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Everglades City | Florida City | Homestead | Tamiami Trail
Everglades City
35 miles southeast of Naples and 83 miles west of Miami.
Aside from a chain gas station or two, Everglades City retains its Old Florida authenticity. No high-rises (other than an observation tower named for pioneer Ernest Hamilton) mar the landscape at this western gateway to Everglades National Park, just off the Tamiami Trail. Everglades City was developed in the late 19th century by Barron Collier, a wealthy advertising entrepreneur, who built it as a company town to house workers for his numerous projects, including construction of the Tamiami Trail. It grew and prospered until the Depression and World War II. Today this ramshackle town draws adventure seekers heading to the park for canoeing, fishing, and bird-watching excursions. Airboat tours, though popular, are banned within the park because of the environmental damage they cause to the mangroves. The Everglades Seafood Festival, launched in 1970 and held the first full weekend of February, draws huge crowds for delights from the sea, music, and craft displays. At quieter times, dining choices center on a handful of rustic eateries big on seafood. The town is small, fishing-oriented, and unhurried, making it excellent for boating, bicycling, or just strolling around. You can pedal along the waterfront on a 2-mile strand out to Chokoloskee Island.
Visitor Information
Everglades Area Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center.
Pick up brochures and pamphlets for area lodging, restaurants, and attractions here, and ask for additional information from friendly staffers. Open daily 9 to 4. | 32016 E. Tamiami Trail, at Rte. 29 | 239/695–3941 | www.evergladeschamber.net.
Exploring
Off the Beaten Path: Collier-Seminole State Park.
Opportunity to try biking, hiking, camping, and canoeing in Everglades territory makes this park a prime introduction to this often forbidding land. Of historical interest, a Seminole War blockhouse has been re-created to hold the interpretative center, and one of the “walking dredges”—a towering black machine invented to carve the Tamiami Trail out of the muck—stands silent on grounds amid tropical hardwood forest. Campsites (closed at this writing but planned to reopen with upgraded facilities by 2016, so call first). | 20200 E. Tamiami Trail | Naples | 239/394–3397 | www.floridastateparks.org/collier-seminole | $5 per car, $4 with lone driver, $2 for pedestrians or bikers | Daily 8–sunset.
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park.
The half-mile Big Cypress Bend boardwalk through this linear swamp forest provides opportunity to see rare plants, nesting eagles, and Florida’s largest stand of native royal palms co-existing—unique to Fakahatchee Strand—with bald cypress under the forest canopy. Fakahatchee Strand, about 20 miles long and 5 miles wide, is also the orchid and bromeliad capital of the continent with 44 native orchids and 14 native bromeliads, many blooming most extravagantly in hotter months. It’s particularly famed for its ghost orchids (as featured in Susan Orlean’s novel The Orchid Thief ), visible on guided hikes. In your quest for ghost orchids, keep alert for white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, and the Florida panther. For park nature on parade, take the 12-mile-long (one-way) W. J. Janes Memorial Scenic Drive, (deposit your admission fee at the honor box; have exact change). Hike its spur trails if you have time. Rangers lead swamp walks and canoe trips November through April. | Boardwalk on north side of Tamiami Trail, 7 miles west of Rte. 29; W. J. Janes Scenic Dr., ¾ mile north of Tamiami Trail on Rte. 29; ranger station on W. J. Janes Scenic Dr., 137 Coastline Dr. | Copeland | 239/695–4593 | www.floridastateparks.org/fakahatcheestrand | Free; W. J. Janes Memorial Scenic Drive $3 per car, $2 per motorcycle | Daily 8 am–sunset.
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.
When this refuge opened in 1989, it was off-limits to the public to protect endangered cougar subspecies. In 2005, responding to public demand, the 26,400-acre refuge opened two short loop trails in a region lightly traveled by panthers so visitors could get tastes of wet prairies, tropical hammocks, and pine uplands where panthers roam and wild orchids thrive. The 1.3-mile trail is rugged and often thigh-high under water during summer and fall; it’s closed when completely flooded. The shorter 0.3-mile Leslie M. Duncan Memorial Trail is wheelchair-accessible and open year-round. For either, bring drinking water and insect repellent. Sightings are rare, but you may spot deer, black bears, and the occasional panther—or their tracks. | Off Rte. 29, between U.S. 41 and I–75 | 239/353–8442 | www.fws.gov/floridapanther | Free | Daily dawn–dusk; trails may be closed July–Nov. because of rain.
Museum of the Everglades.
Through artifacts and photographs you can meet American Indians, pioneers, entrepreneurs, and anglers playing pivotal roles in southwest Florida development. Exhibits and a short film chronicle the tremendous feat of building the Tamiami Trail across mosquito-ridden, gator-infested Everglades wetlands. Permanent displays and monthly exhibits rotate works of local artists. The small museum is housed in the Laundry Building, completed in 1927 and once used for washing linens from the Rod and Gun Club and Everglades Inn. | 105 W. Broadway | 239/695–0008 | Free | Tues.–Sat. 9–4.
Where to Eat
City Seafood.
$ | SEAFOOD | Owner Richard Wahrenberger serves up gems from the sea delivered fresh from his own boats. Even better, you can chow down on his delectable, sustainable stone crabs—medium, large, jumbo, and colossal based on weight—with clear conscience. After removal of meaty claws, crabs are returned to waters where they grow new ones. Enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner inside this rustic haven, or sit outdoors to watch pelicans, gulls, tarpon, manatee, and the occasional gator play off the dock in the Barron River. Relax with a beer or wine by the glass. Appetizers run from deep-fried corn to conch, and sandwiches from hot dogs to pulled pork. Big draws, however, remain stone crabs and baskets of smoked mullet, grouper, shrimp, oysters, blue crab, gator, or frogs’ legs. Got a cooler? City Seafood wraps for the road, and also ships. Gator and shark tooth necklaces and cutesy crabby-style tanks, boxers, and tees await your perusal in the gift shop. | Average main: $15 | 702 Begonia St. | 239/695–4700 | www.cityseafood1.com.
