WARNING! Do not approach wildlife!
Never get closer than 15
feet to an alligator.
This was the notice posted at the beginning of a 15-mile
scenic loop my family intended to bike in Everglades National Park. It literally
stopped us in our tracks. To take pictures of course, not only of the warning sign,
but also of the gators swimming lazily in the canal next to the paved trail we
were on. And they were definitely closer than 15 feet, with no fence or barrier
of any sort preventing them from exiting the waterway and crossing the road to
the wetlands on the other side.
Like wildlife in all of America’s national parks, the
Everglade’s alligators are free to roam wherever they want. Because they are
coldblooded animals, meaning they cannot regulate or maintain their body
temperature, they often congregate on the pavement to warm themselves in the
sun during the cooler winter months. But since we were visiting South Florida
in spring, when daytime temperatures are generally in the mid-80’s, most of the
alligators we saw stayed put in the lily pad cloaked channel.
Our 14-year old son, Matthew, had not been thrilled when we
started planning a spring break trip to Florida that included the Everglades,
Biscayne National Park, and the Florida Keys. He had wanted to spend his
holiday in central Florida - at Disney World, Universal Studios, and Seaworld.
Or anyplace, really, that didn’t involve biking, hiking, and canoeing in nature.
He seemed especially concerned about biking, hiking, and canoeing in the midst
of alligator country. His worries were not unfounded. While unprovoked attacks
are considered rare, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission did
receive 16 reports of alligator attacks in 2010. So as I crept closer and
closer to the water’s grassy edge to get that perfect wildlife shot of a baby crocodilian,
my family reminded me about the 15 foot rule.
Bikes are rented on a first-come first-served basis at the
Everglade’s Shark Valley Visitor Center, located at the park’s north entrance.
For those not enchanted with the idea of pedaling around the 15-mile loop,
all-the-while keeping watch for road-crossing gators, a popular guided tram
tour is a faster and safer way to explore the River of Grass. 
The entire Everglades area encompasses about 4,000 square
miles, from Lake Okeechobee down to the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Bay. It used
to be twice as big, before early settlers, developers, and government projects began
altering the balanced ecosystem. Today, roughly 2,300 square miles of this
slow-moving sheet of freshwater are protected by Everglades National Park, all
of which lies south of U.S. Highway 41. Called the Tamiami Trail, the highway traverses
the lower Florida peninsula from near Miami in the east to Naples on the west
coast. Additional tracts of marsh are maintained by Big Cypress National
Preserve and the Miccosukee and Seminole Indian Reservations on the north side
of the highway.
Getting Around in the Everglades
After the bike ride we crossed Highway 41 to MiccosukeeRestaurant, which is run by the Miccosukee Tribe. A billboard outside the diner
advertised fried gator tail, fry bread, pumpkin bread, breaded catfish fillets,
fried frog legs, and Indian tacos. While
offering me little hope of getting a gluten free meal, we still went inside,
basically because there wasn’t much else around. The waiter and I agreed that a salad and a
glass of real iced tea were my safest bets.
Down the road from the restaurant is the Miccosukee IndianVillage. Touted as a cultural experience where visitors can enjoy craft
demonstrations, watch an alligator show, and take an airboat ride with a stop
at an authentic Indian camp, the Village got great ratings in our guidebook. However,
with no demonstrations taking place during our visit, the next alligator show
not starting for another hour or so, and the sole airboat in sight having
already been booked by a group coming from the Miccosukee Resort and Gaming
Convention Center, a facility near Miami owned by the Miccosukee Indian Tribe, our
experience lasted about 15 minutes. (Recent reviews on TripAdvisor.com are more
favorable so it’d be worth it to check it out again). So we headed back towards
several airboat tour outfitters we’d passed earlier in the day on our way to
Shark Valley. Everglades Safari Park promised an eco-adventure tour that included
a 30-minute airboat ride, an educational alligator show, and a wildlife trail.
For our second day in Everglades National Park we pointed
our rental car towards the more remote area of Flamingo. Along the way we
stopped at the Royal Palm Visitor Center to walk the “must-see” 0.8 mile loop
Anhinga Trail to observe more alligators, turtles, and birds such as the
anhinga, herons, and vultures. Other stops along the Main Park Road afforded us
views of the Everglades diverse habitats that include subtropical pine forests,
jungle-like hardwood hammock, and mangrove forests. We were also privileged to witness
a flock of endangered wood storks nesting at Paurotis Pond.
