Flamingo, Florida — the southernmost tip of the peninsula — has been named one of the best places to visit in 2024 by The New York Times in its annual guide. The Monroe County gem joins 51 destinations across the globe including Paris, Maui, Singapore and Pasadena in the publication’s list of where to travel to in the year ahead.
Being the only location in Florida to make the list, and placing at number 52, Flamingo is praised for its “vast beauty” and recent reopening of the Flamingo Lodge. The listing opens with the headline: “Rediscover a beloved lodge in the heart of the Everglades”.
Featuring a total of 24 rooms, constructed from sturdy shipping containers, the Flamingo Lodge is the national park’s only hotel. That’s important to note for those looking for air conditioning and protection from mosquitoes out in the Everglades. It replaces the original Flamingo Lodge, which was a popular visiting spot for nearly 40 years before it was destroyed by hurricanes in 2005.
There is a new restaurant as well, adjacent to the lodge and also made from shipping containers. It opens for breakfast, lunch and dinner and features neat views of nearby Florida Bay.
“The return of the beloved facilities, along with glamping ‘eco-tents,’ has given birders, stargazers and anglers a reason to reconnect with the outpost of Flamingo, on mainland Florida’s southernmost tip and less than two hours by car from Miami,” writes Patricia Mazzei in the New York Times.