Purchased and named in the 1920s by an advertising executive dreaming of a subtropical metropolis, EVERGLADES CITY , three miles south off US-41 along Route 29, now has a population of just under five hundred. Most who visit are solely intent on diminishing the stocks of sports fish living around the mangrove islands - the aptly titled Ten Thousand Islands - arranged like scattered jigsaw-puzzle pieces around the coastline.

For a closer look at the mangroves, which safeguard the Everglades from surge tides, take one of the park-sanctioned boat trips . Try either the Everglades National Boat Tours (tel 941/695-2591), or Everglades Rentals and Eco Adventures (tel 941/695-4666, ), at the Ivey House B&B . Trips leave from the dock on Chokoloskee , a blob of land - actually a Native American shell mound - marking the southern end of Route 29. The dockside Gulf Coast visitor center (daily 8.30am-5pm; tel 941/695-3311) provides details on the cruises and the excellent ranger-led canoe trips . In Chokoloskee, you can rent an RV by the night for $50-70 at Outdoor Resorts (tel 941/695-2881). In Everglades City try the charming and clean Ivey House , 107 Camellia St (tel 941/695-3299, ; open Nov-April - booking advisable; $35-50), or the eccentric The Banks of the Everglades , 201 W Broadway (tel 941/695-3151, ; $35-130), housed in what once was the first bank in Collier County.

Everglades City

• Everglades City

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