Discover 7 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Everglades National Park (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Shark Valley, Gator Park, and Dildo Key. Also, be sure to include South Florida rocklands in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Everglades National Park (Florida).
Table of Contents
Shark Valley
County park. Shark Valley is a geological depression at the head of the Shark River Slough in far western Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is currently part of Everglades National Park. Shark Valley empties into Shark River in the Ten Thousand Islands of Monroe County. Shark Valley characteristically includes sawgrass prairie that floods during the rainy season, hence the name "river of grass"—Pa-Hay-Okee, from the Mikasuki language—for such marshes in the Everglades. Shark Valley features a Visitor Center with educational displays, a park video, an underwater camera and informational brochures. The entrance to Shark Valley is located along Tamiami Trail near the Miami-Dade–Collier County line.[1]
Gator Park
Private tours, Nature and wildlife tours, Boat tours, Tours, Outdoor activities, Aquarium, Zoo
Address: 24050 SW 8th St, 33194 Miami
Dildo Key
Island in Monroe County, Florida. Dildo Key is a small island in the Florida Bay in the U.S. state of Florida, located in Everglades National Park. It is named for the Dildo Cactus, a native species. Dildo Key has been noted for its unusual place name.[2]
South Florida rocklands
The South Florida rocklands ecoregion, in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome, occurs in southern Florida and the Florida Keys in the United States, where they would naturally cover an area of 2,100 km2. These forests form on limestone outcrops with very thin soil; the higher elevation separating them from other habitats such as coastal marshes and marl prairies. On mainland Florida, rocklands exist primarily on the Miami Rock Ridge, which extends from the Miami River south to Everglades National Park. South Florida rocklands are further divided into pine rocklands and rockland hammocks.[3]
Everglades National Park
Park, Relax in park
Nike Missile Site HM-69
National park in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The Nike Missile Site HM-69 is a former Nike-Hercules missile base, now listed as a historic site west of Homestead, Florida, United States. It is located on Long Pine Key Road in the Everglades National Park. The site with 22 buildings opened in 1964 and closed in 1979 when it was turned over to the National Park Service.[4]
Shark River Slough Archeological District
The Shark River Slough Archeological District is a historic district within the Everglades National Park in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, west of Homestead, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]