Family Visit to Everglades National Park

The Everglades proved me wrong. I was expecting swamps like Louisiana! Oops. Real life learning. 🤓 . The southern loop of the Everglades passes through about eight different ecosystems - it changed from grasses to pine to cypress to mahogany hammock to Florida Bay. . We only stayed about four hours and did four short hikes to explore. A National Park Pass for my 4th grader and no paid excursions means it was free (other than $$ gas). . Alligators. Croc. Manatees. Birds. Soft shelled turtle. Anoles. Cool grasshoppers. Lots of birds. And two Junior Ranger kids. . The kids had a good time. I have regrets knowing what could have been done - sooo much water we could have explored. The bay was crystal clear and looked amazing. Next time? We need a boat trip, cooler weather, and a bigger budget 😉