Royal Palm Visitor Center in Everglades National Park

See the Visitor Centers web page for an interactive location map.

While the building facility at the Royal Palm unit of Everglades National Park is fairly large, the Visitor Center takes up no more space than a small bedroom and houses nothing but an information desk. Here you can pick up a park brochure, trail maps, and other information, and sign up for Ranger-guided tours that require reservations. Snacks and drinks are sold as well. A second section of the building is a restroom. The building is typically open from 9 AM to 4 PM.

Back of the Royal Palm Visitor Center as seen from the Anhinga Trail

There is one thing to be aware of when visiting the Royal Palm and Flamingo areas, particularly in the morning until around 10 AM, and that is for some reason the vultures love to eat cars. That’s right, they love to eat cars. Or at least tear up the rubber—windshield wipers, weather stripping around the windows, soft tops—and they can do thousands of dollars worth of damage. Some tarps are provided at the Visitor Center, but there are not nearly enough to go around. I advise you to bring your own tarp and plenty of bungee cords to strap it on. The Royal Palm Visitor Center is the only place where tarps are provided.