"Everglades City and its surrounding Local" Everglades City by leafmcgowan

Centuries before the first Europeans saw the Everglades, Calusa Indians dwelled inside the islands and waterways of the 10,000 Islands and lived with their tidal rhythms. The Calusa developed a complex social system and build impressive canals and earthworks. They piled shells into mounds, creating dry grounds amidst their otherwise watery environment. Most of the nearby Chokoloskee and Sandfly islands were originally Calusa shell mounds. But by the mid-1830's no Calusa's remained. Their demise is somewhat of a mystery, but the arrival of foreigners was ultimately the cause, bringing deadly new diseases and forcing Calusa relocation (both voluntary and involuntary). Three hundred years after the first Europeans arrived from Spain, the culture of South Florida's original inhabitants were gone. Today, no aboriginal peoples remain in South Florida. Miccosukee and Seminole Indians arrived in the mid-1830's; many now reside along the Tamiami Trail." ~ Interpretive display at Everglades National Park.

• Pros:great escape, full of history, full of recreational activities, solitude, tranquility
• Cons:mosquitos, remote, lack of supplies
• In a nutshell:A great little escape into the swamps ....