I had planned a trip out into big cypress to finish off my 8yo daughters spring break strong. I had planned on 14 miles of amazing Florida wilderness and an incredible dad/daughter bonding trip. What I had not planned on was an incredible experience with a ranger at oasis visitor center. Athena Gonzalez made the experience go from incredible to flat out amazing. She took the time to actually talk with my daughter, ask her questions and engage her thoughts about nature and just what we were doing there. She went out of her way to set us off with a picture to start the trip, an amazing app to identify plant species, and a junior ranger program that sparked my daughters imagination and desire for the outdoors. When we returned after our over night trip she yelled out to us as we passed the doors and when we returned inside to finish her ranger program activities she made an impression on my daughter that I know she will never forget. She swore her in as an official junior ranger, stamped and signed her off, and gave her the badge that is a priceless trophy to my daughter. When we walked out of the visitor center the first thing my daughter said was “I want to be a ranger just like her!” I can’t begin to explain the enthusiasm and excitement she’s had ever since the trip and meeting Ranger Gonzalez. All I can say is thank you so much, you made a difference and may have even set a little girl on a path to being a ranger! We need more people like Ranger Gonzalez around, the world would be a much better place for it!

Very nice and clean rest area. There is a walkway that goes along a pond with plenty of alligators. The Florida Scenic Hiking Trail ends here.

Well maintained center! The toilets were clean, they have a diaper changing station on men/women and are good equiped. We saw directly many alligators next to the parking space which was pretty cool! There were plenty of fishes and as we left the area we saw some wild boars crossing the street. We will stop there next time if we are there.

This is a must-stop while driving The Tamiami Trail, US Hwy 41 -- aka alligator alley! Gators! Gators! Gators! This was the best place for gator watching on our trip from Colorado to Key West in March 2022. The gator hole is full of ‘em, and also lots of fish and birds. The visitor’s center is well staffed, has a nice gift shop and clean restrooms. The southern terminus of the Florida National Scenic Trail is also here; making it an interesting sight for us hikers. We had been to the northern terminus of the Trail earlier in our trip at the Gulf Islands National Seashore near Pensacola – 1,500 miles away!

I always stop here either on my way to Naples or back and usually walk around. 4 stars as today the visitors center was closed at 1500. A lot of the signs are old or missing completely. I will always stop by as. I love walking on the canal side.....

The boardwalk outside the visitors center was full of alligators and birds. Due to the proximity to the visitors center and road, this is a great stop if passing by to see some wildlife. The visitors center is great as well and is full of information and supplies.

So we saw a ton of alligators here! More than we did anywhere else. But the visitor center isn’t great at all. Really nothing there. Gift shop has nothing and very little info and no displays about big cypress. The only reason it gets 3 stars is because of the massive gators we saw close up.

This is a nice little stop off while traveling through Big Cypress. There is a nice boardwalk to try and spot animals. The visitor center is very small with not. A lot of information, but it did have a very cool photography exhibit. It is open every day except Christmas. They also have a restroom in a separate building.

Southern Terminus of the Florida trail and packed with animals. Really liked the gated in area for alligators was 3 sided. Gators were all free as the trail began and chose to bask in that "enclosure". Softshell turtle was right in trail it was teeming with life. Also the rangers were very friendly and knowledgeable about nearby trails.

You are almost guaranteed to see an alligator. If you have never seen one. They are fascinating creatures. Very cunning and smart ! Kinda cool to see a living dinasor.

What a cool visitor center with lots of good information about the trails. The guys working knew a lot and helped me find new trails. The negative comments are from people that don't understand this is for hiking and camping. Others complained about getting dirty on the trails lmao

Great place to see some alligators, so recommend stopping here if you are passing by. However visitor center is closed so unable to rate that. Also the boardwalk railing seems a bit in disrepair as well. So just be careful 😁

Literally amazing. The boardwalk offers viewing where you can see right into the water, with tons of fish. From gars to catfish. Oh yeah, and about 30 gators just hanging out. This is a must stop spot along the 41!.

A great place to stop to stretch your legs and find some gators just relaxing or swimming... definitely worth going into the centre and the lady was nice and helpful

Nice visitor center. Had books for sale. (I finally bought a Passport book for stamps at the various National Parks) Drinks, toys for the kids, maps, etc. books on Florida and the Everglades Clean restrooms, some picnic tables, big parking lot. The man inside was very friendly and helpful. Saw an alligator (the one pictured below) while walking on the board walk. He was just hanging out waiting for someone to be pushed in

Very helpful team and a great short boardwalk from which you can see so much wildlife. They recommended I made a stop for the boardwalk at Kirby Storter and I loved that place.

Nice boardwalk with lots of wildlife to see in a small area. We saw multiple alligators, lots of fish, and different birds. The visitor center is rather small, but has souvenirs, passport stamps, and an exhibit to read about alligator wrestling and its origins in the area.

The most alligators we've seen in one small spot! They were lying all over eachother. We did a tram tour in the area as well and seen roughly half the amount of alligators that this visitor center had. Park staff was very informative and polite. The visitor center was clean and well done. 5 🌟 all around!

Great place to stop to see alligators. It’s right next to the road, you pull right into a parking lot and walk a few feet onto a wooden bridge and boom 💥 you see a lot of gators right away.

If the main building had been opened it would have been five stars. It's always the highlight of my drive across to stop there and view the wildlife. Driving through a national park, just delightful!

Warning the turn off is very sharp. We were expecting a turn off lane but NOPE it was more "driveway"-esk. If you wanna see some gators, they got gators. Nice boardwalk with info signs. Ladies running the desk were very friendly. Prices were actually pretty standard and not that bad. Super glad we stopped to stretch our legs.

Great park. I recommend to everyone who wants to see alligators. I recommend choosing a cloudy day for a walk, because there are long trails in the park under the open sky. At the entrance you will be met by a very nice employee who will show you the way and hand you a booklet with information about the park

Fantastic place to visit for all the information, attire or exploratory needs. The Super Hero Staff that protects this place from dangers or invasive species have all the knowledge or resources to get you on your way to understanding the preserve and to sport you support for this haven of nature. Thank your rangers for their hard work and never stop asking questions, knowledge is power.

Very enjoyable location to stop and stretch your legs while traveling through the Everglades. A nice boardwalk to observe the waterway where fish, gators, birds etc can be seen. There are restrooms and an EV charging station at this location.

This place definitely gives a little experience of being at the Everglades with short board walk overlooking the river/ pond with different kinds of local fish and alligators. There is also a book store which was closed when we were there and restrooms which is definitely convenient stop while u drive for hours through everglades.

Every time I go it is closed