You’re about to finalize all the logistics for a 7-day trip to South Florida. Yet for some strange reasons, you keep worrying that you may run out of places to visit and frantically research the nearby places, including the Caribbean, to add to your itinerary as a side trip. Until you face the reality… 7 days is hardly enough to scratch the surface of such a diverse, vibrant, and animal-abundant region as South Florida.
Last updated: March 16, 2026
One Week Road-Tripping across South Florida
The southern section of Florida is home to some of the state’s bustling cities and such unique landscapes as Everglades National Park, dubbed Gator Park for quite apparent reasons, and Biscayne National Park, 95 % of which consists of water. This was our exploration arena for the next week.
Another place we longed to see during this 7-day trip to South Florida was the famous archipelago, the Florida Keys. Located south and southwest of the southern tip of the Florida peninsula, the island chain is the epitome of the sunny state with its endless beaches and multiethnic culture.
Is 7 Days Enough to Visit South Florida?
I must confess the thought that we would exhaust our sightseeing plans way before we would run out of time crossed my mind frequently while I was busy planning and booking our South Florida trip. I even looked up further north and south, all the way to the neighboring Caribbean, saving a few places in a separate Word doc as an Alternative South Florida Itinerary. The one we didn’t need to use after all.
The southern section of Florida overwhelmed us with its diversity that encompasses both cultural and natural realms. We ran out of time quicker than we had expected. The chances are high that even if we had another 7 days to explore South Florida, we would still leave plenty of places to come back to next time around.
With that being said, a week is a good starting point to travel across South Florida. You will have a chance to explore the region’s unique national parks and preserves, meet and photograph some of the frequent and elusive animals, and enjoy the hospitality and diversity of Florida’s southern towns and cities.
Without further ado, let’s begin our 7-day road trip across South Florida.
7-DAY ROAD TRIP ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA
DAY 1: ARRIVAL
It takes approximately 5 hours to fly to South Florida from Los Angeles. One day, give or take. We arrived in Fort Lauderdale in the evening, picked up our rental car and headed to Hollywood where we stayed one night.
Aside from some light city sightings, not much was done on that first day. But we were excited about the next 6 days that would take us across South Florida from east to west and all the way to the southernmost point of the continental U.S.
DAY 2: EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
One of the main reasons we traveled to South Florida was to explore Everglades National Park as much as it was possible given the peculiar nature of the area and season.
Everglades National Park is the largest national park in Florida. In fact, it’s the third largest national park in the continental U.S. after Death Valley and Yellowstone National Parks. So, one day is not nearly enough to see different sections of the area. We spend the next 3 days, driving in and out of the park and pairing it with other landmarks worth visiting in South Florida.
Stop 1: Shark Valley
Shark Valley is synonymous with Everglades National Park. The area is known for several easy boardwalk hikes, the Shark Valley Observation Tower, and a large concentration of alligators and other tropical and subtropical reptiles and birds.
The best way to see everything Shark Valley has to offer is to hike, bike, or ride a tour bus along the 15-miles Shark Valley Tram Trail. We chose the third option. The excursion lasts approximately 2 hours. The tram makes a loop, starting along the new path and heading back to the Visitor Center along the old road, showing the plant diversity and animal abundance of the park along the way.
Stop 2: Long Loop Scenic Drive & Big Cypress National Preserve
You can spend the entire day (and even longer) in the heart of the Everglades. We would return here in a day. As of now we headed to the western section of the park where we would have two exciting activities the next morning.
The drive from Shark Valley to Everglades City where we spent the night is less than an hour. You can follow the paved RT 41 for faster transit or steer to the mostly gravel Long Loop Scenic Drive.
The 24-mile drive is technically not a part of Everglades National Park, but Big Cypress National Preserve. As you would expect, it’s slow, dusty, less traveled, and excellent for bird and wildlife viewing. Just pull over where it’s safe and enjoy the sights.
