Everglades National Park

- Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center
- Flamingo Visitor Center
- Gulf Coast Visitor Center
- Royal Palm Visitor Center
- Shark Valley Visitor Center

Ernest F. Coe Vistor Center    (back to top)

Open:
Open All Year 9:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m.

Phone:
305-242-7700

Location:
Located at the main park entrance west of Homestead and Florida City

Exhibits:
Educational displays, orientation films, brochures, and information are available.

Available Facilities:
Books, film, postcards, and insect repellent may be purchased in the bookstore. No trails start from this visitor center.

Flamingo Visitor Center    (back to top)

Open:
05/01/2004 to 11/24/2004 Intermittent hours
11/24/2004 to 04/30/2005 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Phone:
239-695-2945

Location:
Flamingo is 38 miles (61 km) southwest from the main entrance at the southern end of the Everglades National Park.

Closures:
Open intermittently during the summer.

Exhibits:
Natural history exhibits and information in the Florida Bay Museum.

Available Facilities:
A restaurant, gift shop, lodge, and campground are nearby. Boat tours and canoe rentals are available at the marina. Several hiking and canoeing trails begin at Flamingo or nearby, including the south end of the Wilderness Waterway. Abundant wildlife may be found here year-round.

Gulf Coast Visitor Center>    (back to top)

Open:
Open All Year
05/01/2004 to 11/23/2004 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
11/24/2004 to 04/30/2005 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Phone:
239-695-3311

Location:
The Gulf Coast Visitor Center is located in Everglades City, in the northwest corner of the park.

Special Programs:
A 1 hour 45 minute narrated boat trip provides an overall description of this saltwater ecosystem.

Exhibits:
The visitor center has natural history exhibits, park information, and issues backcountry permits and park passes.

Available Facilities:
Gulf Coast is the gateway for exploring the Ten Thousand Islands, a maze of mangrove islands and waterways that extends south to Flamingo and Florida Bay. Canoes may be rented to explore Chokoloskee Bay and the Turner River. For the more adventurous, the 99 mile (159 km)Wilderness Waterway, accessible by canoe, kayak, or small motorboat, winds through the mangrove islands all the way to Flamingo. Backcountry permits are required for camping.

Royal Palm Visitor Center    (back to top)

Open:
Open All Year 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Phone:
305-242-7700

Location:
Located four miles west of the main entrance station

Special Programs:
Anhinga Amble: join this daily ranger-led walk to find out why this trail is an attraction to wildlife; anhingas, alligators and Florida gar can all be seen along this trail Glades Glimpses: Not much time? In 20 minutes, a ranger will introduce you to the subtropics, alligators, and other Everglades tidbits.

Exhibits:
Artist Charles Harper's stylized images of Everglades wildlife are on display with recorded messages that interpret the park's unique ecosystems.

Available Facilities:
The Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo trails begin here. Books, film, postcards, and insect repellent are available for sale, and vending machines dispense snacks and soft drinks.

Open:
Open All Year
0518/2004 to 12/15/2004 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
12/15/2004 to 05/18/2005 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Phone:
305-221-8776

Location:
Shark Valley is located along U.S.41 (Tamiami Trail) on the northern border of the park.

Special Programs:
A two hour narrated tram ride provides an overview of the freshwater Everglades.

Available Facilities:
Exhibits, information, and book sales. A fifteen mile (24 km) not open to private motorized vehicles) extends into the marsh, offering one of the best opportunities to view alligators and the endangered snail kite in Everglades National Park. Bicycles are available to rent. Those wishing to explore alone can walk the short trails and portions of the tram road, or bike. An observation tower located halfway around the tram road provides a spectacular view into the sawgrass marsh.