March 12, 2026 • Everglades City, Florida
Everglades National Park Adventures, an Authorized Concessioner of the National Park Service, has moved its operations to the new two-story Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center in Everglades National Park’s Gulf Coast District.
Construction was recently completed on the park’s visitor center as well as its new marina, kayak concession building, and parking lot. These new facilities expand the services available to visitors from both park and concessioner staff, and improve the site since Hurricane Irma’s damage in 2017. The new building was named in honor of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, whose writing and advocacy helped to protect and preserve the Everglades.
The concessioner’s most requested service is a 90-minute pontoon boat tour into the Ten Thousand Islands. The tour had been departing from a temporary location two miles north of the visitor center for the last two years, but has now moved to the park’s new marina. On the tour, trained guides, in addition to park rangers who join at popular times, provide interpretive information on Gulf Coast District’s wildlife, natural, and cultural resources.
From the new kayak concession building, the concessioner rents recreational kayaks, fishing kayaks, canoes, and backcountry equipment, and provides guided kayak tours into Chokoloskee Bay.
For visitors kayaking to or from the Flamingo district of Everglades National Park along the Wilderness Waterway, or other locations outside Chokoloskee Bay, the concessioner also plans to provide van transportation starting in the fall.
In addition to water services, the concessioner provides bike rentals, a new service at this park location. Bikes can be taken outside the park and returned the same day. Biking destinations include nearby Chokoloskee Island and Everglades City.
The pontoon boat tour is available to visitors of all ages and is accessible by wheelchair. Kayak and bike rentals are recommended for ages 6 and up.
The new Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center, marina, kayak concession building, and kayak launch are located at 815 Oyster Bar Lane in Everglades City and are open daily from 9am to 5pm. For more information on the concessioner’s tours and rentals, accessibility, or to make online reservations, visit EvergladesNationalParkAdventures.com.
Headline image, and four images above, courtesy of NPS Photo Gallery, which released them into the public domain.
Six images above by Everglades National Park Adventures. These images are available for editorial use in connection with this announcement.