TIP: Be mindful of your surroundings, though. Don’t wander too far or off the road. A day in the alligator-infested wilderness of South Florida is always an unpredictable adventure.
Stop 3: Everglades City
Spend the evening exploring the city and its culinary scene or venture outside to chase the sunset, which is magical. If you arrive in Everglades City in late afternoon, you can still have enough time to look for elusive manatees along the Everglades City Boardwalk.
We didn’t spot any sea cows. Nor did we see any manatees during this entire 7-day trip across South Florida. That was certainly the most unfortunate part of our adventure.
DAY 3: BACK IN EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
Due to its nature – well-preserved and untrodden in many sections – and the abundance of wild and dangerous animals, this part of Southern Florida is worth exploring with a local guide. This morning, we had two tours lined up.
Activity 1: Airboat Tour in South Florida
When the sun was already high up in the sky, but the Florida heat that you would feel with every part of your body later in the day didn’t drain your energy yet, we joined our first guided ride. Airboat tour is a favorite way to dive deeper into the snake and alligator-infested swamps of Everglades National Park.
The excursion could look like a regular boat ride except the motor of the vessel was exposed and positioned at the back of the boat, shattering the morning quiet with its thundering roar. The shallow waters of Everglades’s swamps make it impossible to use a traditional boat.
For the next 30-60 minutes, you glide in the airboat across the swamps, get close to the mangroves, and learn a lot about Florida’s ecosystem and wildlife.
Activity 2: Swamp Buggy Ride
A swamp buggy tour that followed next offered an entirely different experience. Instead of getting on the water, we roamed across Southern Florida’s cypress forests and marshes in an elevated 4×4 vehicle.
The main purpose of this excursion is to introduce its guests to a different side of Florida’s flora and fauna and, if you are lucky, see land species of local wildlife, including black bears, white-tailed deer, and even Florida panthers, the most elusive of them all.
Our wildlife viewing spectrum, unfortunately, didn’t get expanded. We saw many alligators and some subtropical and tropical birds, but no bears or panthers.
But at least later we got a chance to get up close with baby alligators during the after-the-ride alligator show on the premises. Roshan and Dylan even decided to hold them. Clinging tighter to my camera, I was quite content with just touching these swamp puppies.
Around noon, we said our goodbye to the western section of the park and headed back to its center.
Activity 3: Walking the Anhinga Trail
There are a few places in South Florida that fill your day with so much excitement and wonder that even if all other adventures fall short of your expectations, you still feel like the entire trip has been such a success.
One of such destinations is the Anhinga Trail. Located near the Royal Palm Visitor Center, the path is rather short. At 0.8 mile, the raised boardwalk trail snakes above lowlands, offering beautiful views of the swamps with lots of bird and large and small reptile and fish viewings.
And if you still can’t get enough of American alligators that feel at home in Florida (Roshan was done by that time), this place won’t disappoint you.
Activity 4: Hike the Gumbo Limbo Trail
With the trailhead to the right of the Anhinga Trailhead, the Gumbo Limbo Trail veers into the opposite direction of the wildlife-abundant swamps and takes you deep into a tropical hardwood hammock.
The show-stoppers of the area are red-stemmed gumbo limbo trees. Growing on both sides of the 0.5-loop trail, these Southern Florida’s locals are often mocked and nicknamed “sunburned tourists” for their signature peeling bark.
Activity 5: Watch Owls along the Mahogany Hammock Trail
The third day of our South Florida trip consisted of more hiking than the previous two combined. Looking at the itinerary that has one trail followed by another may feel intimidating for some visitors. After all, you travel to South Florida to laze in the sun and explore its diverse underwater world.
But fear not. Trails in this section of the state are short (at least the ones we chose to explore). Often they don’t spread for longer than one mile, out and back.
The Mahogany Hammock Trail falls into the category of short, raised-boardwalk excursions. At 0.4 mile, it’s easy and virtually flat. The path takes you into another mahogany hammock favored by raptures. Furthermore, it’s known as one of the best places in South Florida to photograph birds of prey, in particular barred owls.
