tampa to the everglades?
 

I'm going to be in Tampa for a business meeting tat ends on May 23. I'm wondering how practical it is to schedule a trip to the Everglades in the next few days. I'd like to take a boat and see the pythons eating the alligators :-). Any tips would be appreciated.

I don't know about that specific journey, but we were in the Everglades last month, at Shark Alley. We took a tram ride around and saw hundreds of alligators, including one stretched out over a pathway, blocking all the bike riders. It was great, and I encourage you to get there if at all possible.

Pythons in the Everglades eating alligators? I've lived here for 30 years. How did I miss that?

The drive from Tampa to the edge of the Everglades or to Everglades City (the western edge) will be about 3 to 4 hours. Are you looking to spend a night there or two?

Shark Valley (not Alley) is probably the best area to see a lot. Everglades city has boat tours which can be very boring.
You can do an airboat tour or a swamp buggy ride from a number of places along US 41 -- the Tamiami Trail.

I thought it was Shark Alley! I think they should rename it. But seriously, we really liked the tour there and saw a lot of alligators.

If your "few" days just happens to be two or three you could do a decent trip and see a lot. Get an early start out of Tampa -- two places not to miss, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (SR-846) near Immokalee and Shark Valley (US-41). Then on to the Everglades NP, take SR-997 south to the Florida City and the Park. You should not have a problem finding a place to stay in that area. It will be hot and you will not be bothered by a lot of people, its off season. One place to see in the park is Royal Palm.

If what you're wanting is to see alligators, you should take a canoe trip on the Hillsborough River. One time I saw about 20 in a short trip. Canoe Escape offers a nice easy trip.

And I know about that photo. Crazy.

If you're only interested in seeing alligators and going on a boat, you don't have to go all the way to the Everglades. There are airboat rides outside the park, although my personal thought is you'd have a better experience with a quieter, slower mode of transportation (canoe, bike, tram). If you decide to go to the Everglades, you can stop at the Big Cypress Nat'l Preserve visitor center on the way, and you'll probably see a bunch of alligators in front of the center. The Shark Valley tram or bike ride is a good way to see them as well.