Have you been to the Everglades?

A couple of weeks ago, we were chatting about the beauty of The Everglades with one of our customers while they rode on our Port Everglades shuttle service. You may have been to Miami or Port Everglades but not considered exploring the natural treasure that is just a skip away.

In this post, we’ll give you a brief history of the Everglades and share our favorite resources to help you learn more about the park and plan your next visit. Think of the billions The Everglades provides us as carbon storage, the very backbone of life on earth. We’d say it’s worth a gander!

Interesting historical facts about The Everglades

Not only is The Everglades a World Heritage Site it’s also part of the International Biosphere Reserve. Here’s a brief historical overview of the national park that spans between three Florida counties. 

• 4,500-3000 BC: Two bouts of climate change cause wetter landscapes to exist in Florida, the Everglades is born! 
• 16th-18th century: Spanish and European invasions see the demise of the Calusa and Tequesta nations that previously inhabited the villages around the Everglades. 
• End of the 19th – 20th centuries: Drainage and development efforts, promoted by real estate investors and politicians, begin and the first canals are built. 
• 1920s: Lake Okeechobee floods, forcing humans to change their focus from drainage to flood control. 
• 1947: The Everglades is named a national park.
• 1960s: A large jetport project that would effectively destroy the Everglades is proposed and rejected. Thank goodness!
• 1983: Save Our Everglades campaign was initiated. Yes!
• 1990s: The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan is proposed and is an ongoing process.

For more details on the history of the Everglades, check out the resources section below.

How will you get to the Everglades?

Since we are a shuttle service serving Port Everglades (and beyond), logistics is our game, so here’s a little help when figuring out how you’ll get to the Everglades, you will want to ask yourself the following questions:

• Where are you coming from?
• Which park entrance will you use to access the park? The answer to this question will largely depend on the previous question as well as if you are doing other activities aside from the park on your trip. The Everglades has 3 entrances in 3 different cities: Homestead, Miami, and Everglades City. For further information on the 3 entrances, check out the resources section below. 
• Will you travel privately or are you willing to go on a shared ride?
• What will you do at the park? In the resources section below we have linked guides that will help you make this decision. 

Resources for planning your trip to the Everglades

Here’s a list of our favorite guides when trying to decide what to do at The Everglades:

• Visit Florida’s guide to how to explore the Florida Everglades
• National Park Service’s Everglades visit planning guide
• National Park Service’s info on the Everglades’ 3 entrances
• National Wildlife Federation’s Overview of the Everglades 

We hope that the richness of this natural treasure impresses you as much as it does us. Next time you are coming through Port Everglades, you might consider visiting the life-giving beauty the “River of Grass”!