Everglades National Park attracts millions of visitors every year to see its unique ecosystem and varied wildlife. If you love exploring the national parks, the Everglades is one of the best places to go during your Florida vacation!
Where should you stay while visiting the Everglades? If you like to camp and want to stay right in the center of the park, reserve a campsite at a campground. But if you don’t mind driving for a few extra minutes, you’ll find good options in the city of Homestead.
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My name is Ash, and I used to be a park ranger! Florida is my favorite winter destination, and I’m excited to help you decide where to stay while visiting the Everglades. Let’s break it down.
Everglades Map, Entrances, and Nearby Towns
First, let’s get the lay of the land around the national park. This park has three official entrances, so you’ve got plenty of options for places to stay while visiting the Everglades.
Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center Entrance (Homestead)
The Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center Entrance is located on the southeastern side of the park, and this is the main entrance that leads to most of the park’s can’t-miss activities.
The closest city with all the amenities you’ll need is Homestead, which is about a 20-minute drive from the entrance station. You’ll pass through Florida City as you make your way to this entrance, but I prefer staying in Homestead over Florida City — it just has better hotel and AirBnB options.
It’s also worth noting that Miami is only about an hour from the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center. As you’re trying to decide where to stay while visiting the Everglades, you may decide to book something in Miami if you want to hang out at the beaches or enjoy the many restaurants and clubs in this large and exciting city!
Because of its location, this entrance is usually my preferred place to stay near the park. However, if I’m visiting the park for more than two days, I’ll usually split my lodging reservations between the Homestead and Everglades City areas.
Gulf Coast Visitor Center Entrance (Everglades City)
The Gulf Coast Visitor Center is on the northwestern side of the park. This entrance is most commonly used to explore the Ten Thousand Islands, which are named after the slew of islands that go all the way down to the southern coast of Florida and are only accessible from this region.
The closest city with amenities is Everglades City, the stone crab capital of the world! In addition to the fabulous seafood and boating adventures in this area, you’ll find a decent variety of lodging options and activities.
If you want more dining, lodging, or activity options, or if you’re just hoping to relax in the vibrant water of the Gulf Coast, you can drive 45 minutes up to Naples, Florida, from the Everglades.
Shark Valley Entrance (Tamiami Trail)
The Shark Valley Entrance is located along Highway 41, also known as the Tamiami Trail. This road skirts the northern edge of Everglades National Park, and it is awesome for taking part in some of the biggest adventures you’ll find in this park.
Shark Valley is THE BEST place in the park to see alligators. On a typical winter day, you’re likely to see these amazing creatures out sunning themselves near the water. You can take a tram tour or go biking to get out to the Observation Tower. The last time I was in Shark Valley, we saw 34 alligators on our tram tour!
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The Shark Valley area is gated, and the gate is only unlocked from 8:30 A.M. – 6:00 P.M. You won’t be able to get into Shark Valley if you visit outside of those hours.
Other fun things to do in this area include taking an airboat ride or visiting Big Cypress. You can easily get to the Shark Valley Entrance from either the Gulf Coast area (Everglades City), Miami, or Homestead. It takes about an hour to drive from any of those areas.
If you’d like more information on the best airports and roads around the Everglades, including details about getting to each of these entrances, check out How to Get to Everglades National Park.
Staying Inside of Everglades National Park
At over 1.5 million acres, Everglades National Park is one of the largest national parks in the country! This means it’s important to carefully choose where to stay while visiting the Everglades if you don’t want to spend a ton of time in your car.
I recommend staying inside the park if you want to be close to the amazing activities, points of interest, and best wildlife viewing spots! If you can cut down on your drive time by staying near a point of interest, you’ll be able to see and do more in the time that you have.
Hotels in the Everglades
As of 2022, there are no hotel rooms available in the park, but there is a lodge-in-progress that should be opening up soon!
For now, if you’re hoping to stay in the park in a hotel-like setting, you’ll find a few unique options. First, you can rent an eco-tent in Flamingo! These tents aren’t quite what you expected from a classic camping experience—the winter eco-tents are furnished, and the tents are elevated off the marsh and provide at least a partial view of the bay. Check out these tents for a unique, modern, and stylish stay at the Everglades.
Second, you can rent a houseboat! These beautiful homes on the water are available in the Flamingo area as well. A boat captain will take your houseboat up to Coot Bay, where you can then further explore Whitewater Bay. This is a completely unique experience that your family will never forget.
