Name of Place: Collier-Seminole State Park

Location: 20020 Tamiami Trail East, Naples, FL 34114

Coordinates: 25°59’35.1”N 81°35’28.1”W

Website: www.collier-seminolestatepark.com

Phone Number: (239) 394-3397

Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset

Restrooms: Yes

Cost: $5.00 per vehicle; limit 2-8 people per vehicle; $4.00 per single occupant vehicle; $2.00 for pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers or passengers in a vehicle with a holder of the annual individual entrance pass

Great for: Nature and astro photography; alligators, bears, bobcats, panthers, raccoons, eagles, osprey, herons, egrets, pelicans

Collier-Seminole State Park is a 7,271-acre park within one of the largest mangrove swamps in the world. There are several hiking trails, or you can rent a canoe to float along the Blackwater River, where you will be sure to see alligators, raptors, wading birds and possibly manatees.

At the entrance to the park, the only remaining “walking dredge” is displayed. This huge piece of equipment was what they used to dredge through the swamp to build the Tamiami Trail (US41).