Florida City - Gateway to the Everglades

If you are traveling to Everglades National Park the drive will take you past the Florida City City Hall and its collection of plant animals.

City crews have shaped hedges around the city hall into different animals, ranging from giraffes to alligators.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

The best way to get around Florida City is by car.

This Hampton Inn is ideally located for those who want to explore Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park. It is located just five miles from the Biscayne Park and eight miles from the Everglades Park. It is also ideal for making day trips to the Keys or Miami. Located just off U.S. 1, the hotel is next door to the Prime Outlets Mall and the Mutineer Restaurant.

It was lunch time and we weren't interested in fast food, although all of the chains line U.S. 1 in Florida City.

With our time in Florida coming rapidly to an end, we wanted to eat as much seafood as we could before having to climb on the plane.

Judging by the amount of cars outside, we decided this must be a pretty popular place, even though the main lunch hour had already past.

After a hostess showed us to a table a waitress in a pirate's outfit got our drink orders and said she would return and take our order.

Tables in the Mutineer are rather close together so this is the reason why my wife came to ask the lady at the next table where she was from.

My wife had heard a familiar accent, and when the woman replied, "Tennessee," my wife was quick to tell her we were from Alabama.

By the time the waitress returned with our drinks and to take our order my wife was deep in conversation with the woman from Tennessee.

Taking a short break from her conversation, my wife ordered the shrimp salad and I ordered a jumbo soft shell crab sandwich.

The restaurant offers a hot daily buffet each day for $7.95, which our neighbors from Tennessee said was very good. There was quite a variety but not enough seafood items to tempt me from swaying from my soft shell crab sandwich. While waiting for our meal, my wife continued her conversation and found the couple from Tennessee were staying at a campground just down the street from the restaurant.

They had been in Tampa for the Super Bowl festivities but moved further south when cold weather hit the Tampa area.

While my wife did not particularly care for her shrimp salad, my soft shell crab sandwich was delicious, although a woman that was seated behind me halfway through my meal almost ruined it with her cigarette smoke.

Prime Outlets is conveniently located next to the intersection of the Florida Turnpike and U.S. 1.

With over 40 stores, one could spend a whole day shopping but with plans in Miami for later in the evening, we were only able to spend an hour here. Just a few of the stores located at Prime Outlets include Bass Outlet, Bugle Boy, Danskin, Hush Puppies Factory Direct, Nine West, Nike Factory Store and the Samsonite Company Store.

Like other outlet malls, one should know prices before shopping because often times the deal you think you are getting is really not a deal at all and the item could have been purchased somewhere else cheaper.

But if you like searching for a deal or at least think you got a deal, then a stop at Prime Outlets is just right for you.

If your destination is the Flamingo Lodge in the Everglades then you can't miss this attraction as it is right on the way. When my wife first mentioned visiting this attraction, the first thing that came to my mind was "TOURIST TRAP." However, after visiting I came away with a completely different feeling. Being able to see the alligators, snakes and other wild animals in their native habitat is very educational.

It was amazing to watch as one of the workers went inside the fence to feed the alligators. When asked, "How many times have you been bitten," he replied, "Only once." I have to admit I thought I was going to witness his second bite as one of the alligators began to sneak up on him from behind. But a quick drop of the bucket and some nimble foot work, kept him out of the grasp of the six foot long alligator.

The airboat ride was the most exciting part of the whole day for me, as the driver gave me a ride through the Everglades I don't think I will ever forget.

On your way to Everglades National Park you can't miss the Florida City City Hall. It will be on your right-hand side after you have turned off of US 1. Check out the animals in front of city hall. No, they are not real animals but animals that have been formed from shaping hedges in different animal designs. See how many animals you can find.