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The 9 best everglades airboat and swamp tours.

See much more than alligators during one of these exciting trips.

The Top Everglades Airboat & Swamp Tours

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If you're planning a trip to Miami or Fort Lauderdale, Florida , visiting Everglades National Park should be on your to-do list. The South Florida national park is known for its expansive beauty, as well as its varied population of wildlife that includes everything from bobcats to alligators.

To see all the Everglades has to offer, sign up for a guided tour. U.S. News consulted both traveler sentiment and expert opinion to identify the top Everglades tours. Before you go, make sure you read through the National Park Service's Wildlife Viewing Ethics to keep both yourself and the animals safe during your time in the park. When choosing the best Everglades tours, we avoided recommending operators that promote wildlife shows or encourage feeding or holding the animals for photo-ops.

Visitors should plan to pay a fee to enter the park, as it may not be included in the price of the tour ticket. You should also keep in mind that many of these tour operators are located at least 30 miles west of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Tours that run on airboats – open-air vessels with huge fans at the back that propel the boat – can be very loud. Companies will generally offer ear protection, but if you or your companions are sensitive to loud noises, contact the tour provider to discuss options before you book.

The Best Everglades Airboat and Swamp Tours

Everglades swamp tours – one hour group tour.

Price: Adults from $60; kids from $30 Duration: 1 hour

This sightseeing trip takes you out on an airboat to cruise through the Everglades' main waterways in search of alligators, birds and interesting vegetation. Throughout the ride, knowledgeable guides share facts about the area's history and ecology. Many travelers recommend booking this tour, describing it as fun and informative, with plenty of wildlife sightings. Departures generally take place daily at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., but availability may vary by month.

Children 5 and younger can ride for free, but still require a reserved seats. Also check out Everglades Swamp Tours for private airboat tours that last up to two hours.

Check prices & availability on:

Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures – 30-Minute Airboat Tour

Price: Adults from $35; kids from $30 Duration: 30 minutes

Located at the headwaters of the Everglades in Kissimmee, Florida (about 40 miles south of Orlando), Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures earns praise from reviewers for its personable, experienced staff and the family-friendly environment. On the airboat ride, you and up to 16 other passengers will glide through the tall grass in search of eagles, alligators, raccoons and more. In addition to airboat rides, the site houses a replica of a Jororo Tribe village, as well as a gem and fossil mining activity for kids.

Tours depart throughout the day from 9 a.m. to 5 pm. You can buy your tickets online, but there are no reservations for this tour. For a longer adventure, consider the company's hourlong airboat ride. There are also sunset and night tours, if you're hoping to avoid the midday heat and crowds.

Marsh Landing Adventures – 90-Minute Everglades Airboat Tour

Price: Adults from $65; kids from $60 Duration: 1.5 hours

For wildlife lovers who want more than half an hour to experience the Everglades, this 1.5-hour airboat ride from Marsh Landing Adventures is an excellent experience. Located in Kissimmee on Lake Tohopekaliga, Marsh Landing Adventures promises travelers an in-depth look at the headwaters of the Everglades and the plants and animals that inhabit its waters. What's more, the company says it can reach areas of the Everglades that are inaccessible to larger boats because of its small crafts. Travelers give kudos to the boat captain for their educational and entertaining delivery. Many call the experience the highlight of their Florida vacation.

Tours are offered Monday through Saturday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Reservations are required, and there is a 1% fuel surcharge added to each ticket. Marsh Landing Adventures also offers hourlong, two-hour and four-hour airboat rides.

Everglades City Airboat Tours

Price: Adults from $47; kids from $31 Duration: 1 hour

Everglades City Airboat Tours sets itself apart from other companies by offering participants two-way headsets, which allow passengers and guides to better engage with one another throughout the hourlong ride. As you navigate through narrow creeks and shallow bays, you may spot alligators, manatees and birds. Tourists enjoy the ride and appreciate the headsets. Reviewers are also complimentary of the boat captains, who they describe as entertaining and knowledgeable.