Everglades Seafood Depot.
$$ | SEAFOOD | Count on tasty, affordable meals in a scenic setting at this storied 1928 Spanish-style stucco structure fronting Lake Placid. Beginning life as the original Everglades train depot, the building later was deeded to the University of Miami for marine research and appeared in the 1958 film Winds across the Everglades (starring Christopher Plummer, Peter Falk, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Burl Ives). Seafood is the only star here now, including lobster, frogs’ legs, crab, and alligator. Steak, seafood, and combo entrées include salad or soup, or an extra-charge option for a salad bar with steamed shrimp. All-you-can-eat specials—fried chicken, a taco bar, or a seafood buffet—are staged on selected nights. Save room for “secret family recipe” coconut guava cake. If you’d like a view, ask for a back porch table or a lakeside window seat. The “you hook it, we cook it” is $9.99 | Average main: $20 | 102 Collier Ave. | 239/695–0075 | www.evergladesseafooddepot.com.
Havana Cafe.
$ | CUBAN | Cuban specialties are a tasty alternative from the seafood houses of Everglades City. This cheery eatery with a dozen or so tables inside, has more seating on the porch. Service is order-at-the-counter for breakfast and lunch (7 am–3 pm), with dinner in season on Friday and Saturday nights. Jump-start your day with café con leche and a pressed-egg sandwich, or try a Havana omelet. For lunch, you’ll find the ubiquitous Cuban sandwich, burgers, shrimp, grouper, steak, and pork plates with rice and beans and yucca. For take-home zing, try Carlos’ Havana Cafe Hot Sauce. | Average main: $15 | 191 Smallwood Dr. | Chocoloskee | 239/695–2214 | www.myhavanacafe.com | No credit cards | No dinner Apr.–Oct.; no dinner Sun.–Thurs. Nov.–Mar.
FAMILY | Oyster House Restaurant.
$$ | SEAFOOD | One of the town’s oldest fish houses, Oyster House serves all the local staples—shrimp, gator tail, frogs’ legs, oysters, stone crab, and grouper—in a lodgelike setting with mounted wild game on walls and rafters. Deep-frying remains an art in these parts, so if you’re going to indulge, do it here where you can create your own fried platter for under $30. Try to dine at sunset for golden rays with your watery view. Outside, the 75-foot observation tower named for the late pioneer Ernest Hamilton affords a terrific overview of the Ten Thousand Islands. | Average main: $20 | 901 S. Copeland Ave. | 239/695–2073 | www.oysterhouserestaurant.com.
Rod and Gun Club.
$$$ | SEAFOOD | Striking, polished pecky-cypress woodwork in this historic building dates from the 1920s, when wealthy hunters, anglers, and yachting parties arrived for the winter season. Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, and Nixon stopped by here, as have Ernest Hemingway, Burt Reynolds, and Mick Jagger. The main dining room holds overflow from the expansive screened porch overlooking the river. Like life in general here, friendly servers move slowly and upkeep is minimal. Fresh seafood dominates, from stone crab in season (October 15–May 15) to a surf-and-turf combo of steak and grouper or a swamp-and-turf duet of frogs’ legs and steak (each around $30), or pasta pairings, from $20 or so. For $14.95 you can have your own catch fried, broiled, or blackened, served with salad, veggies, and potato. Pie choices are key lime and chocolate–peanut butter. Separate checks are discouraged at this cash-only venue, and there’s a $5 plate-sharing charge. Yesteryear’s main lobby is well worth a look—even if you’re eating elsewhere. Arrive by boat or land. | Average main: $25 | 200 Riverside Dr. | 239/695–2101 | www.evergladesrodandgun.com | No credit cards | Sometimes shuts down in summer. Call ahead.
Triad Seafood.
$ | SEAFOOD | Along the Barron River, seafood houses, fishing boats, and crab traps populate one shoreline; mangroves the other. Selling fresh off the boat, some seafood houses added picnic tables and eventually grew into restaurants. Family-owned Triad Seafood Market & Cafe is one, with a screened dining area and additional outdoor seating under a breezeway and on a deck (heated in winter) overhanging the river. Here you can savor fresh seafood at its finest, or have it shipped. It’s nothing fancy (although smoked fish and oyster Caesar salad are on the menu), but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better grouper sandwich. Fried green tomatoes are tasty, too. An all-you-can-eat fresh stone crab feast with butter or mustard sauce (October 15 to May 15; market prices fluctuate wildly and can be over $100) can thin your wallet, especially for the jumbos. Lunch starts at 11 am with fried shrimp, oyster, crab cake, and soft-shell blue crab baskets, plus Reubens, Philly cheesesteaks, burgers, and inexpensive kid meals. | Average main: $15 | 401 School Dr. | 239/695–0722 | www.triadseafoodmarketcafe.com | Closed May 16–Oct. 15.
Where to Stay
Glades Haven Cozy Cabins.
$ | HOTEL | Bob Miller wanted to build a Holiday Inn next to his Oyster House Restaurant on marina-channel shores, but when that didn’t fly, he sent for cabin kits and set up mobile-home-size units around a pool on his property as part of “Miller’s World.” Rent a cabin, and you get free boat docking. Some units have a full kitchen and separate bedroom with screened porch, comparatively cushy by Everglades City standards. Duplex cabins—among the best deals in town—have a small fridge and microwave, with or without a screened porch. Other amenities can be both inconsistent and/or somewhat dated, depending on the unit (bring your own soap). While the entire property is considered waterfront, not all cabins have a watery view. Pros: great nearby food options; convenient to ENP boating; free docking; marina. Cons: trailer-park crowded feel with a noisy bar nearby; no phones, no pets. | Rooms from: $99 | 801 Copeland Ave. | 239/695–2746, 888/956–6251 | www.gladeshaven.com | 24 cabins, 2 3-bedroom houses | No meals.
Fodor’s Choice | Ivey House.
