A full day in the Everglades: tram, tower, airboat

Seven hours, two very different rides

SoFlo's Everglades day starts with pickup and a 50-minute drive west to Shark Valley, Everglades National Park. From there it's a 15-mile guided tram ride into the sawgrass, stopping for photos of alligators, birds, turtles, snakes and whatever else is out along the trail. At the halfway point you climb the lookout tower for an aerial view over the river of grass, then roll back to the start for a fruit snack and drinks.

Part two is the classic: a 40-minute airboat ride at Everglades Safari Park, an authorized Everglades National Park concession that has been educating visitors since 1968 and runs to strict national-park guidelines. Then the van brings you home.