NY TIMES
52 PLACES TO GO IN 2024
Image | Scott McIntyre for NY Times
The vast beauty of the Florida Everglades is perhaps best appreciated at night, when the national park is all constellations and creatures. But for those who don’t care to brave the elements (or the mosquitoes) while camping outside or in an R.V., it has been impossible to stay anywhere with air-conditioning since two hurricanes destroyed the park’s only hotel in 2005.
That changed in November with the reopening of the Flamingo Lodge, now elevated and made out of sturdy shipping containers. A renovated visitor center and restaurant have been built to better withstand sea level rise caused by climate change.
The return of the beloved facilities, along with glamping “eco-tents,” has given birders, stargazers and anglers a reason to reconnect with the outpost of Flamingo, on mainland Florida’s southernmost tip and less than two hours by car from Miami.
And if you’re lucky, you may spot flamingos in Florida Bay.
— Patricia Mazzei
CREDITS
Design and Production Nico Chilla and Gabriel Gianordoli
Editing Danial Adkison, Jake Doherty, Eric Dyer, Wendy Fawthrop, Elisabeth Goodridge, Stephen Hiltner, Ken Jaworowski, Cheryl Levenbrown, Suzanne MacNeille, Mark Pargas, Valencia Prashad, Tacey Rychter and Amy Virshup
Photo Editing Phaedra Brown and Jessica White
Maps Baden Copeland and Julie Walton Shaver