Learn About the Everglades
Start with the question that brought you here. These guides connect wildlife and water science with practical trip planning, original photographs and Captain Greg’s accounts from the field. Students, teachers and curious visitors can follow the source links to investigate further.
Understand the ecosystem
- What are the Everglades, and why do they matter? Understand the River of Grass, the wider ecosystem and the national park.
- Alligator or crocodile? Compare appearance, habitat and responsible wildlife viewing.
- Why are alligator holes important? Explore dry-season refuges and how scientists study them.
- Why does the Everglades need a dry season? Separate normal seasonal change from severe drought.
- When does fire help or harm the Everglades? Read the science alongside Greg’s lightning-fire account.
- Pythons and guided outings: learn what a field experience involves and follow the research on invasive species.
Plan a visit that fits your group
- Airboat tours with children: preparation and safety questions
- Airboat tour, Shark Valley or Big Cypress?
- Best time to visit: seasons, weather and departure choices
- What to wear and bring
- Finding our Miami airboat departure location
- Private versus shared airboat tours
Captain Greg’s field notes
Greg reports personally watching a lightning strike ignite a fire in late June 2026. His account places that fire in Everglades National Park between US 41 and SW 88th Street, a few miles west. He also reports another lightning-started fire east of Krome Avenue between US 41 and US 27 during the same storm. Read the full fire story and ecological context. The eyewitness account is distinguished from official incident findings.
His aerial photographs offer another way to notice channels, vegetation and patches of open water. A photograph records one place and moment; it does not by itself establish a regional trend.
For school and science projects
Choose a focused question, record the date and location of each observation, and separate what you can see from what you infer. Compare a local photograph with published monitoring data before making a claim about the whole Everglades.
Begin with the National Park Service explanation of Everglades hydrology and USGS research on alligator-hole indicators. Cite the original study or agency source in your assignment, including its publication date. These visitor guides are a starting point for research.
Experience the landscape
Compare our private airboat tours and full experience directory. Tell the team about your group’s interests when you request an adventure. Wildlife sightings depend on conditions.