Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

      This place might have a ridiculously long name but the visitor's center was fantastic! They had more interactive exhibits then many National Parks and we learned a lot right there.

     A really cool one was a virtual airboat tour. We loaded up and the guide appeared on the screen in front of us and took us with him out through the wetlands. Anytime we were driving the wind was blowing in our face, which really enhanced the experience!

The children loved the alligators we saw on screen!

      This exhibit had old-fashioned telephones that would "talk" to the children about the Everglades. They could choose to hear the perspective of different people throughout the last hundred years, or from different plants and animals.

I really think they just like the phones!

      My favorite was the night sounds room. We walked in and the lights went out and it was as if we were walking with a father and son. As he told his son what the different night sounds were, that certain animal or bird would appear lit up on the side. It was very life-like and we certainly learned a lot!

The Everglades at night.

Next up: hiking!

Cypress trees are just amazing.

Ferns are growing everywhere!

Spanish Moss is an air plant. It has no roots, just gets all it needs from the air!

Again, boardwalks to keep us out of the swamp.

Lots of turtles.

The Ranger's took us out and showed us some baby alligators. It's nearly impossible to see but you can see a few right behind the bird.

A heron stalking his lunch.

Right in front of the yellow leaf is an alligator.

A canal running through the Refuge.

Another gator in the canal.

This lovely bird posed for us as we finished up our second trail.

     We had a grand time strolling around and getting another 2 miles of hiking on our calendar. A few children did think they might die from the heat but happily, there were no casualties 😜. 

 

     Afterwards we headed to Burger King since they have a great deal going on right now. For $4 you get a bacon cheeseburger, 4 nuggets, fries, a drink, and a cookie. I get nothing for sharing that information except the satisfaction of sharing a good deal 😀. As we were eating an older gentleman came over and put an arm on both Eldon and I and told us how much he enjoyed seeing our family. He said that someday it will be the kids paying for our meal and it won't be at any Burger King either. He assured us that the bumps in the road are all worth it. Needless to say, he made our day!