Shaded from the blazing sun under the lush canopy of trees, the trail indeed looked beautiful. Yet no owls bothered to get out of their hideouts and please us with their presence.
TIP: To the defense of these round-headed birds, we didn’t bring along any binoculars. Spotting the owls camouflaged in the trees with the naked eye was challenging. Thus, when traveling to this part of South Florida, you may want to pack a pair of binoculars or a telephoto lens.
Excursion that Wasn’t Meant to Happen: Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook
Another beautiful place to add to your South Florida trip is the Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook. Unfortunately, during our visit, the site was closed for reconstruction of the path. The drive to and from it, however, was beautiful, festooned with the golden light of the descending sun and dignified birds of prey soaring up in the sky.
Stay: For the next couple of days, we stayed in a charming townhouse (Airbnb) in Florida City.
DAY 3: BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK AND FLAMINGO
It was our last day exploring the incredible national parks that make South Florida one of the most desiring places to visit for nature lovers.
Stop 1: Biscayne National Park
We started our day with a guided exception to learn the history and see some of the keys and marine creatures of Biscayne National Park.
The region is one of the most unique places not only in South Florida, but the entire U.S. 95% of its territory is made up of water. The remaining 5% include the Dante Fascell Visitor Center where you meet your guide and set off on an adventure and several small islands. Here they are called keys.
Stop 2: Flamingo
The southernmost section of Everglades National Park is known as Flamingo. It’s a short and preferred name of the official Guy Bradley Visitor Center.
Many sightseeing and wildlife watching tour vessels depart from the Flamingo marina. The purpose of our visit to this area, however, was to find some manatees. We hadn’t seen any sea cows up to this point of our South Florida trip. Flamingo was our last hope.
Well, the last day in Everglades National Park was both successful and not so much. We encountered some species indigenous to South Florida such as a baby crocodile and a rattlesnake. But rare manatees managed to escape right before we arrived at the dock where another family claimed to see them just a few minutes ago.
DAY 4: FLORIDA KEYS
The next two days we spend exploring the enchanting Florida Keys, the southernmost archipelago of the state. The Florida Keys is a roughly 120-mile-long chain of islands. The archipelago consists of more than 1,700 isles. The major keys are connected by bridges. Smaller ones can be accessed only by water or air.
If you stick to the larger and most developed islands, you don’t need a boat. Just your car and the desire to see the southern part of Florida from an entirely different perspective.
Places to Visit
Some of the interesting stops you may want to add to your itinerary here include John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. An excellent snorkeling and scuba diving point, it’s mostly located under the water. Similarly to Biscayne National Park, the area comprises a part of the Florida Reef Tract, the third largest coral reef system in the world.
To view some injured and rehabilitating birds and reptiles, drop in at the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary and the Turtle Hospital. At the latter, you may even attend a surgery performed on one of the rescued endangered and threatened Florida sea turtles.
TIP: Make sure to reserve your spot in advance and arrive on time. Despite its rather off-the-beaten-path reputation, the place may attract more wildlife lovers at a time than its surgical room is possible to fit in.
For some fun on the shore and island food with local and Caribbean flavor stop at Robbie’s of Islamorada. Dotted with seafront restaurants and gift shops, this vibrant marina in South Florida gathers crowds of hungry visitors on the dock and ravenous big tarpon right underneath it.
The fish along with a pod of pelicans linger here for a treat. On Islamorada, you are encouraged to throw a fish or two (make sure to hold on to your fingers, watch our Florida Keys film if you don’t know what I mean) to the school of tarpon. You can purchase a small bucket of bait fish right at the dockside bait shop.
Stay: We found our home away from home for this and the following day halfway through the Florida Keys, at Knight’s Key Suites in Marathon.