Everglades Campgrounds
If you’re looking for an adventurous place to stay in the Everglades, you’ll find some incredibly unique camping options in the park! There are two frontcountry campgrounds (Flamingo and Long Pine Key) and many wilderness campsites available to you for your stay.
The Flamingo Campground is open year-round, and reservations are recommended during the busy season (December-April). There are 274 total sites, with many accommodating RVs and groups. This is a drive-in campground with parking at each campsite plus solar-heated showers, a dump station, picnic tables, and grills.
This campground is located right along the coast at the end of the main road that travels through the Everglades. It’s perfect if you want to canoe, kayak, or take a boat tour. The Flamingo Campground is also close to many popular birding areas!
If you stay here, be aware that you are quite far from Shark Valley and the Gulf Coast Visitor Center, so if you’re hoping to get to those areas, I recommend staying here for a night or two and then moving to something closer to the other locations.
The Long Pine Key Campground is smaller than the Flamingo Campground, with only 108 campsites. All of the campsites offer spots for RVs and tents, and there is one group campsite.
The Long Pine Key Campground is only open from November through May, so you’ll want to make a reservation well in advance because it does fill up. This campground is nicely situated near the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center and is in a good location for exploring the most popular spots in the Everglades.
Wilderness camping is a popular activity in the park for boaters and the adventurous at heart. You’ll have to boat, kayak, or canoe to most of these first-come, first-served sites, so plan ahead and grab a permit from a visitor center.
To learn more about your camping options and how to snag a site, read all about camping in the Everglades.
Staying Outside of Everglades National Park
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Depending on what you want to do while at the Everglades, staying outside of the park can be an ideal option for you (especially if you don’t want to camp). I recommend staying outside of the Everglades if you want nicer amenities, unlimited activities, or more dining and lodging options.
Staying in Homestead
If you’re visiting the Everglades and would like to see all the most popular spots, I suggest basing your trip out of Homestead.
Homestead has a nice selection of lodging and restaurant options, and you’re only a few minutes from the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center entrance to the park. This is where you’ll find most can’t-miss spots like the Anhinga Trail and the Mahogany Hammock. You’re also close to the Gator Grill (frog legs, anyone?) and the Robert Is Here fruit stand.
You’re a decent drive from Shark Valley (about an hour), but it’s not too bad, and you don’t have to fight through the Miami traffic to get there. From Homestead, you’re also extremely close to Biscayne National Park, Key Largo, and Miami.
If you’re visiting the Everglades for more than a day or two, I highly recommend splitting your lodging between the west and east side of the park to cut down on driving. Homestead is a fabulous location for exploring the main areas of the park, including Flamingo and Shark Valley, but if you’re hoping to visit the 10,000 Islands, you may want to spend a night or two on the west side of the park too.
Click here to see lodging options in Homestead.
Staying in Miami
If you’re hoping to spend a lot of time in Miami and just plan on daytripping to the Everglades, you may just want to book something right in Miami. It takes about an hour to get to both the Shark Valley and the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Centers from downtown (in good traffic!).
Click here to see lodging options in Miami.
Staying in Everglades City or Naples
Everglades City is right on the coast, just outside of Everglades’ west side. It’s known as the stone crab capital of the world, so you’ll find lots of delicious food and fun opportunities to get out on the water in this town.
The Gulf Coast area of the Everglades is quieter than Shark Valley and Flamingo, so you’ll love this area if you’re looking for a more relaxing experience out in the ocean rather than the more traditional Everglades landscape of slow-moving water and grass.
Click here to see the lodging options in Everglades City.
If you’re excited about visiting Florida’s beautiful beaches, you might love staying in Naples while you’re on this side of the Everglades. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the Gulf Coast Visitor Center from here, but if you don’t mind the drive, it is lovely in this seaside city.
Click here to see lodging options in Naples.
Should I Stay in One Hotel to See Both Everglades and Biscayne?
Yes! This is one instance where it does make sense to stay in one place to see both Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park during the same trip. If you stay in Homestead, you’ll be ideally situated to visit Everglades for a few days, and then you can easily drive over to Biscayne for a day.
If you want to add on the third national park in Florida, Dry Tortugas, you’ll want to book a separate hotel for this one and get as close to Key West as you can!
I hope you find the perfect place to stay in Everglades National Park. Have a great trip!
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