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| Florida Everglades |
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The Florida Everglades, located in southern Florida, is one of the largest wetlands in the world. Several hundred years ago, this wetlands was a major part of a 5,184,000 acre watershed that covered almost a third of the entire state of Florida. The Everglades consist  of a shallow sheet of fresh water that rolls slowly over the lowlands and through billions of blades of sawgrass. As water moves through the Everglades, it causes the sawgrass to ripple like green waves; this is why the Everglades received the nickname "River of Grass." |
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| Key West |
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The Keys remained remote and inaccessible until well into the 20th Century, but that only added to the intrigue and fascinating tales of pirates, buried treasures and shipwrecks that litter their history.
It was Henry Morrison Flagler who first provided "modern" access to the Keys by extending the Florida East Coast Railway from Homestead to Key West. The '"Overseas Railroad" was completed in 1912, after years of hardship for the engineers and laborers who designed and built it. It was destroyed in 1935 and replaced by the '"Overseas Highway" in 1938. The highway (US 1) is still known by that name and now consists of 126 miles of roadway, with over 40 bridges connecting the tiny islands.
The island has seen the comings and goings of shipwrecking, cigar, sponging and shrimping industries. It has also seen the coming and going of a star-studded list of writers, artists, and statesmen... from Hemingway and President Truman, to Tennessee Williams and John James Audubon.
Their residences have since been turned into Museums and the history of Key West remains to be guarded and worn like gold charms on a bracelet.
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