$ | B&B/INN | A remodeled 1928 boardinghouse built for crews working on the Tamiami Trail, Ivey House (originally operated by Mr. and Mrs. Ivey) now fits adventurers on assorted budgets. One part is a friendly B&B bargain with shared baths and a cottage. The adjoining 18-room inn (opened in 2001) has private baths—plush by Everglades City standards. Most inn rooms surround the screen-enclosed pool and courtyard. Decor includes Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands photography. The layout is designed to promote camaraderie, but there are secluded patios with chairs and tables for private moments. Free Wi-Fi is in the dining area, pool courtyard, and lodge area. Rates include breakfast. Guests are offered 20% discounts on canoe and kayak rentals and tours via Everglades Rentals & Eco Adventures. Pros: historic; pleasant; affordable. Cons: not on water; some small rooms. | Rooms from: $169 | 107 Camellia St. | 877/567–0679, 239/695–3299 | www.iveyhouse.com | 30 rooms, 18 with bath; 1 2-bedroom cottage | Breakfast.
Sports and the Outdoors
Air Tours
Wings Ten Thousand Islands Aero Tours.
These 20-minute to nearly two-hour flightseeing tours of the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, and Gulf of Mexico operate November through April. Aboard an Alaskan Bush plane, you can see saw-grass prairies, American Indian shell mounds, alligators, and wading birds. Rates start at $50 and go up to $120 for a two-hour Everglades tour (per person with groups of three or four). Flights also can be booked to the Keys, connecting to the Dry Tortugas. | Everglades Airpark, 650 Everglades City Airpark Rd. | 239/695–3296.
Boating and Canoeing
On the Gulf Coast explore the nooks, crannies, and mangrove islands of Chokoloskee Bay and Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, as well as rivers near Everglades City. The Turner River Canoe Trail, popular and populated even on Christmas as a pleasant day trip with almost guaranteed bird and alligator sightings, passes through mangrove tunnels, dwarf cypress, coastal prairie, and freshwater slough ecosystems of Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve.
Glades Haven Marina.
Access Ten Thousand Islands waters in a 19-foot Sundance or a 17-foot Flicker fishing boat. Rates start at $200 a day, plus fuel, with half-day and hourly options. The outfitter also rents kayaks and canoes and has a 24-hour boat ramp and dockage for up to 24-foot vessels. Launch your own boat for $15, a canoe or kayak for $5. | 801 Copeland Ave. S | 239/695–2628 | www.gladeshaven.com.
Florida City
3 miles southwest of Homestead on U.S. 1.
Florida’s Turnpike ends in Florida City, the southernmost town on the Miami-Dade County mainland, spilling thousands of vehicles onto U.S. 1 and eventually west to Everglades National Park, east to Biscayne National Park, or south to the Florida Keys. Florida City and Homestead run into each other, but the difference couldn’t be more noticeable. As the last outpost before 18 miles of mangroves and water, this stretch of U.S. 1 is lined with fast-food eateries, service stations, hotels, bars, dive shops, and restaurants. Hotel rates increase significantly during NASCAR races at the nearby Homestead-Miami Speedway. Like Homestead, Florida City is rooted in agriculture, with expanses of farmland west of Krome Avenue and a huge farmers’ market that ships produce nationwide.
Getting Here and Around
Super Shuttle.
This 24-hour service runs air-conditioned vans between MIA and the Homestead-Florida City area; pickup is outside baggage claim and costs around $60 per person depending on your destination zip code. For a return to MIA, reserve 24 hours in advance and know your pickup zip code for a price quote. | 305/871–2000 | www.supershuttle.com.
Exploring
Tropical Everglades Visitor Center.
Run by the nonprofit Tropical Everglades Visitor Association, this pastel pink center with teal signage offers abundant printed material plus tips from volunteer experts on exploring South Florida, especially Homestead, Florida City, and the Florida Keys. | 160 U.S. 1 | 305/245–9180, 800/388–9669 | www.tropicaleverglades.com.
Where to Eat
Capri Restaurant.
$$ | ITALIAN | Richard Accursio’s friendly family-owned enterprise has been a magnet for affordable Italian-American classics since 1958. Eat amid redbrick walls at round tables in the classic Capri dining room with its red-checked table cloths, in the somewhat fancier King Richard’s environs, or at sunny courtyard tables with umbrellas. Options range from the inexpensive all-you-care-to-eat pasta on Tuesday to crunchy-crust pizza or paninis, or steak, prime rib, and a multitude of seafood-pasta combos. Daily early bird meals (4:30–6:30) include soup or salad and potato or spaghetti. Specialty martinis and fruity cocktails supplement an extensive wine list. | Average main: $16 | 935 N. Krome Ave. | 305/247–1542 | www.dinecapri.com | No lunch Sun.
Farmers’ Market Restaurant.
$ | SEAFOOD | Although this eatery is within the farmers’ market on the edge of town and is big on serving fresh vegetables, seafood figures prominently on the menu. A family of anglers runs the place, so fish and shellfish are only hours from the sea, and there’s a fish fry on Friday nights. Catering to farmers, the restaurant opens at 5:30 am, serving pancakes and fluffy omelets with home fries or grits in a pleasant dining room with red and green checked tablecloths. For lunch or dinner, choose among fried shrimp or conch, seafood pasta, country-fried steak, and roast turkey, as well as salads, burgers, and sandwiches. | Average main: $13 | 300 N. Krome Ave. | 305/242–0008.
La Panaderia Favorita.
$ | BAKERY | To pick up treats for picnics in the Everglades, look no further than La Panaderia Favorita, truly a fave among locals for savory café con leche, seductive sweet rolls, whimsical cookies, breads, and other delights. Early birds appreciate the 5:30 am opening hour, and La Panaderia Favorita (where you also can buy eggs by the dozen, pints of milk, etc. to go) also stays open until 8 pm for an early dinner. | Average main: $10 | 337 W. Palm Dr. | 305/245–0436.