Flamingo Visitor Center is the end of the road in the
Everglades. There used to be a lodge, cabins, and restaurants here, providing
the parks only accommodations, but that was before Hurricanes Katrina and
Wilma. Now there is only the visitor center, the marina, a campground, and a
convenience store. It was at the store where we rented canoes for a four-mile
round-trip paddle up Buttonwood Canal to Coot Bay. There are numerous canoe
trails in this area but tides, winds, and advice from marina staff should
dictate which route to choose.
Our excursion was relatively uneventful, save
for the time my husband steered us into a grove of mangrove trees, causing me
to nervously scan the overhead branches for snakes, and we returned having
spied only a limited number of birds. Expressing our disappointment about not
seeing any reptiles, the staff member helping us out of our canoes at the dock
shot a finger toward a saltwater crocodile just a few feet forward of our bow.
To which my 14-year old exclaimed, “You mean we didn’t have to waste all that
time, do all that work, and get sunburned just to see that?”
Sunscreen is essential equipment in South Florida. Even in
the winter when morning and evening temperatures are cool, mid-day temps are
regularly in the sunny 70’s. Winter is normally the best time to visit the
Everglades because of the pleasant temps, fewer rains, low mosquito activity,
and increased migratory bird population. We knew we were taking a chance by
visiting the Everglades in late spring when the mosquito population increases
right along with the daytime temperatures and water levels. But we were prepared with mosquito repellant.
Where to Find Gluten-Free Food
I was also prepared with regard to gluten free food. Knowing
beforehand that food in general in the park would be sparse I’d packed my usual
travel collection of gluten free cereal, crackers, bread, and bars, and planned
to pick up perishable items and other snacks at the local Walmart Supercenter
Store. Surprisingly, I didn’t need to be so organized because the store carried
many gluten free products. It was also situated just a few blocks from our
hotel in Florida City, making it convenient place to pop in to for our daily
picnic supplies.
We’d selected the Best Western in Florida City for our 5
night stay in south Florida solely for its location. Positioned smack-dab
between Everglades and Biscayne National Parks, we counted the hotel’s large courtyard
pool, pleasant rooms, daily continental breakfast (hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, fruit,
and juice for me), and helpful staff as welcome bonuses. With its official name
being Best Western Gateway to the Keys, we also knew we’d be nicely situated
for an excursion through the Florida Keys.
Florida City itself is small, with a population of about
8500. It is the southernmost town in the south Florida metropolitan area,
located roughly 33 miles south of Miami airport. Coupled with its larger sister
city, Homestead (population 50,000), the area has several hotel chains,
shopping centers, and restaurants. Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q, Chili’s Grill, and
Longhorn Steakhouse are among the chains that have gluten free or allergen
menus. For local, non-chain dining
flavor, we looked to the area’s population mix, its legacy as an agricultural zone,
and its “tropical” designation. This led us to places such as El Toro Taco, Farmers
Market Restaurant, Fruit & Spice Park, and Robert is Here.
El Toro Taco is a family-run business in Homestead with a
“very good to excellent” Zagat rating for homemade Mexican food. I’d also give
our waitress an “excellent” score for the attention she gave to my gluten free
requirements. After checking with the kitchen staff several times, she
recommended chicken enchiladas made with soft corn tortillas, and replaced the enchilada
sauce, which contained flour, with ranchero sauce. At Farmers Market Restaurant
in Florida City, fittingly located inside the gated industrial-looking state
farmers market, the staff was equally friendly and willing to accommodate me.
With plenty of fresh vegetables on the menu and seafood being their specialty,
I had no problem putting together a gluten free meal. However, I did have to
send back the mashed potatoes when they were served to me with gravy on top
because the waitress didn’t know the gravy was made with flour!
