A Florida National Parks Bucket List

DO: Take a week and road trip through the Florida National Parks!
DON’T: Rush through Key West Area-Give yourself time to explore there & Dry Tortugas!

Over Christmas Break, we were lucky enough to visit my parents’ Florida house in Englewood. While on our travels, we took a road trip to explore all three Florida National Parks! It was a whirlwind trip and we came up with a Bucket List that we think are must-dos while in the Sunshine State. Some of these we didn’t do ourselves, but after experiencing the parks, will be adding them to our list next time we visit! Note: This trip was done while both Trisha and I were pregnant & we also had a toddler in tow, so this list is family-friendly!

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**1.Spot an Alligator**

Our first stop on our Florida National Parks Road Trip was Everglades National Park! Of course the most sought after animal while visiting (For us anways) was an alligator. We definitely wanted to see some wildlife, well, in the wild & we definitely got to do that! There are over 200,000 alligators in the Everglades. Can you spot the alligator?

A Must-Do to get Up Close & Personal with the Alligators

Update: We have since taken a second trip to the Everglades since our 2020 winter trip. Over Christmas Break, my husband and I had a little getaway to the Keys & decided we’d like to explore this area more after loving it so much in our short time there.

The Bike Ride at Shark Valley was definitely one to remember! This 15-mile loop is such a cool way to really experience the Everglades. There is so much wildlife to see: birds, snakes & of course gators! I definitely was nervous that I would be too scared to bike within feet of these powerful creatures, and it was definitely an adrenaline rush each time we saw one….but overall, I felt very safe & this is something that I would highly recommend. We saw only two on the way to the watch tower (We took the windy clockwise direction first). I was a little bummed, but then we ran into a family who said, “Oh just wait until you get to the other side, we lost count there were so many!” and they were so right! Plus, they pointed out that there was a rare crocodile sighting from the top of the tower. Right again. We had the most incredible time on this excursion.

A Few Tips:

The bike ride is 15-miles (almost exact!) It definitely is crowded for the first mile by the visitor’s center, but this thins out quickly & it seemed like we had a slice of the Everglades to ourselves (during busy December season!) We bike quite a bit & with a stop to check out the view at the tower this took us just over 2 hours!
Bring Sunscreen, Water & a Hat-We Luckily went on a beautiful 68-degree day & it was perfect, but when the sun came out in the afternoon it did get pretty warm! There is no shade on the trail & you will want to prepare for this!
Please respect the wildlife. This is their home. Close to the visitor’s center, we saw people getting SO close to the gators. They are wild animals and unpredictable! A picture is not worth your life!
Bike Rentals sell out quickly (they do reserve a few for first-come, first-serve)! We were lucky enough to take my parents’ bikes and this was awesome because we could walk right into the park & didn’t have to wait in any lines!
An America the Beautiful Pass is a great way to save money if you plan on seeing more than one park in a year!

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**2. Ride an Airboat through the Everglades**

There are only three authorized companies to do an airboat tour through the National Park System. We wanted to do an authentic tour, so chose one of the above-Everglades Safari Park. With COVID protocols, and to keep our group safe, we chose to do a private tour. We were SO happy we chose this, because we felt like we got to see things first hand. Our guide was amazing, and this was one of our top experiences at a National Park thus far. We not only enjoyed seeing the gators, but loved the experience of gliding over the water (it was really smooth, in case you’re wondering about going while pregnant like we were), taking in the views of the wetlands and seeing the other wildlife (birds & turtles).

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**3. Kayak Biscayne National Park**

95% of Biscayne National Park is underwater! We were stoked for our Kayaking tour through the mangroves but the weather was not our friend. The morning of our tour, the winds were too high and our excursion was canceled. This puts getting out on the water on our list for something to do when we return. We were still able to stop at the visitor’s center and check out the bay from land.

4. Drive Highway 1 down the Keys-After our quick stop at Biscayne, we made the trek down the keys on Highway 1. This is a very scenic drive that everyone must do on a true Florida road trip!

**5. Take a Sea Plane to Dry Tortugas**

There are only a few ways to get to Dry Tortugas National Park, making it one of the least visited. This is not because of its lack of beauty. Dry Tortugas quickly went to the top of the list of our favorite parks. On this trip, we booked our trip to the Tortugas on The Yankee Freedom Ferry, which is a great day-trip from Key West. Although we had a really nice time, to make it bucket-list worthy, taking the sea plane would be the way to go!

**6. Stargaze at Fort Jefferson**

The only way to possbily do this would be to camp overnight on Dry Tortugas Island. We immediatly regretted not planning this as part of our Dry Tortugas portion! We saw other campers taking the ferry to stay overnight and this is what we will do next time we take a trip there! The day trip gave us just enough time there to leave us wanting more!

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**7. Southernmost Point of the United States**

Key West is a really fun town. A road trip to the National Parks would not be complete without a stop here! This is the jumping point to get to Dry Tortugas, so we would definitely recommend spending at least 2-3 nights here! A few places we loved in Key West were:
**Duval Street**-Just walking around, visiting shops, having a drink or people watching is an experience in itself!
**The Conch Shack** for Conch Fritters on the go!
**Blue Heaven**-Bruch here is a must do! You can dine among ther roosters, have a lobster eggs benedict and listen to live music.
**Eaton Street Seafood** -We had one of the best lobster rolls ever here, and some pretty amazing Conch Soup.

Where to Stay in Key West

**Southwinds Motel**-This budget-friendly motel is clean and simple-it’s a great place to rest your head that is right in the heart of Key West. They have a free continental breakfast (muffins, coffee) and there are a few pools on the property! It is also right across the street from a great market with really good Cuban sandwiches! Their customer service was amazing when we needed to tweak our reservations due to a family emergency.
**Ibis Bay Resort-** (*pictured)* If you are looking for a resort-style accommodation, this is it. It is a short ride into the heart of Key West, but there is a free shuttle that takes you downtown every hour. The pools are great, there’s a pool-side bar and restaurant on site! We stayed here the night before our trip to Dry Tortugas and it was a really quick ride to the ferry.
**Coconut Palm Airbnb**- This Airbnb could not be more centrally located. It is right off of Duval street & right around the corner from our favorite spot to eat (*Blue Heaven*) A great spot for two couples or a small group, there is a lot of character in this duplex. The rental company was very accommodating to our needs and we wished we had more time here to enjoy the pool & chill back patio.

Florida National Park Road Trip Tips:

Take at least a week to explore all three parks. We would have liked to spend more time in the Everglades & definitely would have loved to camp a night or two at Dry Tortugas.
Make sure you book your ride to Dry Tortugas early! In fact, this is the first thing I’d do when planning your trip to the Florida parks!
Give yourself an extra day in Key West to have fun & explore-there are a lot of parks, museums, etc. Don’t just stay there the night before your ferry. Also, I would stay in Key West the night you return from the ferry-it’s a long day!
If booking last minute & possible to check the weather at Biscayne, try to plan accordingly. We were pretty bummed we didn’t get to go out on the water at this park~!

When most people think of the National Parks, their mind goes to the West-Utah Big 5, Grand Canyon & Yosemite, but the Florida National Parks should not be missed. They offer a great experience and can be done in a week’s time!

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