Number 7: The Everglades

By accomplishing number 7 on my list, I made a wonderful discovery about South Florida: Sawgrass Recreational Park in Weston, FL. I found a Groupon for $20 for two tickets into the park (usually $22 each). A ticket gains you access to their wildlife exhibit as well as a 30 minute airboat tour of the Everglades. The best part is that all Florida residents get a free annual pass with just one paid entrance! This means from now until the end of the year, we get to go back as often as we want--pretty cool bonus!

The airboat tour was so much fun! Our captain (Captain Bob) was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. I learned so much on this 30 minute ride through the Everglades. He also knew exactly where to go for gator sightings. In addition to gators, Captain Bob showed us indigenous birds, amphibians, trees, and plants. Here are some tidbits that I learned:

-Sawgrass is the tall grass that grows in the swamp of the everglades. It is appropriately named because it has tiny fibers growing on it that actually look like the teeth on a saw and it will cut you just as quick.

-The melaleuca tree that grows all over the Everglades was originally imported in by Henry Flagler in hopes to dry up the Everglades. The trees drink an insane amount of water each day, but they still did not succeed in drying up the Everglades. When Flagler realized the swamp wasn't going anywhere, he tried to have the trees cut down. That is when they discovered that when you cut into the tree, the inside is basically one giant seed pod that explodes and sends seeds everywhere. Now the trees grow all over.

-Alligators live to be over 100 years old and they can jump really far.

Oh, one other totally cool thing about this day: I got to hold a baby alligator! It was so cool!!! The skin was softer than I expected. Is it bad to say it felt like an alligator skinned boot with a heart beating under it? I really enjoyed holding it. I kinda want one as a pet now!