"E" is for Everglades National Park

"Near the Everglades" ©Mary Montague Sikes

If you love visiting South Florida, you will want to explore Everglades National Park. This is the third largest park in the United States. Death Valley and Yellowstone are the two largest.

Developed in 1934, the National Park was dedicated in 1947 to protect the area from rapidly developing canal systems. Inside the park, the manatee, American crocodile, and Florida panther are among the protected species.

When we visited Bonita Springs several years ago, we traveled along Tamiami Trail, construction of which began in 1915 connecting Tampa with Miami. The trail is Highway 41 which is not far from one of the four major park entrances. The Gulf Coast Visitor Center is located five miles south of Highway 41 on State Road 29, in Everglades City. We drove near the Everglades but did not enter the park.

"Everglades Foliage" ©Mary Montague Sikes

The Everglades National Park covers an extensive area in South Florida. A visitor to that area will never be far away from park entrances which, besides the Gulf Coast one in Everglades City, are located at Homestead, Flamingo, and Miami.
 

Around the World in 30 Days -- Day Two

"Waiting for a Launch" MM Sikes

For Day Two in Around the World in 30 Days, the Passenger to Paradise has chosen Bonita Springs, FL for her exotic destination. This quaint location on the west coast of the state, located north of Marco Island between Naples and Fort Meyers, is more like old Florida beach life once was.

Once named Survey, Bonita Springs began to grow once construction of the Tamiami Trail began in 1915, connecting Tampa with Miami. The road is now the southernmost section of Rt. 41.(Last summer the Passenger to Paradise was photographed in front of a sign in northern Wisconsin denoting the beginning of Rt. 41.)
Alligators are often found along this route between Miami and Naples which is one lane each way and has no fencing to keep the wildlife out.

"A Little Bit of Jungle at Bonita Springs" MMSikes

The Passenger to Paradise enjoyed her visit to the Bonita Springs area because it is so different from the east coast beaches with which she is most familiar.

Do you enjoy cosmopolitan beach areas or something a little bit more rugged? Do you want a beach lost beneath a sea of umbrellas or a community with history?