Mutineer Wharf Restaurant.
$$ | SEAFOOD | Families and older couples flock to this kitschy roadside outpost with a fish-and-duck pond. Built in 1980 to look like a ship—back when Florida City barely got on maps—etched glass divides bi-level dining rooms, with velvet-upholstered chairs, an aquarium, and nautical antiques. Florida lobster tails, stuffed grouper, shrimp, and snapper top the menu, along with another half dozen daily seafood specials. Add to that steaks, ribs, and chicken. Yellowfin tuna wraps and grouper sandwiches are filling items for lunch, especially before heading to Everglades Park. You also can relax for dinner in the restaurant’s Wharf Lounge, sometimes with live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. | Average main: $20 | 11 S.E. 1st Ave. (U.S. 1), at Palm Dr. | 305/245–3377 | www.mutineerrestaurant.com.
Rosita’s Restaurante.
$ | MEXICAN | As a growing local Mexican population can attest, this delightful hole-in-the-wall boasts authenticity you just don’t get in Tex-Mex chains. Order à la carte specialties or dinners and combos with salad, beans, and rice. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner entrées, served all day, range from Mexican eggs, enchiladas, and taco salad to stewed beef and fried pork chops. Food is spicy, but for more fire, avail yourself of the fresh-tasting salsa, pickled jalapeños, or bottled habanero sauce on tables. Spiffy, with an open kitchen and take-out counter, Rosita’s is a favorite with guests at the Everglades International Hostel across the street. | Average main: $11 | 199 W. Palm Dr. | 305/246–3114.
Where to Stay
Best Western Gateway to the Keys.
$ | HOTEL | For easy access to Everglades and Biscayne national parks as well as the Keys, you’ll be well situated at this sprawling, two-story motel two blocks off Florida’s Turnpike. Standard rooms are done in tropical colors, have flat-screen TVs and either a king-size or two queen-size beds. Rooms around the lushly landscaped pool (where there’s also a hot tub) command higher rates. There’s free local calling (under 30 minutes) and free high-speed Internet access in rooms, plus Wi-Fi in lobby. Pros: convenient to parks, outlet shopping, and dining; business services; attractive pool area. Cons: traffic noise; fills up fast in high season. | Rooms from: $135 | 411 S. Krome Ave. | 305/246–5100, 888/981–5100 | www.bestwestern.com/gatewaytothekeys | 114 rooms | Breakfast.
Econo Lodge.
$ | HOTEL | Close to Florida’s Turnpike and with access to the Keys, this is a serviceable overnight pullover spot with complimentary WiFi in public spaces and breakfast. Rooms, also with Wi-Fi, have coffeemakers, microwaves, and irons. The pool sits near the parking lot, but tall ficus hedges separate it from busy U.S. 1. Pros: laundry facility on property; pool; proximity to mall outlet shopping. Cons: urban-ugly location; noisy. | Rooms from: $89 | 553 N.E. 1st Ave. | 305/248–9300, 800/553–2666 | www.econolodge.com | 42 rooms | Breakfast.
Everglades International Hostel.
$ | HOTEL | Although this is a hostel, in addition to dorm-style quarters (generally 4 to 10 to a room), there are a few clean, spacious private rooms, along with indoor or outdoor quiet areas, where you can watch videos or TV on a big screen. Splurgers can book rooms in an adjacent cottage with private water gardens, while penny-pinchers can go the hostel route. This hostel facility is in a minimally restored art deco building on a lush, secluded acre between Everglades and Biscayne national parks and it offers a unique alternative to the ho-hum chains. Enjoy all-you-can-make pancake breakfasts in the communal kitchen, pitch in for occasional communal dinners, or walk to a nearby restaurant. Pros: affordable; free services. Cons: communal living; no elevator; old structure. | Rooms from: $28 | 20 S.W. 2nd Ave. | 305/248–1122, 800/372–3874 | www.evergladeshostel.com | 46 beds in dorm-style rooms with shared bath, 2 private rooms with shared bath, 2 suites | No meals.
Fairway Inn.
$ | HOTEL | With a waterfall pool, this two-story motel with exterior room entry has some of the area’s lowest chain rates, and it’s next to the Chamber of Commerce visitor center so you’ll have easy access to tourism brochures and other information. Besides laundry facilities, amenities include an in-room safe, refrigerator, and microwave for rooms with either a king-size bed or two doubles. Free Wi-Fi runs throughout the property. Continental breakfast includes fresh fruit. Pros: affordable; convenient to restaurants, parks, and raceway. Cons: plain, small rooms; no-pet policy. | Rooms from: $89 | 100 S.E. 1st Ave. | 305/248–4202, 888/340–4734 | 160 rooms | Breakfast.
Quality Inn.
$ | HOTEL | Amid an asphalt complex of hotels, gas stations, and eateries just off U.S. 1, this two-story Quality Inn with exterior corridors has a friendly front desk staff offering tips on Everglades or Keys adventures, or race action at the nearby track. Large rooms with contemporary furnishings have a decent lineup of amenities, from irons and hair dryers to coffeemakers, microwaves, refrigerators, and cable/satellite television. Weekday newspapers are free in the lobby, and there’s Wi-Fi in the rooms. Pros: close to restaurants and services. Cons: no elevator; noisy location. | Rooms from: $90 | 333 S. E. 1st Ave. | 305/248–4009, 888/352–2489 | www.qualityinn.com | 123 rooms | Breakfast.
Ramada Inn.
$ | HOTEL | If you’re seeking an uptick from other chains, this property offers more amenities and comfort, such as 32-inch flat-screen TVs, duvet-covered beds, closed closets, and stylish furnishings. Carpeted rooms are bright and clean and have upholstered chairs, coffeemakers, microwaves, refrigerators, hair dryers, massage showerheads, and irons. Breakfast includes hot items like bacon, sausage, eggs, and waffles. Racing fans can hear the engines roar from this two-story motel next to an outlet mall that is within 15 minutes of the track and Everglades and Biscayne national parks. Pros: extra room amenities; convenient location. Cons: chain anonymity. | Rooms from: $99 | 124 E. Palm Dr. | 305/247–8833 | www.hotelfloridacity.com | 118 rooms | Breakfast.