Tours depart multiple times Monday through Saturday, although timing may be modified based on the season. It's a good idea to reserve your tour in advance. Everglades City Airboat Tours is located approximately 85 miles west of Miami and 35 miles southeast of Naples, Florida.

Buffalo Tiger Airboat Tours – 45-Minute Standard Airboat Tour

Price: Adults from $45; kids from $27.50 Duration: 45 minutes

For an excursion that combines cultural immersion and wildlife viewing, consider this outing from Buffalo Tiger Airboat Tours. The Miccosukee family-owned company's standard tour focuses on introducing visitors to the homelands of the Miccosukee people: an American Indian tribe that migrated to Florida before it became a state. During the tour, you'll not only see local wildlife, but also will get to see a Miccosukee Indian camp and take a nature walk. Visitors recommend the tour, describing it as an amazing experience thanks to the small, intimate group size.

Tours run daily at multiple times between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The company also offers private outings.

Everglades River of Grass Adventures – Semi-Private River of Grass Airboat Tours Everglades

Price: Adults from $85; kids from $45 Duration: 1.5 hours

One perk of this tour is that it is capped at six to eight travelers per boat. During the excursion, you'll get the chance to see the famous flora and fauna of the Everglades, including herons and alligators. Visitors say this is a family-friendly tour and call the trip "memorable" and "amazing."

These tours run seven days a week; since they're semiprivate, you must call or email to find out the best times to depart. River of Grass Adventures also offers sunset tours of the Everglades.

Other Popular Everglades Tours

Shurr Adventures Everglades – Three Hour Mangrove Tunnel Kayak Tour Small Group Adventure

Price: Adults from $109; kids from $99 Duration: 3 to 4 hours

Enjoy an up-close view of animals and nature, and get some exercise in too, on this kayak tour of the Everglades' mangroves. As you paddle your way through the mangrove tunnels, you may spot orchids, birds and, of course, alligators. Kayakers say this tour is excellent and appreciate the patient, experienced guides who share a wealth of information about the plants and animals that reside in this unique ecosystem. What's more, reviewers appreciate that the tours are limited to just eight participants.

Tours are available Monday through Saturday from August to April; times vary by season. Children must be at least 7 years old to participate. Tourgoers will enjoy three to 3.5 hours out on the water but should plan to spend a total of four hours on-site from start to finish. Shurr Adventures Everglades also offers a full-day tour of the mangrove tunnels, as well as a motorboat tour in the Ten Thousand Islands region of Everglades National Park, among other options.

Shark Valley Tram Tours

Price: Adults from $31; kids from $16 Duration: 2 hours

These naturalist-led excursions not only include a tour around Everglades National Park in an open-air tram, they also give tourgoers the chance to explore on foot. Halfway through the tour, participants can climb a 45-foot-tall observation deck to see sweeping views of the surrounding vegetation. During the two-hour tour, travelers also have the opportunity to observe a variety of wildlife. Tourgoers enjoy learning about the Everglades from the expert guides and say riding the tram is part of the fun. Many also recommended taking a morning tour to avoid the midday heat.

From mid-December through late April, tours depart on the hour daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. From May through mid-December, tours depart at 9:30 and 11 a.m. and 2 and 4 p.m. Shark Valley Tram Tours also offers self-guided bike tours. (Note that you'll have to pay a separate fee to enter Everglades National Park for any tour.)

Everglades Florida Adventures – Ten Thousand Islands Tour

Price: Adults from $59; kids from $29 Duration: 3 hours

If you're hoping to see the Everglades by boat, but want something a little quieter than an airboat ride, consider this cruise. Departing from Port of the Islands Marina in Naples, this 45-foot passenger catamaran glides across the Faka Union Canal while guides share information about the history and ecology of the area. Tourgoers report spotting lots of birds, turtles, dolphins and manatees. They also call out the insightful crew and clean, comfortable boat as highlights.

