The heart of South Florida is the Everglades, a threatened ecosystem of wetlands between the Florida coasts. Everglades National Park preserves part of this environment, including quite a few alligators. Visit the Everglades in the winter - the summer has a lot less visitors for a reason!

Everglades is one of the largest national parks (1.5 million acres). Some of the highlights are Shark Alley (no sharks, lots of alligators), with its tram tours through the middle of the wetlands. You can also take a 15 mile bike ride through the same loop as the tram tours - rentals are available. Another highlight is to take a canoe or kayak into the Ten Thousand Islands area on the western side of the park near Florida Bay. You can easily do a day trip, or plan a multiple day camping adventure. If you don't actually want to get wet, there are also guided boat tours through the Ten Thousand Islands region from Everglades City.