The Everglades by Airboat from Sawgrass

Thirty minutes west of Fort Lauderdale on US-27. The last subdivision ends, sawgrass starts, and the landscape flattens into a horizon so wide the sky looks twice as big. Sawgrass Recreation Park's airboat ride is the loud, fast, alligator-guaranteed introduction — the motor covers the distance that puts you in the middle, where the silence between engine blasts is South Florida's most extraordinary sound.

Grass to the horizon — a river fifty miles wide and six inches deep, flowing south at geological speed. Alligators everywhere: basking, floating eyes-only, occasionally opening a mouth that makes you reconsider the food chain. The captain gets close enough for photos and far enough for survival, and the line between those distances is narrower than you'd like.

Dry season (December-April) is best �� concentrated wildlife, manageable mosquitoes. Wet season is lush but the bugs are biblical. The Anhinga Trail at Royal Palm Visitor Center (an hour south on US-1) is the best walking alternative: boardwalk through slough, anhingas drying wings, alligators beside the railing.