South Florida and the Everglades: Miami, Gators, and Two National Parks

How the region fits together

South Florida is compact by Florida standards. Miami sits on the Atlantic, the Everglades fill the interior and the southern tip, Biscayne National Park is mostly underwater just south of the city, and the Tamiami Trail (US-41) runs straight west across the sawgrass to Naples on the Gulf in about 2 hours. Nothing on this plan is more than a two-hour drive from Miami, so you can base in the city for part of the trip and still see the wild country.

The dry season, November through April, is by far the best time here. The Everglades wildlife concentrates around shrinking water holes and is far easier to see, the humidity drops, and the mosquitoes back off. Summer is hot, buggy, and stormy, with many Everglades services on reduced hours. A rental car is essential. Start with the South Florida region guide and our national and state parks page.

Days 1 to 2: Miami and Miami Beach

Spend your first two days in the city. Base on the sand at Loews Miami Beach Hotel at 1601 Collins Avenue or the classic Fontainebleau Miami Beach at 4441 Collins Avenue, or stay downtown near the water at InterContinental Miami at 100 Chopin Plaza. Walk the pastel Art Deco district along Ocean Drive, swim off South Beach, and take a Big Bus Tours Miami hop-on ride from 401 Biscayne Boulevard to get your bearings on the neighborhoods.

Eat your way through the city. CVI.CHE 105 at 105 NE 3rd Avenue does standout Peruvian ceviche downtown, Havana Vieja on Washington Avenue serves classic Cuban, and Rusty Pelican at 3201 Rickenbacker Causeway on Key Biscayne has the best skyline view over the water. For a deeper food day, Miami Culinary Tours at 1000 5th Street runs walking tastings through Little Havana and South Beach. Read the Miami guide and the Miami Beach guide for more.

Day 3: The Everglades by airboat and on foot

Head into the sawgrass. There are two ways to see the Everglades and you want both across the next two days. Start with an airboat, the fast, loud, fun way to skim the shallow River of Grass and spot gators, wading birds, and turtles. Everglades Holiday Park Airboat Tours at 21940 Griffin Road and Everglades Swamp Tours at 3500 Everglades Parkway, both on the northern edge near Fort Lauderdale, run narrated rides and gator shows about 45 minutes from Miami.

For the quieter, deeper wilderness, drive the Shark Valley entrance off the Tamiami Trail, where a 15-mile loop road (bike, tram, or walk) puts you eye level with alligators sunning on the banks and an observation tower looks out over the endless grass. This is the real Everglades National Park, not a show, and the dry-season wildlife density is remarkable. Read the full Everglades National Park guide before you go.

Day 4: Biscayne National Park and the southern glades

Biscayne National Park is 95 percent water, so you see it from a boat. About 40 minutes south of Miami at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center in Homestead, the park concessioner runs snorkel and glass-bottom-boat trips out to living coral reefs and the shipwrecks of the Maritime Heritage Trail. Book ahead, since trips depend on weather and sell out in peak season. This is the underwater counterpart to the Everglades' grass, and few visitors make time for it. See the Biscayne National Park guide.

In the afternoon, drive the main Everglades park road from the Homestead entrance down toward Flamingo, stopping at the Anhinga Trail boardwalk, one of the most reliable gator and bird spots in the whole park, and the dwarf cypress and pinelands along the way. Together with Shark Valley, this gives you the northern and southern faces of the glades. Learn more about the ecosystem on our Florida Keys region guide, since the reef here connects to the same chain.

Days 5 to 6: Across the Tamiami Trail to Naples and back

Drive the Tamiami Trail (US-41) west across the sawgrass to the Gulf coast, about 2 hours, passing through Big Cypress National Preserve and the roadside Everglades outposts along the way. You end in Naples, the calm, upscale south end of the Gulf coast, with soft sand, a walkable pier, and easy swimming. Book a shelling cruise, sunset trip, or backcountry fishing charter with Pure Florida at 1200 5th Avenue S, or base at JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort at 400 S Collier Boulevard just south for a full-service beach day.

On your last day, close the loop back to Miami, or detour up to Fort Lauderdale, about 40 minutes north of Miami, for its canals and beach. Riverfront Gondola Tours at 1200 East Las Olas Boulevard cruises the Venice-of-America waterways, a relaxed way to end the trip. To keep going after this, connect straight into our Florida Keys road trip from Miami, or step up to the full statewide one week in Florida with kids plan. Anchor your planning at the Florida travel guide.

Where to stay and eat across South Florida

Base your city nights on the sand or downtown. Loews Miami Beach Hotel at 1601 Collins Avenue and the landmark Fontainebleau Miami Beach at 4441 Collins Avenue put you in the Art Deco district, the design-forward 1 Hotel South Beach is a quieter luxury pick, and InterContinental Miami at 100 Chopin Plaza keeps you downtown near the water and Brickell dining.

Miami is a food city, so eat well. CVI.CHE 105 downtown does standout Peruvian ceviche, MILA on Lincoln Road pairs Mediterranean and Asian plates with a rooftop, Ole Ole Steak House on Lincoln Road handles the steak night, and for Cuban, Havana Vieja and Alma Cubana in South Beach keep it classic. A Big Bus Tours Miami loop from 401 Biscayne Boulevard is the easy way to get your bearings first.

Out west on the Gulf, base at the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort at 400 S Collier Boulevard and book a shelling or fishing trip with Pure Florida at 1200 5th Avenue S in downtown Naples. If you close the loop through Fort Lauderdale, Café Bastille Fort Lauderdale is a relaxed lunch stop before a Riverfront Gondola Tours cruise from 1200 East Las Olas Boulevard along the canals.

For planning, this whole plan sits within a two-hour drive of Miami, so you can base in the city for the first half and only change hotels once. A rental car is essential for the Everglades and the Naples run. Dry-season rooms in Miami Beach run highest from December through April, so mid-week nights save money, and Everglades and Biscayne boat trips should be booked ahead since they depend on weather and sell out. Start with the South Florida region guide and our national and state parks page.

A few more picks and practical notes round out South Florida. Beyond the headliners, Miami's food runs deep: MILA and Ole Ole Steak House on Lincoln Road cover a special night out, Café Bastille Miami Beach is an easy sidewalk breakfast or lunch, and downtown you can add Crazy About You on the water in the Brickell area or Limoncello Miami for Italian. In Little Havana, walk Calle Ocho for a cafecito and a cigar-roller demo, and cap it with a Miami Culinary Tours tasting if you want context with the food. On timing, do the Everglades and Biscayne on weekdays when the boat trips are less crowded, and hit Shark Valley or the Anhinga Trail early, since alligators and wading birds are most active in the cool of the morning and the lots fill by midday. Bring insect repellent for any dawn or dusk time in the glades, even in the dry season, and treat the sun seriously on the open water at Biscayne. For the Naples leg, the drive back to Miami on US-41 passes Big Cypress and roadside outposts, so allow extra time to stop; if you would rather move faster, Alligator Alley on I-75 is the quicker return. On the budget, Miami Beach rooms swing widely by season and day of week, so a Sunday-through-Thursday stay often costs far less than a weekend, and basing in one hotel for the city half keeps you from repacking. See the Miami guide and the Miami Beach guide for more neighborhoods.