Just a short drive from Naples and Marco Island lies the wonder of the Everglades.
Everglades National Park’s Gulf Coast Visitor Center is located in Everglades City, about 30-minutes from Marco Island and 45-minutes from Naples. Many people don’t realize that Everglades National Park has many islands with white sand beaches, including Indian Key, Pavilion Key, Turkey Key and Mormon Key. Camping is allowed on some of the beach islands with a park permit. They are popular stops for boaters and paddlers exploring the Gulf Coast portion of the Everglades. The Gulf Coast portion of the Everglades is home to hundreds of species of rare birds, plants and animals. It is the only place on earth where alligators and crocodiles cohabitate and is home to North America’s largest continuous mangrove forest. It is also a great area to view bottlenose dolphin in the wild. Everglades National Park is one of 21 World Heritage Sites in the USA.
The Ten Thousand Islands section of Everglades National Park is the only place to regularly see both alligators and crocodiles cohabiting. The Wilderness Waterway that stretches for 99 miles from Everglades City to Flamingo is considered by canoe and kayak paddlers to be a paddling experience of a lifetime. Completely removed from civilization, the paddling adventure takes between seven to nine days and requires camping and transport of all food and supplies. Backcountry camping permits are required and can be obtained at the Everglades National Park Gulf Coast Visitor Center.
The Paradise Coast Blueway, a system of GPS-plotted paddling trails, begins in Everglades City and goes to Goodland on Marco Island. There is one multi-day wilderness trail route and six day trip routes. The Ochopee Post Office, located along the Tamiami Trail in the Everglades, is the smallest post office in the United States.
Hikers taking ranger-guided swamp walks in Big Cypress National Preserve and Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park are often surprised by the relatively pleasant conditions in the area’s cypress swamps. Clear, flowing water cools the air, and two natural predators, the mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis) and the carnivorous bladderwort (Utricularia species) plant, feast on mosquito larva, keeping the cypress swamps remarkably bug-free. The Big Cypress National Preserve was the first National Preserve established by the National Park Service, on October 11, 1974. The 729,000 acre preserve allows more recreational activities than a National Park, such as hunting and off road vehicle use.
Building just minutes away from the Everglades and all that the National Park and nearby National Preserves, Nova Homes of South Florida offers beautiful custom homes, but not at custom prices. Enjoy the best of both worlds --Indoor luxury and outside adventure. Homes are priced from the $200s to over $2 million. For more information call 239.307.6116 or visit www.novahomesbuilder.com.