Fruit & Spice Park is a 37-acre tropical botanical
garden that grows more than 500 types of tropical fruit, spices, vegetables,
herbs, nuts, and other plants. During an hour-long tram tour, visitors are
invited to sample whatever happens to be in season. For us this included one of
their 75 varieties of bananas, sapodilla (tastes like a pear sprinkled with
brown sugar!), and mamey (has a sweet pumpkin flavor). Additional tastings were
offered inside the visitor center. At the park’s Mango Café, a fruit sampler,
fruit and spice shakes and smoothies, and an assortment of salads and
sandwiches (not GF) were available for purchase. We popped into the café only
for the smoothies and shakes. We also indulged in fresh fruit shakes at Robertis Here, a landmark exotic fruit and local vegetable stand located en route to
the Everglades Royal Palm Visitor Center. It’s a fun place to breathe in the tangy aroma
of freshly squeezed citrus, taste freshly made sun-ripened tomato salsa, or
listen to a live weekend band.
Biscayne National Park and Beyond to the Keys
After spending time on and around the water of the
Everglades, it was time to get in the water at Biscayne National Park. Ninety-five
percent of the park’s 172,000 acres are underwater, so getting wet is the best way to learn about the park’s four diverse,
yet fragile marine ecosystems of mangrove shorelines, shallow bay, undeveloped
islands, and living coral reefs. At Dante Fascell Visitor Center, guests can
join a ranger-led program, rent a canoe or kayak, or hop aboard one of the park
concessioner’s snorkeling, SCUBA, or glass bottom boat tours. Despite the day’s
windy conditions, we chose one of the two daily 3-hour snorkeling tours. Onboard,
we crossed 10 miles of Biscayne Bay to reach Boca Chita Key, the park’s most
popular island with its signature decorative lighthouse, and then traversed an
additional three miles of ocean to reach the reefs. Once in the water with
mask, snorkel, fins, and a snorkeling vest, the ocean’s swells and wind-driven
waves turned our much-anticipated easy-going drift across the water’s surface
into gut-churning, salt-water-swallowing snorkeling adventure. Still, the
underwater dance of colorful fish and reef was a mesmerizing sight.
The hefty breeze also played havoc with our plans for a
snorkeling tour at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. So we discarded
that idea and instead spent a leisurely morning driving south to Key West on
the 106.5-mile Florida Keys Scenic Highway. Along the way we stopped at
Robbie’s Marina on Lower Matecumbe Key (Mile Marker 77.5), where the major
attraction is buying a bucket of raw fish to feed to the large school of long
silvery tarpon that congregate off the pier. Warning: Release the feeder fish
or otherwise risk the tarpon leaping out of the water and latching onto your
hand!
Once in Key West we took the obligatory photos at Mile
Marker 0 and the buoy-like monument signifying the southernmost point in the
continental U.S. Then, we sought out lunch at Help Yourself, a funky little
place that serves organic, made from scratch food, and states that almost
everything on the menu can be made gluten free and vegan. By late afternoon we were on the beach at Bahia
Honda State Park, one of the top 10 beaches in the U.S. (Mile Marker 37), and
then made it to famous Seven Mile Bridge (Mile Marker 47), one of the world’
longest bridges, just in time to watch the warm spring sun sink into the Gulf
of Mexico. For dinner we selected Barracuda Grill in Marathon (Mile Marker
49.5) because their menu looked gluten free friendly due to its selection of
grilled fish and chops. As with all of our other dining experiences while on
vacation, the staff was pleasant and willing to help me pick items, and make
adjustments, to keep me safe and healthy in south Florida.
There was one activity on this family spring break trip,
however, from which I did not escape safely. You see, I’d made a deal my
teenage sons that if they indulged my desire to bike, hike, and canoe in south
Florida, I’d indulge them with a day at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at
Universal Studios in Orlando. WARNING: It’s a lot of fun!
Helpful Information
Everglades National Park:
www.nps.gov/ever; Biscayne National Park:
www.nps.gov/bisc
Best Western,
www.bestwesternflorida.com/hotels/best-western-gateway-to-the-keys.
Homestead Restaurants:
http://business.intuit.com/boorah-restaurants/best-of/24814/FL/Homestead.html?start=0
Fruit & Spice Park and Robert is Here:
www.RedlandTrail.com
Help Yourself:
http://www.helpyourselffoods.com/
Barracuda Grill:
http://www.barracudagrillmarathonfl.com
West Village/Greenwich Village
Battery Park
