I will be in Florida on a business trip in March and need to go from West Palm to Naples. The most direct way is Alligator Alley/I-75, but my mother-in-law has told me horror stories about this road and is begging me not to drive it. She is prone to exaggeration, but she says there are no shoulders if you need to pull over, motorcycle gangs cruising, etc. I will be driving it alone during the day. Any advice or stories about this road? Thanks.

whatever you do avoid alligator alley!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!


don't go to florida, i heard that there are some ruffians down there!

That's silly, it's just a highway! It's a straight shot from Naples to Ft. Lauderdale with not much in between but if you have a dependable car with plenty of gas, not a problem!

Good luck!

There was some news report about some kind of terrible accident there recently. The worst thing about Alligator Alley is it is boring...long- straight, and if you get stuck behind slow drivers ...... watch out for the alligators and panthers!

Years ago it was an 88 mile straight stretch of 2 lane road with little or no shoulders, no stopping places and occassional cows, alligators, or panthers strolling onto the road causing bad accidents. The biggest danger was people falling asleep at the wheel or trying to pass at breakneck speeds. But then a number of years ago, the road was converted into an interstate highway (the final extension of I-75) and is actually one of the best four lane divided interstates around. Tons of money has been poured into this stretch so there are now two very large and fully equipped rest areas as well as an even bigger recreational area. There are decent shoulders and virtually the entire length has been fenced off with heavy fencing to prevent the alligators or cows from wandering onto the highway. Special underpasses were built for the handful of elusive but endangered Florida Panthers, with many jokes about the signage required to let the panthers know exactly where they were to cross. Yes sometimes there are some severe accidents, including the recent truck crash with two deaths, just like along any other interstate highway in the country that I'm aware of. By the way, there is a $1.50 toll each way on this stretch of interstate. It takes just a little over an hour from tollbooth to tollbooth, or about an hour and 45 minutes from downtown Naples to downtown Ft. Lauderdale, depending on the heavier traffic you encounter at each end.

Hi;
Remember to keep the windows of your car closed. The mosquitoes were horrible. And my windshield was covered with their corpses upon my arrival in Naples. Other than that the trip was uneventful. We did at at 9PM.
Hope this helps!

MarySue, my family and I travelled last August to Naples from West Palm and we did witness a fatal accident where a mercedes came all the over from the otherside of the highway and head on into a car heading to Naples. Just drive with your full attention on the road and you should be fine. I think that the risk of a car accident is the worst part of Alligator Alley. And sometimes the terrible rainstorms! Make sure your windshield wipers are in top working order!

Do what I do and drive a bumper car through aligator alley. Just keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle and don't feed the gators. And watch out for falling Value Jet planes!

You are allowed to stop in the right hand lane anywhere along the road to feed the aligators. They love beef jerky!

I would recommend staying away from alligator alley.
I flew there last year, on Northwest Airlines, and while feeding the alligators my arm was bitten off below the elbow.
Can you believe that NWA refused to pay for my medical bills?
Those b@st@rds.

It's fine!

Keep your doors locked, make sure your car is in tip top shape, have a cell phone with you and you will be fine. Whatever you do, don't wear aligator shoes or carry an alligator purse...

Only if you walk around outside your car eating a tuna sandwich.

I suspect that what the above poster, Annie, had on her windshield may not have been mosquitoes but rather LOVEBUGS, which are notorious in our fair-ly sunny state.
A.M.

Don’t go there please!!!
I stopped on the side of the road (since there were no paved shoulders) to feed the alligators. You're allowed to feed them only if they are 5 years old or older. Then I felt a burning sensation on my right leg, it was a panther chewing it off. I was able to fight it off. I got into my car and I was able to drive off. But I was losing too much blood then I passed out and my car fell into a canal. Thanks God it was close to an Indian reservation. They were able to treat my wounds. I had to spend a month with them. Then one night they were preparing this great feast then I realized I was going to be the main course...
To be continued...

Mary Sue - The only danger going down Alligator Alley is fools like my husband and a friend of ours. During our Christmas vacation this year my husband and I and another couple went to Ft. Meyers from Ft. Lauderdale. Our friend has never seen an alligator close up~~~~~~~~~~ Everytime we saw something long and black near a swamp we would stop to and go on an alligator hunt. Apprently there were other sight seer's and would stop thinking that we found something, at one time there had to have been seven cars pulled over to the side of the road. Now that is dangerous.

Finally we found two alligators sun bathing and it made our fiends, husbands and other alligator watchers happy.
By the way there is a huge fence up and down the swamps. So, the only danger is fools like us stopping our cars on the side of the road. Tell MIL you will be careful of the sight seer's they will be your only problem.

Mary Sue, please excuse the typo's. I am usually more careful. My fingers are going faster than the brain or did one of those old gators eat one? HUMMMMM

Nice try you guys. Everyone knows aligators only come at night except when stone crab season starts in October.

Exxxxxxcuse me, I differ with that the Alligators come out at noon to sun themselves. I have used to see these long black things on the ground around the swamps and thought they were logs of some sort, until we got out of the car and realized that these black logs are Alligators. We were told they sun themselves every day. So I totally disagree with you. Sorry!!

Well THERE, Greg!
Nyah, nyah.
You've been exposed.
You and my cousin Tonya Harding (who was evicted from her home this week and is now homeless) are both not to be trusted.
Just like Northwest Airlines.
DON'T FLY NWA!!!