... in Clewiston

An hour's drive East along Alligator Alley and North to the village of Clewiston was the Big Cypress Indian Reservation. Yes, they do call themselves "Indians" here. I inadvertently frightened an alligator that was sunning himself along the narrow road and witnessed how fast these creatures can run on those short legs! We were here to see Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki, which surprisingly was the most amazing museum . It is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute so the quality of the exhibits was excellent and so realistic. Behind the museum is a 2 km raised boardwalk through a natural cypress dome, a type of swamp where the trees at the centre grow higher than the trees at the edge forming a dome-like shape of treetops. I used my Metis card to get free admission, and appreciated the $7 savings.

We had a very late picnic lunch in a chickee, a structure still used today, that is made of a log frame and palm thatching.Read more