Flamingo Visitor Center, Florida, United States

4Agog84 5:00 PM Dec 30, 2014

Cool to hit the southern tip of the FL peninsula in Everglades National Park!
After finishing my ranger-led, morning canoe tour at Nine Mile Pond, drove down to Flamingo to hit the restroom and check out the reported wildlife spottings. Stopping in the Flamingo Visitor Center is helpful, the rangers and volunteers are happy to tell you the daily happenings. Viewed the 5-6 manatees lazing around the Flamingo Marina. The kids really delighted in seeing them. The water was murky so didn't see much. Sauntered over to where there was commotion, and sure enough on the far side of the Marina where there's a concession to rent canoes, beyond the gated road for authorized personnel only, a rare American Crocodile was quietly sunning itself (how do you tell if boy or girl?) on top of the stone canal wall. Cool! Close to the Flamingo Visitor Center was thrilled to view the osprey nest and momma osprey, the Great Egret stalking its prey, and another cool looking bird eyeballing me from a tree on the side of the paved road. None of these birds paid me any attention and the best part of Everglades National Park, one gets to see all these wonderful animals, birds and plants in their natural habitat. No bars, no glass, no pit or contained zoo area. Though I enjoy zoos too, there's something immensely satisfying to be able to connect with nature and critters on their own turf but I'm the outsider lol Some may balk at the long drive from Homestead to Flamingo, but it's worth the trip. And if you have time to stay over and camp, there's lots of trails to hike, bike, bird watch, canoe or kayak! I would love to see the Eco-Tents brought back so we have alternative accomodations in Flamingo in the future! Didn't have time to hike the Coastal Prairie Trail to the former ghost town of Flamingo, but imagine daily life was pretty rough back then even if you could see large numbers of pink flamingos back in the late 1800s. Get to cross off visiting the southernmost headquarters of the Everglades NP from my bucket list but also added doing the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway Canoe Trail. That will be a future adventure :-)

4M&JG 5:00 PM Feb 5, 2011

Delicious restaurant in the heart of the Everglades
The drive to the the Flamingo visitor center makes it worth a visit. Along the way, you see the ecosystem change and get glimpses of birds, mammals, flora, and fauna you won't get to see in the busier areas. We saw a flock of approximately 1000 kites feeding at sunset swarming through the sky and chattering wildly. It was magical. We expected to make a quick pit stop at the Flamingo center before our journey out of the park. We were pleasantly surprised by the Flamingo's restaurant, which offered creative food in a very rustic location. The menu included grouper, catfish, gator, crab, burgers, and pizza. The restaurant offered fresh vegetable side dishes too. All in all, we were very pleased with our choice to make the drive to the Flamingo visitor center. It made our visit to the Everglades much more memorable!