Looking for the best place to experience the Everglades? To get any closer you’d have to be an alligator instead of an ape. Everglades City is the starting point for most tourism in the Everglades, but it is also a city that supports that tourism with shops, boat and kayak rentals, tours, and lots of warnings of what not to do while in the Everglades (warnings, by the way, that should be heeded by the bravest of apes). For those citified apes who don’t pay attention, there’s a hospital here too.

There is a small airport, where flying tours leave on a regular basis. So if you want fly instead of swinging on vines, this is a great place to be. Beats dealing with the occasional hungry alligator.

In terms of neighboring apevilles, the city of Naples is an easy coastal drive of 45 minutes along US Route 41. And no, not the Naples where they discovered Pompeii after it was buried by lava. That’s Italy, not Florida. Personally, we’ll take alligators over volcanoes. At least you can avoid the `gators.