Updated July 29, 2021 To increase safety, we recommend: Not visiting if you feel sick Getting vaccinated Wearing a mask in our gift shop if you’re not vaccinated Booking online Considering a private tour Thank you for helping us make things safer for everyone. We look forward to your visit!
All of us at Captain Jack’s were saddened to learn that Troy Humphreys passed away in January 2019. Troy was a 42-year-old father, husband, commercial fisherman, builder, Captain Jack’s airboat captain, Wooten’s alligator handler, and all-around hard worker. He was a family man, now survived by his wife and seven children. We had the pleasure of working with Troy for …
Turner River Road is one of the most scenic roads in Everglades City. For 21 miles, Turner River Road cuts directly north through Big Cypress National Preserve. This preserve is a Federally protected land consisting of 729,000 acres of cypress strands, wet prairies, and pinelands. Running alongside the road is the Turner River Road canal. The sand, shell, and rock …
You might not associate tigers with the Everglades, and you’d be right—they’re not native to the Florida grasslands. But our animal sanctuary is home to Boris and Daisy, two Siberian tigers who have lived there for decades. The next time you stop by the Everglades for an airboat tour, you’ll no doubt want to see some alligators and Florida panthers. …
Some sources tell us that sightings of raccoons in the Everglades have declined as much as 99% since 1996. Why the decrease? A Virginia Tech University study implicates the Burmese python. The National Park Service reports that 1,825 Burmese pythons that have been caught in and around Everglades National Park since 2000. Take a look at this chart to see the increase …
Even though adults weigh in at an impressive 8-12 pounds, the Brown Pelican is the smallest of all eight pelican species. It lives year round in Florida, unlike the White Pelican who lives here only during the winter. Brown Pelicans dive into the water with a giant splash and scoop up fish with their long beaks. Their famously stretchy throat …
We in the Florida Everglades have many different names for what outsiders might refer to as simply “a swamp.” Each ecosystem’s uniqueness starts with the the water and level type of vegetation. Here are several common ones: Pond – Deeper water, less vegetation. Slough (pronounced “slew”) – Free-flowing channels of water, about 3 feet (0.9 meters) deeper than sawgrass marshes. …
Do you know about these three ecosystems of the Everglades? Here’s a quick tour of some Everglades beauty!
Are you a birdwatcher? Did you know over 350 species of birds have been spotted in the Everglades? John James Audubon himself commented on how the large number of birds in South Florida would “block out the light from the sun” when they flew overhead. If you come to the Everglades to see birds, we’ve got a great free resource …
There are Florida panthers in the Everglades, but did you know fewer than 100 wild panthers live in all of south Florida today? That number is up from about 20 in the 1970s, but the species is still endangered. If you’d like to learn more about Florida panthers, these pages are a great start: