There is only one Everglades. This is where we share what we've learned about it: the animals that live here, the people who shaped it, how the water works and how to see it for yourself. Every story is researched and sourced. Read about our mission.

Wildlife

Alligators, crocodiles, wading birds, turtles and the invaders changing the River of Grass.

Alligator vs. Crocodile in the Everglades

South Florida is the only place on Earth where alligators and crocodiles share the wild. Here is how to tell them apart.

Burmese Pythons in the Everglades

How a pet-trade snake from Southeast Asia took hold in the Everglades, what it is doing to native wildlife, and how Florida is responding.

Five Gator Facts from the Airboat

Basking, speed, the spring water dance and gator holes: five things about Everglades alligators that make more sense once you see them up close.

The Turtles of the Everglades

Cooters, softshells, snappers and mud turtles: a guide to the Everglades turtles you might spot basking from the water.

The Wading Birds of the Everglades

Egrets, herons, ibis, storks, spoonbills and anhingas: how to recognize the Everglades' wading birds and the story of how they were saved.

History

The people, roads, canals and fights that shaped the Everglades we know today.

Draining the Everglades: How a River of Grass Was Reshaped

A century of canals, dikes and pumps cut the Everglades in half. Here is how it happened and what restoration is doing about it.

How Everglades National Park Came to Be

From Ernest Coe's long campaign to Truman's 1947 dedication, here is how Everglades National Park was born and what makes it unique.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas: The Writer Who Named the River of Grass

The Miami writer whose 1947 book recast the Everglades as a slow-moving river, and who spent her final decades defending it.

The History of the Airboat and How It Came to the Everglades

From early aviation experiments to homemade frogging boats, how the airboat became the signature craft of the Everglades.

The Miccosukee and Seminole People of the Everglades

How the Seminole Wars led Native families into the Everglades, and how two living nations carry that history forward today.

The Tamiami Trail: How a Road Was Blasted Across the Everglades

Thirteen years, millions of sticks of dynamite and a road that dammed the river of grass, now being bridged to let water flow again.

Ecosystem

How the water, sawgrass, seasons and tree islands work together, and how restoration is going.

Everglades Restoration Today: Repairing One Connected System

From the Kissimmee River to Florida Bay, here is how Everglades restoration works today and what you can do to help.

The Everglades Wet and Dry Seasons, Explained

Two seasons drive everything in the Everglades. See how rain, water levels, mosquitoes and wildlife change through the year.

Tree Islands of the Everglades: Hammocks, Bayheads and Cypress Domes

Tree islands are the high ground of the Everglades. Learn how hammocks, bayheads and cypress domes form and who depends on them.

What Is Sawgrass? Meet the Plant Behind the River of Grass

Sawgrass is a sharp-edged sedge, not a grass. Here is how it survives fire and flood and shapes the Everglades.

Visiting

Honest, practical advice for seeing the Everglades from an airboat.

Ride the River of Grass

Reading about it is one thing. If you want to see it for yourself, Airboating Everglades explains how airboat rides work and how to plan your day on the water.