfast sitting down by the dock watching one of the pelicans on a pole. A beautiful calm day today.
We left Seafarer Resort about 9:00 and headed back up US1 on our way to the Everglades. Our first stop was the Royal Palm Visitor Centre in the Everglades State Park. It was $25 access charge for the car but we got a free one hour ranger guided talk along the Ahringa Trail (named after a very cormorant-like bird, common in Southern Florida). Leon, our ranger, was very good, explaining the unique environment, and how important alligators were to it. We spotted 3 alligators, along with several different bird species.
On leaving Royal Palm we drove through the outskirts of Homestead and into an enormous area of wholesale garden nurseries, stretching for miles. We stopped at Coopertown for an airboat ride which was quite good and we did find some alligators, lying in the water. The whole experience reminded us both of taking the club boat up the Miri river and finding crocodiles.
We briefly stopped at the Big Cypress Swamp Visitor Centre, which had even more alligators some very close up. We then drove on to Naples where Kay has got a great rate in the Naples Park Central hotel where we have a suite for £60 per night including breakfast and parking. Given that we paid £35 just to park the car in Fort Lauderdale it is a real bargain!
Naples was switching on their Christmas lights at 5th Avenue and 3rd street, and we heading out to see, but the walk was long, and it was a bit of a bust. When we got there the streets were mobbed, no lights were being turned on but there were a number of bands playing Christmas tunes and some snow makers had been installed on the top of lampposts. We didn’t stay long. We walked back to 5th Avenue S and ate at Yabbas, recommended by Heather G. A bad.y needed walk home to walk off dinner!
We left Seafarer Resort about 9:00 and headed back up US1 on our way to the Everglades. Our first stop was the Royal Palm Visitor Centre in the Everglades State Park. It was $25 access charge for the car but we got a free one hour ranger guided talk along the Ahringa Trail (named after a very cormorant-like bird, common in Southern Florida). Leon, our ranger, was very good, explaining the unique environment, and how important alligators were to it. We spotted 3 alligators, along with several different bird species.
On leaving Royal Palm we drove through the outskirts of Homestead and into an enormous area of wholesale garden nurseries, stretching for miles. We stopped at Coopertown for an airboat ride which was quite good and we did find some alligators, lying in the water. The whole experience reminded us both of taking the club boat up the Miri river and finding crocodiles.
We briefly stopped at the Big Cypress Swamp Visitor Centre, which had even more alligators some very close up. We then drove on to Naples where Kay has got a great rate in the Naples Park Central hotel where we have a suite for £60 per night including breakfast and parking. Given that we paid £35 just to park the car in Fort Lauderdale it is a real bargain!
Naples was switching on their Christmas lights at 5th Avenue and 3rd street, and we heading out to see, but the walk was long, and it was a bit of a bust. When we got there the streets were mobbed, no lights were being turned on but there were a number of bands playing Christmas tunes and some snow makers had been installed on the top of lampposts. We didn’t stay long. We walked back to 5th Avenue S and ate at Yabbas, recommended by Heather G. A bad.y needed walk home to walk off dinner!
