Itās not often that a vacation experience turns your perception on its head and changes the way you look at something, but that is exactly what our outing with River of Grass did. We will never think of the Everglades or alligators the same way. Instead of scary monsters, we now view these creatures as intelligent individuals with distinct personalities. Our experienced guide has what amounts to a relationship with many of the gators, and he is respectful and concerned about them. The Everglades, we now understand, is not a swamp but a huge, clean, living body of water - literally a river of grass. If you do nothing else while in Miami please spend some time with these folks . The airboat ride is exhilarating but the learning experience is even more so.