The park was within a couple of miles of the resort. It is very easy to get to. There is plenty of parking. We purchased a ticket with a 40% discount from the resort. The staff was friendly and down to earth.

After a short wait, we were called to the boat we were taking out. The boats are run by what appears to be an airplane engine mounted high in the back.

The first thing that caught my eye about the Everglades is that it all looks the same. I immediately started wondering how the drivers knew where they were. The everglades are beautiful and vast. We rode around to look for alligators. We were fortunate to see a couple. We also saw several different birds. After the boat ride, we took in the alligator wrestling show. The alligator guy was fearless. You could take pictures with baby alligators. They also had people selling arts and crafts.

The airboat held about 20 or so people. We went out through the Everglades and the cattails. There was lots of wildlife and GATORS. The first stop is on a Seminol reservation to learn about alligators and see a guy wrestle one. But the highlight was the gator tail that we ate -- it was so good and seasoned with natural peppergrass.

The are a lot of airboat companies to choose from throughout the Everglades. Vacation Villages at Weston has a half price deal ($8 each) with one 10 minutes from the resort. A bus is offered for free, but we chose to go on our own. The airboat is covered and large, fitting 20 people. The ride starts with a trip to a ridiculous Indian village (just a tourist trap) for a five minute alligator wrestling show. Mildly interesting. The airboat ride continues with a lot of environmental information being offered by the boat captain. We saw a few alligators and a ton of birds. Don't spend more than $10 for these tours.

See this website which notes fish, turtles, alligators, and wading birds can be seen from the Shark Valley tower in and around the borrow ponds. Look for red-shouldered hawks, snail kites, northern harriers, and occasional rare short-tailed hawks over the marsh. White-tailed deer are often seen lingering near the edges of hammocks or bounding through belly-deep water in the marsh. We took the tram ride which offers narration. For more information, see also this website.

We didn't have to wait very long. The airboat carried about 20 passengers. They took you into the everglades. Good think the tour guide new where he was going, cause I sure got lost. The tour lasted about 1 hour. I saw Purple Gallinules, a bird I have never seen before. The pair came up to the stopped boat along with there 4 fluffy babies. The female jumped onto the tour guides arm an ate bread. I also saw a large, 6-8 foot alligator, which the tour guide named. It swam back and forth next to the boat. A little scary. The boat does have a roof. If at all possible sit in the front row by the left side of the boat facing forward. The tour guide sits on the left side of the boat and he tends to dock more on the left side, when showing things. Kind of leaves the people out on the right side of the boat.