Location: Follows the Tamiami Canal through the Big Cypress National Preserve in South Florida
Length: 49.5 miles (79.6 km)
Time To Allow: 3 to 4 hours

Description/Highlights/Points of Interest

As you travel along the Tamiami Trail Scenic Highway, you will experience one of the largest remaining tropical wildernesses in the continental United States, the Florida Everglades. A truly unique ecosystem, the Everglades are home to an abundance of plant and animal life. Explore the many public lands on, or accessed via the byway, including Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve and Collier-Seminole State Park.

Suggested Itinerary

In Southwest Florida, U.S. Highway 41 is known as the Tamiami Trail, after the old Tampa-to-Miami Highway, completed in 1928. From two lanes of lonely blacktop it's grown to four and six lanes of city bustle. Still, for every fast growing city — think Sarasota, Fort Myers and Naples — there's a small town of undiscovered charm and character.

Near Naples, Collier-Seminole State Park spans 6,423 acres of land and features vegetation and landscapes typical of the Everglades region. Giant palms and tropical hardwood hammocks are special features to the park. The hammocks appear to be impenetrable with walls of tangled shrubs, saw palmettos and vines. Yet, once inside, hammocks offer a dense canopy, allowing little light and minimal growth on the forest floor. If you prefer man-made environs to Mother Nature, head to Coastland Center, home to 150 of America's favorite stores and restaurants. Located in the heart of Naples off I-75, Coastland offers free Privileges Cards to visitors who show an out-of-town driver's license. These valuable cards are redeemable for special savings at participating merchants.

Colorful names such as Nokomis and Punta Gorda, Ochopee and Warm Mineral Springs, hint at a rich past and a lively present. After tracing the southern edge of the Gulf Coast, never far from a white-sand beach, U.S. Highway 41 sweeps east through the cypress strands and sawgrass swamp of the spectacular Everglades National Park. Whether used as a "jumping-off" point for exploring Everglades National Park or a place to relax and bask in the friendly environs of Southern Florida, Everglades City is something every traveler of the Tamiami Trail should experience. Visitors can learn about Southern Florida's rich history, purchase fresh fish caught just off the coast or take a trek into the Park. Another nearby national treasure is the Big Cypress National Preserve, which spans 729,000 acres, and is home to cypress trees that climb more than 130 feet (39.6 m) into the air and feature broad canopies that cast shadows and the ground far below. Visitors will experience open prairies dotted with tree islands.

The Tamiami Trail ends as it begins, with the culture and flavor of Cuba. What starts near Tampa's Ybor City, a vibrant cigar-rolling center in the early 1900s, stops just beyond Miami's Eighth Street — Calle Ocho, and the heart of Little Havana. Roughly following the route of U.S. Highway 41 is Interstate 75, but it lacks the variety and interest of the old highway. Save Interstate 75 for short cuts. From art museums to teddy bear museums, and ecotourism to alligator wrestling, there's something for everyone on the Tamiami!

The following organization offers a trip along the Tamiami Trail Scenic Highway:

Florida's Hidden Treasures
World Wide Country Tours, Inc.
Florida is bursting with a rich variety of natural and historic treasures that make this a diverse and different Sunshine State vacation! From Clearwater to Cape Canaveral and Tarpon Springs to the Everglades, World Wide Country Tours has found the sides of Florida that go far beyond expectations. Tour the Everglades, watch sponge divers at work in Tarpon Springs, and tour Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. Indulge in a special treat during a personal tour of a strawberry farm, and enjoy a dinner and dancing cruise on Florida's intra-coastal waterways.

Visit Florida
The official state tourism Web site of Florida features suggested driving itineraries along Florida's scenic byways.