Everglades City, 36 miles south of Naples on Florida’s Southwest Coast, is a small community where visitors can truly get away from it all and the perfect staging point for a family-friendly Everglades vacation or Gulf-Coast fishing getaway.
The charming waterfront city’s proximity to Everglades parks and wild Gulf islands make it an outdoor adventurer’s paradise. Fish Ten Thousand Islands, kayak the Paradise Coast Blueway, check out the Gulf Coast Visitor Center at Everglades National Park, and choose from a host of companies offering excursions to the Everglades, fishing charters, airboat tours, swamp buggy tours, and eco-tours. Some of Florida’s most iconic preserves and parks, including Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Picayune Strand State Forest, and Collier-Seminole State Park, are all within easy reach of Everglades City.
Culinary offerings here range from fresh-from-the-water seafood to cafe fare and Cuban-American cuisine. Everglades City is known as the “Stone Crab Capital of the World,” and visitors can get this delicacy at local eateries and fish sellers during stone crab season, which runs from Oct. 15 until May 1. The 100-year-old Everglades Rod & Gun Club is a historic local gem where visitors can eat in the same club where several presidents have dined, stay at the resort, and dock at the marina.
Ochopee, a 10-minute drive from Everglades City, is where visitors can find Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery and see the famous black-and-white works of Florida’s best-known photographer. Quirky, family-friendly attractions, including the The smallest post office in the U.S. and Skunk Ape Research Headquarters, are also nearby. The Smallwood Store, four miles from Everglades City on Chokoloskee Island, is full of Florida pioneer history and rumored to be haunted.
Plan your trip to the Paradise Coast.
FAMILY FUN
Explore the parks, spot dolphins on an eco-tour, the area’s family-friendly attractions.
MUSEUMS, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Visit the museum and local attractions.
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
Book a fishing charter, airboat tour, or swamp buggy tour, and explore the area’s many parks and preserves.
BEACHES
Take a drive to visit the beaches of Naples and Marco Island.
ACCESSIBILITY
Visit the area’s accessible attractions.
DINING
Enjoy fresh seafood, Cuban-American cuisine, and more.
SHOPPING
Pick up essential supplies, gifts, and seafood to go.
PLACES TO STAY
Book a stay at a hotel, motel, fishing lodge, resort, or campground.