DAY 5: FLORIDA KEYS AND KEY WEST
To tell you the truth, you need more than a day to explore the Florida Keys on the other side of the iconic 7 Mile Bridge and Key West, the southernmost city-island of the continental U.S.
Stop 1: Key West
We started our day at Key West. Literally drove from Marathon all the west to the southernmost isle of the continental U.S. without any stops. The reason behind this speedy escapade were swarming crowds typical for this island. To be exact, the desire to escape them.
Key West is a favorite and the most crowded island-city on the southernmost archipelago of Florida. The city’s streets become a bustling human beehive in mid to late morning and get even busier as evening with a different kind of entertainment rolls in.
We prefer a slower pace with fewer people around. Arriving early gave us exactly what we needed and offered a rare chance to have some of Key West’s epic landmarks all to ourselves.
The fact that we just walked to the Southernmost Point Buoy – touristy, yes, but also iconic if you visit this part of South Florida for the first time – took some pictures, and were on our way to the next destination in a few minutes speaks volumes. No waiting in line for our turn, no hustle, no feeling like we were losing our precious time.
Interestingly enough, a few hours later, when we were taking the same route to get back to our car, the line to take photos at that same Southernmost Point marker stretched for a block and around the corner.
Places to Explore
- Other places you should consider visiting while on Key West include the Hemingway House Cats and Museum. The former house of the famous novelist is a marvelous treat for all avid readers and Hemingway fans.
- Later pop inside the Truman Little White House or spend an hour touring the historic Fort Zachary Taylor.
- If you take an outdoor escapade with a chance to see some local animals over any cultural attractions any day, spend a few hours navigating the mangrove maze of South Florida in a kayak or a paddle board.
- For those who travel with small kids, the Key West Aquarium and the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory offer a more gentle way to admire local and exotic animals and insects.
Alternative Itinerary: If you have an extra day to spend in South Florida, consider visiting Dry Tortugas National Park, accessible only by a ferry, seaplane, or private boat.
Stop 2: Bahia Honda State Park
Before retiring for the day, drive to Bahia Honda State Park to laze on a sandy beach, take a leisurely walk by the water, or watch wading birds. According to many locals and even more travelers, the state park is the epitome of South Florida’s natural beauty.
DAY 6: BACK ON THE MAINLAND
You have several options to spend the last full day of your 7-day trip to South Florida. If a big city’s ambiance lures you, head north up the southeast coast to Miami or Fort Lauderdale. For a taste of both cities, plan your time accordingly and spend half of the day in each.
- Some of the highlights of Miami to check out in one or half a day are the iconic SouthBeach, Monkey Jungle, the Art Deco District, Little Havana, and the Ancient Spanish Monastery.
- In Fort Lauderdale, a quick visit to Las Olas Beach, Fort Lauderdale Beach, Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, and the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens should quench your travel bug. And don’t forget to stop at the Hollywood Art Murals for some art and inspiration.
Alternative Itinerary
If you are like us and spend 7 days in South Florida with a kid in tow, don’t rush to leave the famous key chain yet. Make a stop at the Dolphin Research Center on Grassy Key.
The place is a non-profit organization and a sanctuary for rescued marine animals, such as dolphins, sea lions, and occasional manatees. Take a walk and admire these beautiful animals from the wooden paths.
TIP: If you feel tempted to get up close and personal with some of these intelligent animals, book a dolphin encounter beforehand. You can also try your luck and get the ticket to swim with the dolphins at the entrance like we did.
Dylan got lucky and had his wish fulfilled. He ended up swimming with the dolphins and becoming friends with one particular young marine mammal named Gypsy. But his ticket was the last available for that day. Us being the first in the line before the center even opened may have helped a bit.
But frankly, if you really want to finish your 7-day trip to South Florida on a strong note, make sure to reserve your spot a few days in advance.
DAY 7: FLYING BACK HOME
Time to say goodbye to the sunny southern state and board your return flight home. Until we meet again, South Florida!