Travelodge.
$ | HOTEL | This bargain motor lodge is close to Florida’s Turnpike, Everglades and Biscayne national parks, and Homestead-Miami Speedway. In fact, many racers stay here, making it difficult to book a room during track events. You’ll find a heated pool with nearby tiki huts for picnics, plus a guest laundry. Clean, colorful (all ground-floor) rooms have pillowtop mattresses and also have more amenities than you’ll typically find in this price range, including a 32-inch flat-screen television, movies on demand, a “microfridge,” coffeemaker, hair dryer, and iron. Rooms also have free high-speed Internet, and the lobby has computers for guest use. Continental “Bear Bites” breakfast includes sausage, eggs, waffles, and pancakes. Free newspapers are in the lobby. Assorted eateries, gas stations, and a visitor’s bureau are within walking distance. Pros: convenience to track and U.S. 1; nice pool; complimentary breakfast. Cons: busy location; some small rooms; no pets. | Rooms from: $89 | 409 S.E. 1st Ave. | 305/248–9777, 800/758–0618 | www.tlflcity.com | 88 rooms | Breakfast.
Shopping
FAMILY | Robert Is Here.
Want take-home gifts? This remarkable fruit stand sells more than 100 types of jams, jellies, honeys, and salad dressings along with its vegetables, juices, fabulous fresh-fruit milk shakes (try the papaya key lime or guanabana, under $6), and some 30 kinds of tropical fruits, including (in season) carambola, lychee, egg fruit, monstera, sapodilla, dragonfruit, genipa, sugar apple, and tamarind. Back in 1960, the stand got started when pint-size Robert sat at this spot hawking his father’s bumper cucumber crop. Now Robert (still on the scene daily with wife and kids), ships nationwide and donates seconds to needy area families. An assortment of animals out back—goats to iguanas and emus, along with a splash pool—creates entertainment value for youngsters. Picnic tables, benches, and a waterfall with a koi pond add serenity. On the way to Everglades National Park, Robert opens at 8 am, operating until at least 7, and shutting down from Labor Day until November. | 19200 S.W. 344th St. | 305/246–1592.
Homestead
30 miles southwest of Miami.
Since recovering from Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Homestead has redefined itself as a destination for tropical agro- and ecotourism. At a crossroads between Miami and the Keys as well as Everglades and Biscayne national parks, the area has the added dimension of shopping centers, residential development, hotel chains, and the Homestead-Miami Speedway—when car races are scheduled, hotels hike rates and require minimum stays. The historic downtown has become a preservation-driven Main Street. Krome Avenue, where it cuts through the city’s heart, is lined with restaurants, an arts complex, antiques shops, and low-budget, sometimes undesirable, accommodations. West of north–south Krome Avenue, miles of fields grow fresh fruits and vegetables. Some are harvested commercially, and others beckon with “U-pick” signs. Stands selling farm-fresh produce and nurseries that grow and sell orchids and tropical plants abound. In addition to its agricultural legacy, the town has an eclectic flavor, attributable to its population mix: descendants of pioneer Crackers, Hispanic growers and farm workers, professionals escaping the Miami hubbub, and latter-day northern retirees.
Exploring
FAMILY | Coral Castle.
Driven by unrequited love, Latvian immigrant Ed Leedskalnin (1887–1951) fashioned this attraction along Dixie Highway in the early 1900s out of massive slabs of coral rock, a feat he likened to building the pyramids. You can learn how he peopled his fantasy world with his imaginary wife and three children, studied astronomy, and created a simple home and elaborate courtyard without formal engineering education and with mostly handmade tools. Highlights of this National Register of Historic Places site, originally named Rock Gate, include a working sundial, and a banquet table shaped like Florida. But the truth is it’s more tourist trap than interesting sight. | 28655 S. Dixie Hwy. | 305/248–6345 | www.coralcastle.com | $15 | Daily 8–6.
Fruit & Spice Park.
Because it officially qualifies for tropical status, this 37-acre park in Homestead’s Redland historic agricultural district is the only public botanical garden of its type in the United States. More than 500 varieties of fruit, nuts, and spices typically grow here, and there are 75 varieties of bananas alone, plus 160 of mango. Tram tours (included in admission) run three times daily, and you can sample fresh fruit at the gift shop, which also stocks canned and dried fruits plus cookbooks. The Mango Café, open daily, serves mango salsa, smoothies, and shakes along with salads, wraps, sandwiches, and a yummy Mango Passion Cheesecake. Picnic in the garden at provided tables or on your own blankets. Annual park events include January’s Redland Heritage Festival and June’s Summer Fruit Festival. Kids age six and under are free. | 24801 S.W. 187th Ave. | 305/247–5727 | www.fruitandspicepark.org | $8 | Daily 9–5; guided tram tours at 11, 1:30, and 3.
Schnebly Redland’s Winery.
Homestead’s fruity bounty comes in liquid form at this growing enterprise that began producing wines of lychee, mango, guava, and other fruits as a way to avoid waste from family groves each year—bounty not perfect enough for shipping. Over the years, this grape-free winery (now with a beer brewery, too) has expanded with a reception/tasting indoor area serving snacks and a lush plaza picnic area landscaped in coral rock, tropical plants, and waterfalls—topped with an Indian thatched chickee roof. Tours and tastings are offered daily. The Ultimate Tasting includes five wines, and an etched Schnebly glass you can keep. On Sunday, there’s yoga on the lawn. Count on a cover charge of $10 per person after 6 pm on Friday and Saturday nights. | 30205 S.W. 217th Ave. | 305/242–1224, 888/717–9463 | www.schneblywinery.com | Winery tours (weekends only) $7; tastings $11.95 | Mon.–Thurs. 10–5, Fri. and Sat. 10–11, Sun. noon–5.