Cruises are offered Monday to Friday at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Everglades Florida Adventures also offers kayak and canoe rentals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Like any other form of transportation, riding an airboat may come with some risks. To stay safe on your Everglades airboat tour, be sure to choose a company run by experienced, professional boaters (most of which undergo special training and are approved by the U.S. Coast Guard) and adhere to all rules set forth by your guide. Parents should keep a close eye on children and be sure they are properly fitted for their life jackets, and all passengers should protect against the heat by wearing sunscreen and staying hydrated. Commercial airboats typically do not exceed speeds of 30 to 40 mph to ensure a safe, smooth ride, and most operators will reschedule your tour in the event of lightning or other inclement weather. Tour companies will also generally provide riders with proper ear protection, as the boats are quite loud.

Typically, passengers will feel the most comfortable in lightweight, sleeveless clothing and shorts while on an Everglades airboat tour. If you are taking a wintertime tour, keep an eye on the weather – pants and long sleeves may be a better option, but you likely won't need a heavy jacket. Be sure to bring sunglasses, sunscreen and water to protect yourself from the effects of the sun; you may also want a hat to provide further shade and keep hair in place. Passengers with long hair are advised to wear it in a ponytail or bun to keep it from becoming knotted in the wind. Tourgoers may also wish to apply some bug spray prior to embarking on their adventure.

Airboat tours last about an hour, though duration will depend on the tour company.

An airboat's top speed is about 30 mph.

Not normally, but you run a small risk of getting misted with water. If you take a tour when it is raining, expect to get wet.

In winter, you'll want to time your visit for midday, when it warms up. In summer, you'll want to visit in the morning or later afternoon when it's coolest. Visiting at these times can increase your chances of seeing wildlife, but you'll likely see all kinds of critters no matter when you visit year-round.

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11 Best Everglades Airboat Tours Worth The Money

December 9, 2020 //  by  Florida Trippers

Are you looking for the best Everglades Airboat Tours? We have you covered with our list of the best tours worth your money!

The Everglades National Park is a 1.5 million-acre wetland located in southern Florida. Compared to a swamp the Everglades is comprised of mangroves, and sawgrass marshes and is home to alligators , birds and other species.

An Airboat Tour of the Everglades is a great way to view areas of the Everglades inaccessible by those on land. Whether you are looking for private tours, small group tours, nighttime moonlight tours, or tours that come with adventure wildlife parks, tours with lunch or tours with pick up and drop off we have you covered with this list!

We have discovered the best tours leaving from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Naples , Sanibel, Fort Myers and Orlando and Kissimmee . Whether looking for a quick 30 minutes of the best Everglades Airboat Tours to half-day and full-day adventure. Just make sure to pack sunscreen, bug spray and some water!

Florida Everglades Airboat Tour and Wild Florida

This is one of the best Everglades Airboat tours for those wanting options. The Florida Everglades Airboat Tour and Wild Florida explores Central Florida’s Everglades and leaves out of Orlando.

You will get to experience either a 30 minute airboat ride or one hour airboat ride through over 4200 acres of protected Everglades swamps, rivers and marshes.

If you choose the half day package your package includes a visit to the Wildlife Park spread over 13 acres where you can see animals like zebras, bobcats, lemurs, sloths, tropical bird aviary and an alligator handling show.

If looking for an Everglades Airboat tour with lunch you will want to book the half-day tour. This tour comes with a delicious BBQ lunch at the Chomp House Grill and an alligator souvenir and picture.

Book Now: 30 Minute Airboat Ride

Book Now: 1 Hour Airboat Ride

Book Now: Half day Package

Everglades Airboat Tour & Gator Boys

The Everglades Airboat Tour & Gator Boys Alligator Rescue Show is one of the best Everglades airboat tours from Fort Lauderdale. Here at the Everglades Holiday Park Fort Lauderdale, your tour includes a 1 hour narrated Airboat ride and then a 15 minute live alligator rescue show! Tours depart every 20 minutes. And the tour takes about an hour and half.

