T+L’s Evaluate Flamingo Lodge in Florida’s Everglades Nationwide Park

As a substitute for RV or tent tenting, guests to Florida’s Everglades Nationwide Park can now verify into Flamingo Lodge, the park’s solely lodge lodging.

Spanning 1.5 million acres, Florida’s Everglades Nationwide Park was established in 1947, initially as a wilderness park for day guests, however native tourism advocates lobbied for in a single day lodging. In response, in 1966, Flamingo Lodge opened. The 2-story lodge had 60 items and an in-ground pool, and over the following 40 years, the property grew to become a preferred trip spot for native and out-of-town guests.

Injury from Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma pressured the lodge to shut in 2005, and the construction was ultimately demolished in 2009. Within the continuing years, guests who wished to spend the night time within the park may lease houseboats, erect tents, or park their camper vans or RVs, however the nearest lodge was situated about an hour away in Florida Metropolis.

The Flamingo Lodge lastly reopened on the finish of 2023 almost 20 years after its demolition. The lodge is a public-private partnership between the Florida-based tour firm Flamingo Adventures and the Nationwide Park Service, and the 24-room property is constructed from sturdy metal delivery containers.

“The Flamingo space in Everglades Nationwide Park has been an essential vacation spot for many years of park guests trying to discover the nation’s largest subtropical wilderness,” stated JJ Condella, common supervisor of Flamingo Adventures, in an interview with Journey + Leisure. “The unique Flamingo Lodge was a preferred spot for almost 40 years, and we’re proud to unveil the brand new lodge – the one lodge throughout the nationwide park – along with our Nationwide Park Service companions.”

Keen to take a look at the brand new digs, I arrived at Florida Everglades Nationwide Park on a crisp January afternoon – my first in a single day go to to the sprawling park. Although I’ve lived in Florida for greater than twenty years, I’m a self-proclaimed glamper and was hesitant to camp within the park in a single day till now. Throughout my keep, I kayaked on the bay, loved a sundown boat trip via the marsh, and hiked the quiet trails – grateful to return again to a sizzling bathe and comfy mattress every night.

In case you’ve been fascinated about an in a single day go to to Florida’s largest nationwide park, right here’s the whole lot you have to learn about reserving a keep at Flamingo Lodge.

The Rooms

My 420-square-foot one-bedroom suite had waterproof laminate wooden flooring and a kitchenette with a range, fridge, and microwave. The primary dwelling area had a compact however comfy sleeper couch, workspace, and 4 ottomans. Although the lodge is constructed from a delivery container, the one traces of the commercial materials contained in the rooms have been the white corrugated steel ceilings.

The remainder of the suite featured peppy tropical decor of teal accent partitions, lime curtains, and gold palm frond artwork prints, and the bed room was outfitted with a queen-size mattress and standalone closet for storage. Different visitor room choices embody studio and two-bedroom suites that prime out at 640 sq. foot, and although there are not any televisions, you’re not right here to look at TV when there are miles and miles of wilderness to discover.

Meals and Drink

Meals are served in a 4,000-square-foot restaurant adjoining to the lodge, and the counter service restaurant has informal dishes influenced by Florida’s native flavors. Breakfast burritos and smoked salmon bagels spherical out the morning menu and the lunch and dinner menu consists of coconut shrimp, crispy empanadas, and a flavorful conch chowder soup.

The restaurant additionally has a cook-your-catch possibility, and cooks will grill, fry, or blacken your freshly caught fish and serve it with a aspect of fries, salad, or plantain chips. You may take your meals exterior on the patio, and outside grills between lodging buildings can be found on a first-come, first-serve foundation.

Experiences and Facilities

Although the brand new lodge lacks a pool, the encircling park is a veritable playground for water actions. Actions could be booked via the Nationwide Park Service or Flamingo Adventures, which offers each water tools leases and guided excursions. On my first morning, I signed up for a kayaking tour and my information, Tim Taylor, a seasoned park ranger, gave me a colourful historical past of the park throughout our two-hour tandem kayak trip. We excitedly whooped as bottlenose dolphins and manatees glided only a few toes from our kayaks and a bald eagle swooped inches above the water, looking for fish.

I additionally booked a day boat tour, which was filled with households, and we floated down the brackish waterways because the guides identified the herons, ibis, and a grayish-black crocodile who stood completely nonetheless for our photographs. The encompassing trails are nice for biking or strolling, and I spent my mornings strolling the half-mile loop across the lodge.

Positioned only a few toes from the lodge, the Man Bradley Customer’s Middle, named after a chook conservationist, presents interactive shows that inform the story of the park’s first inhabitants. The pastel-pink artwork deco constructing reopened in July 2023 after renovations to restore intensive harm from Hurricane Irma flooding. There’s additionally an out of doors amphitheater a few mile from the lodge the place nature talks are performed a number of nights per week.

Accessibility and Sustainability

Constructed to resist hurricane winds and sea stage rises, the lodge is constructed from metal delivery containers with hurricane-impact home windows, and all the construction is elevated on stilts 13 toes off the bottom, assembly Florida constructing code for coastal high-hazard zones.

“Incorporating issues for sturdiness within the face of local weather change for each the brand new lodge and customer middle offers resiliency for these customer services,” stated Allyson Gantt, chief of communications and public affairs, Everglades Nationwide Park, in an interview. “We hope the brand new lodge, restaurant, and customer middle will encourage extra vacationers to find and rediscover this distinctive public land.”

The customer’s middle additionally has newly put in low-flow plumbing fixtures, energy-efficient home windows, and LED lighting. The property has photo voltaic panels on-site (although these are used to warmth the bogs and showers within the close by eco-tents), and the lodge is stocked with sustainable and environmentally pleasant soaps and shampoos. 4 ADA rooms are accessible by a walkway and elevator.

Location

The lodge is situated deep inside Everglades Park, about two hours from downtown Miami and 45 minutes from the park entrance. You’ll want a automotive as there’s no public transportation or shuttles to the park, however when you’re on the lodge, the restaurant, customer’s middle, and marina are inside a couple of minutes stroll of one another.

The best way to Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

Flamingo Lodge is greatest for campers who desire a comfy retreat on the finish of the day. Although there are not any bells and whistles like a spa, fitness center, or tennis courts — the lodge actually simply offers a snug, handy possibility for in a single day stays.

In case you’re contemplating a multi-generational tenting journey, older relations could recognize the entry to air con, heat showers, and clear sheets (each day housekeeping is accessible upon request), and the lodge will attraction to vacationers preferring glamping over lodging in a tent or RV.

You may take pleasure in decrease charges throughout Florida’s excessive season; charges begin at $159 from June via October and begin at $259 in the course of the excessive season of November via Could. There’s a 14-day most restrict on stays, and a park entrance price is required to enter Everglades Nationwide Park to entry Flamingo Lodge and the restaurant. Reservations can solely be made by way of cellphone (855-708-2207) or via the lodge’s official web site.