Where to Eat
FAMILY | The Big Cheese.
$$ | ITALIAN | With ya-can’t-miss cheesy yellow frontage beckoning for seating up to 185 folks inside, The Big Cheese of Homestead (an offshoot of the South Miami original) serves up a wide variety of Italian-style sustenance, from pizza, calzones, subs, and salads to pastas like baked ziti or spinach lasagna and pasta-seafood dishes like linguine with white clam sauce (or red), shrimp al forno, or mussels marinara. Dolly’s Special (spaghetti with fresh mushrooms and grilled chicken) is named after a favored Homestead local. Dinners come in half- or full-size orders. There’s beer and wine to slake your thirst, with handcrafted brews made in or near in the Redlands. Kid’s menu meals (fingers, wings, pasta, shrimp, etc.) include a soda. Eat in at tables or booths seating six or so, or order for takeout or delivery. | Average main: $18 | 350 N. Homestead Dr. | 305/247–0657 | www.bigcheesehomestead.com.
Momma D’s Kountry Kitchen.
$ | SOUTHERN | For Southern home-style cooking with breakfast all day, head to Momma D’s Kountry Kitchen, previously known as Bobbie Jo’s and as of early 2015 under new ownership. (The sign may still say “Bobbi Jo’s” so don’t be confused.) Dinners—including chicken livers, chicken and dumplings, and fried clams—come with fresh-baked corn bread and a daily selection of sides such as okra with tomatoes, turnip greens, pickled beets, or onion rings. Don’t miss out on the changing lineup of homemade soups and desserts. All this goodness comes comparatively cheap, but at the expense of anything-but-glamorous dining environs at Formica tables and booths, with friendly service. | Average main: $10 | 1320 N. Krome Ave. | 305/246–2990 | No dinner Sun.
Fodor’s Choice | NicaMex.
$ | MEXICAN | Among the local Latin population this 60-plus-seat eatery is a low-budget favorite for Nicaraguan and Mexican flavors. It helps if you know Spanish, but the menu is bilingual and some staffers speak English. Although they term it comidas rapidas (fast food), the cuisine is not Americanized. Try authentic huevos rancheros or chilaquiles (corn tortillas cooked in red-pepper sauce) for breakfast. Specialties include chicharron en salsa verde (fried pork skin in hot-green-tomato sauce). Hearty beef soups are top sellers. If you want (or dare), Mexican plates from tacos to tostadas can be made with beef tongue. Choose among domestic or imported beers, and escape south of the border. | Average main: $10 | 32 N.W. 1st St., across from Krome Ave. bandstand | 305/247–0727.
Royal Palm Grill.
$ | AMERICAN | Don’t feel bewildered if after passing Royal Palm Grill (within the Royal Palm Pharmacy) on Krome Avenue you have a deja vu moment when encountering another Royal Palm Grill just a hop-skip away. This popular “breakfast all day, every day” enterprise has two locations, only a few blocks apart, to accommodate a steady stream of customers for the aforementioned breakfast fare from omelets and pancakes to biscuits and gravy, plus salads, steaks, and seafood. A true throwback to yesteryear with booths and a counter near apothecary items, it’s open seven days starting at 6:30 am but generally closes at either 4 (weekdays) or 3 (weekends). (Royal Palm’s second location is at 436 North Krome Avenue, and it’s open until 9 pm on weekdays.) | Average main: $10 | Royal Palm Pharmacy, 806 N. Krome Ave. | 305/246–5701 | www.royalpalmgrill.com.
Shiver’s BBQ.
$ | BARBECUE | Piggin’ out since the 1960s, Shiver’s ranks as a lip-smackin’ must for lovers of hickory-smoked barbecued pork, beef and chicken in assorted forms from baby backs to briskets. Longtime owners Martha and Perry Curtis are typically on hand attending to traditions with original recipes, although Martha does offer her new, alternative “secret recipe” sauce. Be forewarned as you settle in at picnic-style tables, Shiver’s is no place to cut calories. BBQ cheese fries, BBQ potato skins, fried mac’n’cheese, fried mushrooms, and fried okra are for starters. You then can choose among platters, sandwiches, and sides, including the rib and chicken combo or BBQ short ribs and collard greens. The corn-bread soufflé draws raves, and there’s also the hickory burger, Shiver burger, and what’s known as the sausage bomb. For kids, fingers and bites await. A half dozen desserts include fried cheesecake. For feasting in the Everglades, you also can order takeout in bulk by the pound. | Average main: $15 | 28001 S. Dixie Hwy. | 305/248–2272 | www.shiversbbq.com.
Suvi Thai & Sushi Homestead.
$$ | ASIAN | For lighter, more exotic fare near the Everglades, Suvi Thai & Sushi Homestead (a separate location is in Miami Springs) serves the requisite Thai and Japanese favorites from pad-Thai and curries to traditional raw and cooked rolls. You can keep it cheap with the house salad or soups or go all out with Royal Thai Lobster. Decor, with seating for about 90, is soothing with a section for you to doff shoes and sit on cushions if you wish and a separate hibachi room. Yes, there’s a kid’s menu with teriyakis, satays, and fried chicken. | Average main: $20 | 250 N. Homestead Blvd. | 305/247–3500 | www.suvimiami.com.
Where to Stay
Hotel Redland.
$ | HOTEL | Of downtown Homestead’s smattering of mom-and-pop lodging options, this historic inn is by far the most desirable with its Victorian-style rooms done up in pastels and reproduction antique furniture. Upon opening in 1904, this was the town’s first hotel, later becoming the first mercantile store, first post office, first library, and first boardinghouse. Each charming room has a different layout and furnishings, and some have access to a shared balcony. Redland’s Whistlestop restaurant, with recently acquired antique tables serves lunch, dinner, and brunch on Sunday, plus there’s the added toot of a full bar. There’s free Wi-Fi throughout the property. Pros: historic character; convenient to downtown and near antiques shops; well maintained; smoke-free. Cons: traffic noise; small rooms. | Rooms from: $120 | 5 S. Flagler Ave. | 305/246–1904, 800/595–1904 | www.hotelredland.com | 13 rooms | No meals.
Shopping
Krome Avenue.
In the heart of Old Homestead, this popular shopping street with a brick sidewalk has art galleries and antiques stores, including Jacobsen’s and Homestead Furniture. | 144 N. Krome Ave.
