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Everglades National Park Offers Wide Range of Travel Adventures
FLAMINGO, FLORIDA -- Less than an hour from the Miami metropolitan area is the largest mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere. The Everglades, once considered inaccessible, is an exquisite wilderness that is easy to explore and enjoy.
Everglades National Park is one of the country's largest parks and a treasure of biological diversity. This subtropical wilderness is a combination of one and a half million acres of sawgrass prairie and mangrove forests sheltering a tremendous spectrum of wildlife. More than 2,000 species of plants are found in Southern Florida. Animal life is varied and includes the endangered American crocodile, alligators, otter, bobcat, deer and a wide variety of fish.
It was many years of efforts to preserve the wide variety of wildlife which resulted in the dedication of Everglades National Park. Through the work of the area's foremost supporter, Ernest F. Coe, Congress passed a national park bill in 1934. After the bill was stalled by the Great Depression and World War II, President Harry Truman dedicated Everglades National Park on December 6, 1947, and the park celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1997.
Everglades is the third-largest national park in the continental U.S. - behind only Death Valley National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Much of the park is under water and visitors find that it is often best to explore the park by boat.
Flamingo, Fla.
The perfect place for your home base when you explore Everglades National Park is Flamingo Lodge, Marina & Outpost Resort. More than 100 years ago, Flamingo was barely accessible and was populated by plume hunters, renegades, fishermen and farmers. Today, Flamingo's 200 residents are employees of the National Park Service and concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts®. The National Park Service operates the visitor center and campground, and Xanterra manages the lodge, restaurant, boat rentals, boat tours and charter fishing.
Flamingo Lodge, Marina & Outpost Resort
Located 38 miles southwest of the main park entrance, Flamingo Lodge is open year-round. The lodge features 103 comfortable, air-conditioned rooms plus 24 cottages with kitchen facilities.
Flamingo Lodge Restaurant
The restaurant overlooks Florida Bay and many keys. The menu features an extensive selection of seafood, steak, chicken, vegetarian dishes and local specialties. Flamingo Lodge restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from November to April. Limited food service is available for lunch and dinner May to October. Complimentary continental breakfast is available to lodge guests during the summer months.
Fishing
Fishing enthusiasts will find plentiful snapper, sea trout, redfish, tarpon and snook. Flamingo Marina offers easy access to saltwater fishing available on Florida Bay and throughout the backcountry. Saltwater licenses are available at the Flamingo Marina General Store as well as many locations outside the park. Open year-round, the Flamingo Marina General Store also offers live shrimp, frozen bait and light tackle.
Flamingo Marina can arrange full- or half-day fishing charters year-round. Charters include fishing licenses, tackle, coolers and ice.
Birdwatching/Wildlife Viewing
Birdwatchers will spot more than 300 species of birds in the winter, including egrets, storks, roseate spoonbill and an occasional bald eagle. The best places to see the birds are at ponds, particularly in the dry winter months. Birds commonly spotted in the Flamingo area include the rare mangrove cuckoo - found few other places in the United States - the white-crowned pigeon, and the reddish egret. During the winter, birdwatchers can find white pelicans, black skimmers, yellow-crowned night herons, American swallow-tail kites, scissor-tail fly catchers and painted buntings. Additionally, every type of heron in the United States has been spotted near Eco Pond, located just a quarter mile from the resort. These include the great blue heron, tri-colored heron, little blue heron, green heron, reddish egret, snowy egret and great egret (egrets are considered herons).
The Anhinga Trail -- located 40 minutes away from Flamingo Lodge -- is one of the most dependable areas for wildlife viewing. Observers can spot alligators, snakes, turtles and the occasional otter. Wildlife-watching is best during the winter when the animals gather around water-filled gator holes.
Hiking/Bicycling
The Everglades offers many short, self-guided nature trails with well-marked trailheads. Bicycles can be rented year-round at the Flamingo Marina.
Tours
- The Backcountry Cruise is a two-hour cruise deep into the mangrove forest aboard the Pelican. This year-round tour is perfect for guests who want to glimpse wildlife such as hawks, alligators and manatees.
- The Florida Bay Cruise is a 90-minute tour through the marine feeding and nursery grounds of Florida Bay aboard the Bald Eagle. A sunset cruise also is available seasonally.
- The Windfall Cruise is a 90-minute aquatic tour over the same waterways the area's first explorers traveled more than 100 years ago. The tour is available December to April.
- The Dolphin Cruise is a four-hour exploration of the Everglades Mangrove Estuary.
- Marinas and Boat Launching Ramps
Flamingo Marina is open year-round and can accommodate up to 50 boats. Boat launching ramps are available and there are a limited number of electric and water hook-ups.
Houseboats
Available year-round, houseboats at the Flamingo Marina sleep up to eight people and come fully equipped with propane, linens, cookware, dishes, safety equipment and navigational charts. While boating experience is helpful, it is not mandatory as marina staff provides a complete orientation.
Skiffs
A fishing trip to the backcountry of the Everglades is an experience to be savored by everyone from novice fishermen to experienced anglers. Flamingo Marina's 19-foot Carolina skiffs accommodate up to four people and are powered by 25-horsepower engines. The boats are equipped with an 18-gallon fuel tank, bench seat with cooler, bimini top, VHF radio/antenna, fire extinguisher, bilge pump, flare kit, first aid kit, anchor line, bow/stern rails, personal flotation devices and rod holders.
Canoes and Kayaks
Canoes and kayaks are desirable because so much of the park is under shallow water. Water birds, sea turtles, fish, and endangered manatees live in the park's waterways. Rentals are available at the Flamingo Marina.
The concessions at Flamingo Lodge, Marina & Outpost Resort in Everglades National Park are managed by Xanterra Parks & Resorts®. For more information on lodging and activities at Flamingo, call (1) 800-600-3813 or (1) 941-695-3101, or fax (1) 941-695-3921. Or visit the resort's web page at www.flamingolodge.com.
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Xanterra Parks & Resorts® (consisting of Xanterra Parks & Resorts®, Inc. and Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C.) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts® is the country’s largest national park concessioner. Xanterra Parks & Resorts® operates concessions in the following locations: Yellowstone National Park, the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Death Valley National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Everglades National Park, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.; Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and eight Ohio State Parks. Its affiliate Xanterra South Rim, L.L. C. operates concessions at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Long committed to the preservation and protection of the environment, Ecologix, Xanterra Parks & Resorts'® environmental program, includes a variety of proactive environmental stewardship programs in each location. Xanterra Parks & Resorts® was selected as a member of the EPA “Environmental Performance Track” program in 2003. Also in 2003, Xanterra Parks & Resorts'® Grand Canyon operations received the Arizona Tourism Award for Preservation and its operations at Mount Rushmore received the prestigious ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Standard Certification. Xanterra Parks & Resorts® was the recipient of Environmental Achievement Awards from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2002 and from the Department of Interior in 2001 and 2002. Xanterra Parks & Resorts® also received the Travel Industry Association’s Odyssey Award for its environmental initiatives in 2001.
For more information about Xanterra and links to individual properties, visit: www.xanterra.com. For reservations and more information about Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion or Death Valley, call (1) 303-297-2757 or toll-free at (1) 888-297-2757. For reservations and more information about Yellowstone, call (1) 307-344-7311. For reservations and more information about Flamingo Lodge in Everglades National Park, call (1) 800-600-3813 or (1) 239-695-3101. For reservations at Crater Lake Lodge, call (1) 541-830-8700. For reservations and more information about Ohio State Park Resorts, call (1) 800-282-7275.
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