The Homestead Trolley is running again on weekends to take you from Homestead, Florida, into Everglades and Biscayne national parks/Stephen Shelley.

Thanks to the folks at Homestead, Florida, you can ride a trolley for free into Everglades Natioanl Park or Biscayne National Park through the winter months.

The award-winning National Parks Trolley Service is off to its third season. It runs every Saturday and Sunday through May 1, 2016. The trolley departs from downtown Homestead, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors can enjoy local area restaurants, take in Homestead’s beautiful historic architecture, or visit the free Old Town Hall Museum, before or after their visit to the parks.

The Homestead National Parks Trolley can be picked up at Losner Park in Historic Downtown Homestead at 104 N. Krome Avenue. The trolley connects to bus routes from Miami-Dade County public transportation. There is also plenty of free parking adjacent to the trolley stop. From Downtown Homestead, the National Parks Trolley takes visitors to Everglades National Park’s Ernest Coe Visitor Center and as an added benefit, the entrance fee for Everglades National Park is waived for all trolley riders to visit the Anhinga Trail at Royal Palm. It also travels to Biscayne National Park’s Dante Fascell Visitor Center and boardwalk and to the atoll beach at Miami-Dade County’s Homestead Bayfront Park (where the entrance fee is also waived).

According to Everglades Superintendent Pedro Ramos, “last season had record-breaking ridership and was very successful in connecting the local community to the park. We are grateful to the City of Homestead for this great partnership and look forward to another banner year, especially as we work together to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service.”

"Whether it is a first trip to the national parks or the hundredth, trolley passengers see the increasing wonders of the city as well as the parks," said Biscayne acting Superintendent Sula Jacobs. "The connection between the city and the parks highlights this amazing and unique area."

The Homestead National Parks Trolley is the result of coordinated efforts. It was spearheaded by City of Homestead Councilman Stephen Shelley with the help of the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Park Service, and the City of Homestead. 

The National Parks Trolley is the only public transportation available to these nearby natural treasures and is one of the first programs of its kind in the nation. It recently won the National Park Service’s prestigious Director’s Partnership Award, which honors a select group of projects nationwide with significant accomplishments achieved by parks and outside groups working together.