any must see or do on I-75 in Southern Florida?

Oh...but while you are out and about, y'all should try to take a side trip down to Everglades City and take the boat around that side of the Everglades. It is not what you think of when you think the of Everglades-that part is actually islands and water-not salt marshes and marsh grasses or the big cypress trees. 

It is worth the day. There are a couple of fun places to eat also...

I'm glad some responsible Peas are able to answer. I had to erase my reply, multiple long drives to in laws have left me numb.

I enjoyed my first air boat tour, but I am easily entertained when things are new. The operator probably makes a huge difference.
ETA ours pointed out native vs invasive plant species, and gave some history. It was interesting.

I considered myself an idiot when we took our barely tall enough, and very curious, youngest DS on one for a gator tour. 10 or so years later I still remember how tight I held his waist band.
ETA my sons got a chance to go again last year without us. They had a good time and had a guide who played to teen interests.

I was wondering what is considered to be "south" Florida. I'm near Tampa and the furthest south I've been is near Clearwater or Treasure Island. It was too boring a drive and we turned around. I'd consider flying to the Keys, but I can't take a LONG drive that's boring. Hope you have a fun trip. I know a few friends that live in Naples--it looks beautiful there.

We haven't done the airboat lately (I did one once way back in the early 70's!), but we did a Mangrove Wilderness boat trip, very nice.  Not fast and loud but you go into the mangrove areas where the airboats can't go and can see and learn a lot about the glades.  We enjoyed it.  I don't know when you're coming over, but I've seen a lot the last couple of days about fires on both north and south sides of I-75, visibility is limited in some areas, so be careful.  Enjoy Cape Coral, we love it here!

Everglades City is worth your time - the boat ride and lunch at Camellia Street Grill would be worth the trip across the state themselves.  We are going to go back and do the 10,000 islands tour when friends come down this summer.  SW Florida is a wonderful place to live, so many different things to do and explore.

I consider "south Florida" to be the east coast-like Miami/Fort Lauderdale/West Palm Beach area. Oddly though, when describing Fort Meyers, Naples and further south, I will say that they are "down south." ( ) The Keys, which are more south than either, are just "the keys."

But they are two very different different places-South Florida and down south. Very different personalities, different cultures, different ways of doing things. Each has their own pluses and minuses and both have some incredibly beautiful and interesting sites to see. I actually have a grandfather that was born in Coral Gables.

I think, and I can't speak to everyone who is from here, one of thing that frustrates people is that Florida is pretty much drawn into three distinct areas that people seem to only want to go to-Disney, beach and Miami. We are a HUGE state (it takes at least 8 hours to drive from one end to the other-not including the keys) and have so much more to offer. I would imagine other people in states that have huge tourist attractions feel the same way. When we get asked to share about some of the other sites that represent us beyond the obvious, we get excited. And speaking as someone who was fortunate enough to grow up here, with parents who are from here and with grandparents who are from here-I grew up going to old Florida rather than the Disney Florida and to me, THAT is what I want people to experience. 

Places like Everglades City and the boat tours and museums like Smallwood's are such a cool way to get a taste of that. Or a little out of the way places like Miccanopy with it's antique shops and a side trip to see Marjorie Kinnan Rawling's House/State Park while you are there. I won't bore you with the rest, but you get the idea.

I figured there would be at least one Gator Alum who would recognize Miccanopy.

Too bad!!

Y'all will be driving by a bunch of my favorite spots. I grew up in Tallahassee and there are a lot of places in North Florida that make my heart go pitter pat too.

anxiousmom "I think, and I can't speak to everyone who is from here, one of thing that frustrates people is that Florida is pretty much drawn into three distinct areas that people seem to only want to go to-Disney, beach and Miami."

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I'm not even from Florida, I married into it, and I understand. A remarkable number of my neighbors seem to think Florida IS Destin, or Disney. Uniquely Florida places like Coral Cables are unknown. That's got to be frustrating to a "native"!

Maybe I need to thank my DH, our need (AKA panic) to not spend every moment with family has led to some fun sites.

If you drive the 2 or so hours south of Tampa to Fort Myers you can take a ferry to Key West - great way to get there, makes the journey fun, too.  You go early in the morning, it takes about 3 hours - either come back late that same day or stay a while... I love the Keys.  I think of anything south of Sarasota as 'south' Florida on the west coast.