Not only will you see alligators and birds on the Airboat Tour you will see unique flora and fauna along the ride. Enjoy the unique ecosystem up close and personal from the airboat as you spot alligators in their natural habitat and learn about the importance of conversation and preservation of the Everglades.

The Gator Boys have appeared on Animal Planet and provide and informative and entertaining live rescue show. After you will also receive two pictures from your day!

Book Now: 1 Hour Airboat Tour and Live Show

Airboat Tour Central Florida

The Airboat Tour of Central Florida is one of the best airboat rides in the Everglades for those looking for small groups. Tours are limited to only 6 guests and seating is in a stadium style on the boat so everyone has great views.

This tour leaves from Kissimmee and includes a guided airboat tour with live commentary. Your small group will explore the Everglades swamp keeping a lookout for alligators in their nesting areas in West Lake Toho.

Tours leave at 9 am, 11 am and 1 pm.

Book Now: 90 minute Airboat Tour

Full-Day Everglades Naturalist-Led Adventure

If you are looking for a Full-Day tour, this is one of the best Everglades airboat tours near Miami . What makes the Full Day Everglades Naturalist led adventure unique is this tour is a full day package! There is also a half day option!

First, the tour offers complimentary pickup from hotels in Miami, Hollywood or Fort Lauderdale. Then you will be on your way to explore the Everglades National Park with a master naturalist where you will take a hour long airboat ride through the river of Grass to see alligators up close in Shark Valley.

Next on the tour you will take an hour long cruise to the Ten Thousand Islands a salt water area of the Everglades where you can often spot manatees, birds, dolphins and more.

Then you will experience a visit to a Native tree island village ( Miccouskee) that once serves as a historic trading post, and finally a wildlife spotting tour on Big Cyprus and then it is onto lunch at the Havana Cafe.

The lunch as both vegetarian and gluten free options in addition to the traditional menu. Snacks, fresh fruit, water, and soft drinks also offered during the tour.

There is a hotel pickup and even a dedicated airport drop off perfect for those looking for an interesting tour their day of departure. They will hold your luggage and offer guests the complete experience with bug spray, sunscreen, ponchos, binoculars, and a eco-canteen and a National Parks map! This is the best Everglades airport tours near Miami!

Book Now: Full Day Adventure

Book Now: Half Day Tour

Florida Everglades Night Airboat Tour

Are you looking to take an airboat tour through the Everglades at night? If so, the Florida Everglades Night Airboat Tour departing from Fort Lauderdale is for you! The tour departs at 8:30 PM from the Sawgrass Recreational Park.

With your ticket you also receive admission to the Sawgrass Recreation Park open during the day where you can see reptiles and exotic animals at the Wildlife center.

Your airboat tour will take place under the stars of the sky as you glide across the Everglades at up to 40 miles per hour using the lights from the airboat to spot alligators.

Book Now: 1 hour Nighttime Airboat Ride

Everglades VIP Tour and Show

The Everglades VIP tour and Show provides transportation to and from select hotels in the Fort Lauderdale Area as well as the Miami or Fort Lauderdale airports and both the Port Everglades and Port of Miami. The tour is about 4 hours long with transportation time included.

There are two VIP tour options offered one in the morning at 8:30 am and one in the afternoon at 1 pm. After being picked up you will begin your tour on an hour long airboat tour with in-depth commentary through the Everglades. The guides will explain the eco-system as well as the behaviorof the alligators.

Once you return you will be treated to a live in person presentation by the Gator Boys alligator rescue team. The show is both informative and entertaining!

After the show you may take a picture with one of the baby alligators where you will be given a little keepsake of your day spent exploring the Everglades and learning about alligators.