Sports and the Outdoors
Auto Racing
Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Buzzing more than 280 days each year, the speedway hosts racing, manufacturer testing, car-club events, driving schools, and ride-along programs. The facility has 65,000 grandstand seats, club seating eight stories above racing action, and two tracks—a 2.21-mile continuous road course and a 1.5-mile oval. A packed schedule includes Grand-AM and NASCAR events. Two tunnels on the grounds are below sea level. | 1 Speedway Blvd. | 866/409–7223 | www.homesteadmiamispeedway.com.
Water Sports
Homestead Bayfront Park.
Boaters, anglers, and beachgoers give high ratings to facilities at this recreational area adjacent to Biscayne National Park. The 174-slip Herbert Hoover Marina, accommodating up to 50-foot vessels, has a ramp, dock, bait-and-tackle shop, fuel station, ice, and dry storage. The park also has a snack bar, tidal swimming area, a beach with lifeguards, playground, ramps for people with disabilities, and a picnic pavilion with grills, showers, and restrooms. | 9698 S.W. 328th St. | 305/230–3033 | $7 per passenger vehicle; $12 per vehicle with boat Mon.–Thurs., $15 Fri.–Sun.; $15 per RV or bus | Daily sunrise–sunset.
Tamiami Trail
U.S. 41, between Naples and Miami.
An 80-mile stretch of U.S. 41 (known as the Tamiami Trail) traverses the Everglades, Big Cypress National Preserve, and Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. The road was conceived in 1915 to link Miami to Fort Myers and Tampa. When it finally became a reality in 1928, it cut through the Everglades and altered the natural flow of water as well as the lives of the Miccosukee Indians who were trying mightily to eke out a living fishing, hunting, farming, and frogging here. The landscape is surprisingly varied, changing from hardwood hammocks to pinelands, then abruptly to tall cypress trees dripping with Spanish moss and back to saw-grass marsh. Slow down to take in the scenery and you’ll likely be rewarded with glimpses of alligators sunning themselves along the banks of roadside canals and hundreds of waterbirds, especially in the dry winter season. The man-made landscape includes Native American villages, chickee huts, and airboats parked at roadside enterprises. Between Miami and Naples the road goes by several names, including Tamiami Trail, U.S. 41, 9th Street in Naples, and, at the Miami end, Southwest 8th Street. TIP Businesses along the trail give their addresses based on either their distance from Krome Avenue, Florida’s Turnpike, or Miami on the east coast or Naples on the west coast.
Exploring
Everglades Safari Park.
A perennial favorite with tour-bus operators, this family-run park open 365 days has an arena, seating up to 300 for shows with alligator wrestling. Before and after, get a closer look at both alligators and crocodiles on Gator Island, follow a jungle trail, walk through a small wildlife museum, or board an airboat for a 35-minute ride on the River of Grass (included in admission). There’s also a restaurant, gift shop, and an observation platform looking out over the Glades. Smaller, private airboats can be chartered for tours lasting 40 minutes to two hours. Check online for coupons and count on free parking. | 26700 S.W. 8th St. | Miami | 15 miles west of Florida’s Tpke. | 305/226–6923, 305/223–3804 | www.evergladessafaripark.com | $23 | Daily 9–5, last tour departs 3:30.
FAMILY | Gator Park.
Here you can get face-to-face with and even touch an alligator—albeit a baby one—during the park’s Wildlife Show. You also can squirm in a “reptilium” of some 30 different venomous and nonpoisonous native snakes or learn about American Indians of the Everglades through a reproduction of a Miccosukee village. The park, open rain or shine, also has 35-minute airboat tours as well as a gift shop and restaurant serving fare from burgers to gator tail. | 24050 Tamiami Trail | Miami | 12 miles west of Florida’s Tpke. | 305/559–2255, 800/559–2205 | www.gatorpark.com | Tours, wildlife show, airboat ride $22.99 | Daily 9–5.
FAMILY | Miccosukee Indian Village and Gift Shop.
Showcasing the skills and lifestyle of the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida, this cultural center offers craft demonstrations and insight into interaction with alligators. Narrated 30-minute airboat rides take you into the wilderness where natives hid after the Seminole Wars and Indian Removal Act of the mid-1800s. In modern times, many of the Miccosukee have relocated to this village along Tamiami Trail, but most still maintain their hammock farming and hunting camps. The museum shows two new films on tribal culture and displays chickee structures and artifacts. Guided tours run throughout the day, and a gift shop stocks dolls, apparel, silver jewelry, beadwork, and other handcrafts. The Miccosukee Everglades Music and Craft Festival, going strong for four decades, falls on a July weekend, and the 10-day Miccosukee Indian Arts Festival is in late December. | U.S. 41, just west of Shark Valley entrance, 25 miles west of Florida’s Turnpike at MM 70 | Miami | 305/552–8365 | www.miccosukee.com | Village $10, airboat rides $16 | Daily 9–5.
Where to Eat
Coopertown Restaurant.
$ | AMERICAN | Make this a pit stop for local color and cuisine fished straight from the swamp. Started in the early 1960s as a sandwich stand, this eatery inside an airboat concession storefront has long attracted the famous and the humbly hungry. New, improved washrooms are outside. Besides catfish and shrimp, house specialties are frogs’ legs and alligator tail breaded in cornmeal and deep-fried, served with lemon wedges and Tabasco. Sandwich options include burgers, hot dogs, and grilled cheese. | Average main: $14 | 22700 S.W. 8th St. | Miami | 11 miles west of Florida’s Tpke. | 305/226–6048 | www.coopertownairboats.com | No dinner.
Empeeke Aaweeke.