Book Now: 1 hour Airboat Ride and Pick Up

Private Tour: Florida Everglades Airboat Ride and Wildlife Adventure

If you are looking for a private tour this is one of the best Everglades boat tours! For those looking for a premium experience you will have the airboat all to yourself with just your group!

On this Private Tour of Florida’s Everglades Airboat Ride and Wildlife Adventure , you will travel deep into the Everglades National Park and explore wildlife refuge at the Sawgrass Recreational Park. As this is a private ride the goal is show areas of the Everglades normal boat tours don’t reach and with a smaller airboat it is easily manuverable into smaller areas!

Guests can expect the tour to be a little longer and more in-depth with Airboat speeds reaching up to 40 miles per hour! At the refuge you can see panthers, bobcats, leopards, alligators and other like fish, snakes, and turtles up close.

Book Now: Private 60 minute Airboat Tour

Air Boat Tour of Palm Beach in The Swamp Monster

If you are in the Palm Beach area and are looking for one of the best Everglades airboat tours from Palm Beach this is the tour for you! On this tour you will take a private airboat tour on the Swamp Monster boat with individual seats!

The tour guide is very informative about the Everglades ecosystem and plants as well as knowledgable about the wildlife you will encounter on the airboat tour. You can often spot turtles, herons, storks and an assortment of birds.

Sometimes you even spot an area of an old plane wreckage depending on how far into the Everglades the tour takes you.

Book Now: Private Airboat Tour

Everglades Day Safari from Fort Myers, Naples or Sanibel

If you are looking for one of the best Everglades airboat tours from Fort Myers you are in luck! The Everglades Day Safari from Fort Myers, Naples or Sanibel offers a guided tour with a naturalist. This eco-tour offers a wildlife drive, hour long airboat ride and boat cruise, lunch and a nature walk.

On this 45 minute airboat tour highlights include seeing wildlife such as dolphins, alligators, herons and more. You will be given a full history of the wildlife, geology, and Native American history as well.

Then you will take a wildlife drive through Big Cypress National Preserve where you can see gators, deer, bear, hogs, turtles, birds and more. Next, you will take a wildlife walk through the ancient towering cypress trees. It is truly one of the best Everglades boat tours from Naples!

After an afternoon break you will be served lunch at a beautiful waterside restaurant in the Everglades. You must try the alligator appetizers! After lunch you will board another boat cruise fora 60 minute tour of the mangroves at 10,000 islands. You can spot manatees here!

Book Here: Everglades Day Tour

Miami Beach Miccosukee Village and Everglades Airboat Tour

The Miami Beach Miccosukee Village and Everglades Airboat Tour is a small group tour. Pickup is included from any Miami Beach landmark or hotel along Collins Avenue.

On your small group airboat tour you will discover the wildlife in the Everglades with tours offered in English, German and Spanish. You will have the oppurtunity to discover the unique eco-system of the Everglades alongside viewing wildlife like turtles, alligators and birds.

After the airboat tour you can visit the nearby wildlife park and learn about conservation efforts in the Everglades. Next, you will visit the Miccosukee Indian Village and Reservation where you can learn about the history and culture of the tribe. View handcrafts, photographs and more.

Book Now: Miami Beach Airboat Tour

Biscayne Bay Cruise and Everglades Airboat Ride

If you are ready to explore Miami by bus, boat and airboat this full day guided sightseeing adventure is for you. From the bus ride around Miami, to the Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach to the airboat ride through the Everglades this tour is for you.

Pickup begins at 10:15 am for this 6 hour full day tour. First you a picked up and then depart on a 30 minute airboat ride though the Everglades. You will view wildlife such as fish, birds, alligators and more.

Next your tour will take you on a jungle trail with crocodile exhibits and a live alligator wildlife show. Then you will board a 90 minute cruise along Biscayne Bay. The cruise takes you along the skyline of Miami Beach and Fisher Island, keep an eye out for manatees, dolphins and rays in the clear water off the coast.