$ | ECLECTIC | Whether you check in at the Miccosukee Resort or just drop by for slots action, Empeeke Aaweeke’s all-you-can-eat international buffet, served on the resort’s second floor from 6 am until midnight, provides a sure-fire return on your dollar with salads, cold cuts, chicken, seafood, meat dishes, and desserts. Restaurant art deco furnishings and tribal-art murals meld with the rest of the resort. The standard buffet price jumps (on occasion nearly doubling) on some holidays, and there’s a more expensive seafood buffet during dinner hours on Friday that is higher when crab legs are on the table. Ages 6 to 11 pay half price. | Average main: $11 | 500 S.W. 177th Ave. | Miami | 6 miles west of Florida’s Tpke. | 305/925–2555, 877/242–6464 | www.miccosukee.com.
Miccosukee Restaurant.
$ | SOUTHWESTERN | For breakfast or lunch (or dinner until 9 pm, November–April), this roadside cafeteria a quarter mile from the Miccosukee Indian Village provides the best menu variety along Tamiami Trail in Everglades territory. Atmosphere comes from the view overlooking the River of Grass, friendly servers wearing traditional Miccosukee patchwork vests, and a mural depicting American Indian women cooking while men powwow. Catfish and frogs’ legs are breaded and deep-fried. Besides pumpkin and Indian fry bread, you’ll also find burgers, salads, and south-of-the-border dishes. The Miccosukee Platter (the most expensive thing on the menu) includes gator bites. | Average main: $15 | U.S. 41, 18 miles west of Miccosukee Resort & Gaming; 25 miles west of Florida’s Tpke. | Miami | 305/894–2374 | No dinner May–Oct.
FAMILY | Pit Bar-B-Q.
$ | BARBECUE | This old-fashioned roadside eatery along Tamiami Trail near Krome Avenue was launched in 1965 by the late Tommy Little, who wanted to provide easy access to cold drinks and rib-sticking fare for folks heading into or out of the Everglades. This recently spiffed up backwood heritage vision remains a popular, affordable family option. Order at the counter, grab your food, and eat at picnic tables on the screened porch or outdoors. Specialties include barbecued chicken and ribs with a tangy sauce, fries, coleslaw, and a fried biscuit, plus burgers, fish sandwiches, and wings of fire. The whopping double-decker beef or pork sandwich with slaw requires multiple napkins. Latin specialties include deep-fried pork and fried green plantains. Beer is by the bottle or pitcher. Locals flock here with kids on weekends for pony rides. | Average main: $12 | 16400 S.W. 8th St., 5 miles west of Florida’s Tpke. | Miami | 305/226–2272 | www.thepitbarbq.com.
Where to Stay
Miccosukee Resort & Gaming.
$ | RESORT | Like an oasis on the horizon of endless saw grass, this nine-story resort at the southeastern edge of the Everglades can’t help but attract attention, even if you’re not on the lookout for 24-hour gaming action. The casino with mostly slots occupies the lobby (making for a cigarette-smoky welcome at check-in) and features more than 1,900 video machines, 58 poker tables, a 1,200-seat bingo hall, and a separate, comparatively smoke-free, gaming area. If you get beyond the lobby, you’ll find most rooms and suites have a view of Everglades’ saw grass and wildlife. Amenities include a minibar, coffeemaker, and television with pay-per-view movies and games. There’s an indoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, spa, fitness center, indoor play area for youngsters, a game arcade for teens and tweens, plus Club Egret child care for kids 12 and under. When available, drivers can take you to the Miccosukee Indian Village, area malls, or a 27-hole golf club and tennis courts about 15 miles away. Pros: casino; most modern resort in these parts; golf. Cons: smoky lobby; hotel guests find parking lot fills with gamblers; feels incompatible with the Everglades. | Rooms from: $149 | 500 S.W. 177th Ave. | Miami | 6 miles west of Florida’s Tpke. | 305/925–2555, 877/242–6464 | www.miccosukee.com | 256 rooms, 46 suites | No meals.
Sports and the Outdoors
Boat Tours
Many Everglades-area tours operate only in season, roughly November through April.
Coopertown Airboats.
In business since 1945, the oldest airboat operator in the Everglades offers 35- to 40-minute tours ($23) that take you 9 miles to hammocks and alligator holes to see red-shouldered hawks or turtles. You also can book private charters of up to two hours. | 22700 S.W. 8th St. | Miami | 11 miles west of Florida’s Tpke. | 305/226–6048 | www.coopertownairboats.com.
Everglades Alligator Farm.
Open daily near the entrance to Everglades National Park, this working farm—home of the late 14-foot “Grandpa” gator (now mounted for display)—runs a 4-mile, 30-minute airboat tour with departures 25 minutes after the hour. The tour ($23) includes free hourly alligator, snake, and wildlife shows; or see only the gator farm and show ($15.50). Alligator feedings are at noon and 3 pm. Look for online coupons. | 40351 S.W. 192nd Ave. | Homestead | 305/247–2628 | www.everglades.com.
Miccosukee Information Center.
The 30-minute narrated airboat ride ($16) departs from the information center (about 18 miles from the Miccosukee Resort) and stops at a 100-year-old family camp in the Everglades so passengers can hear tales and explore a little on foot. | U.S. 41, just west of Shark Valley entrance, 25 miles west of Florida’s Tpke. | Miami | 305/480–1924, 305/552–8365 | www.miccosukeetours.com.
FAMILY | Wooten’s Everglades Airboat Tours.
This classic Florida roadside attraction, now under new ownership, runs airboat tours (starting at $28 per person) through the Everglades for up to 22 people and swamp-buggy rides ($24 per person) through the Big Cypress Swamp for up to 25 passengers. Each lasts approximately 30 minutes. (Swamp-buggies are giant tractorlike vehicles with huge rubber wheels.) More personalized airboat tours on smaller boats, seating six to eight, last about an hour. An on-site animal sanctuary with a live gator show ($8) shelters the typical Everglades array of alligators, snakes, and other creatures. Some packages include an airboat ride, swamp-buggy adventure, and sanctuary access. Rates change frequently, but check out the website for combo packages. | 32330 Tamiami Trail E | Ochopee | 1½ miles east of Rte. 29 | 239/695–2781, 800/282–2781 | www.wootenseverglades.com | Daily 8:30–5; last ride departs at 4:30.