Book: Everglades and Biscayne Bay

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The Original Everglades National Park Airboat Tour

Everglades safari t-shirt, experience the beauty of everglades national park while riding an airboat, discover the next level of family fun while our captains navigate through the pristine waters of everglades national park aboard our world-famous airboat tours. you can bet it is one of the safest social distancing options to explore your nature™..

The Original Eco-Experience Airboat Tour

Take an unforgettable journey on an airboat ride through florida's everglades national park, join our expert captains for 30 to 40 minutes of educational family fun in the florida everglades. learn about the unique plants and animals that live in your very own backyard..

Travel Deeper into Everglades National Park Aboard A Private Tour

Go off the beaten path as we journey deeper into florida's everglades national park, as expert guides, our captains have unparalleled knowledge of the trails, plants, and animals. join us for a truly unique and unforgettable experience today.

So much fun!! We did a private tour with LOU, and had an absolute blast!! Thanks to all the staff for being so friendly and knowledgeable! Make sure you go to the alligator show!

Wonderful place, excellent your guide and really awesome Alligator show. Highly recommend!!! Will definitely be back

Wondering What to Do When Visiting the Everglades?

From airboats to camping, we've listed our top picks in our latest article: Top 7 Things to Do in the Everglades!

On Vacation & Need A Ride? We Can Help!

We recommend Xpedition Tours! They provide reliable service to and from our park, from select locations.

So fun!  Beautiful tour flying around the everglades on an airboat!  Wear the ear buds they give you. And you can hold Snappy!

This place is awesome!  We saw a Snail Kite, momma alligator and her nest. The boat ride was sooo much fun. We actually drove by it and turned around just to see the place.

Planning Your Visit? Woo!

Find out everything you can do during your visit to the florida everglades, from airboats to nature walks, wildlife shows to gator bites, we offer family fun in the warm florida sun all year long. we're sure your experience will be unforgettable., ever wonder what that alligator is doing.

Top 7 Things to do in the Everglades

If you ask anyone about the Everglades, they will most probably say that it is the greatest swamp in Florida. They are close but not exactly right! It is a slow-running river that entails around nine contrasting, elegant ecosystems.

History of Airboats

In 1930, airboats started becoming popular in the United States. Many Floridians made them famously known when they began to invent them independently, these Floridians mostly lived in or near the Florida Everglades.

Ultimate Guide: Animals of the Everglades

Did you know the Florida Everglades sustains a unique environment that provides safe refuge to the wildlife that inhabits the wetlands, some of which are not found anywhere else in the world? This guide tells you all about them!

The Ultimate Guide to Everglades National Park

With so much to do in South Florida, it’s easy to miss the adventure that can be found in our very own backyard. In this article, we will shed light on one of the hidden gems often overlooked by visitors and residents alike; the Florida Everglades.

Searching For The Perfect Deal? Look no further!

We offer various discounts to make your Everglades National Park experience more memorable and less stressful on your wallet.

We recommend Xpedition Tours! transportation companies in Miami to provide you reliable service to and from our park, from select locations.

Traveling With A Group? Group Rates & Arrangements Are Available.

Group tours of all sizes are welcome to enjoy the adventure, together! Our custom made, twin rotor airboats are the largest in the industy, holding a whopping 45 visitors each!

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Captain Mitch's * Everglades Airboat rides

Everglades City Fl , Swampland Airboat Tours

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Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours

EVERGLADES Airboat Tours with Captain Mitch’s OPEN 7 a days week 8:30 to 4:00

CAPTAIN MITCH’S Airboat Tours Everglades City, FL. THRILLING Everglades airboat tours on thousands of acres of private swampland. At the same price as our competitors. So join us on a Everglades City Airboat ride.

Oldest family in the airboat ride industry of south Florida.

• Come let us show you the great Everglades rides in Florida on an Airboat.
• The best way to travel is Everglades Airboat Rides, Everglades City, FL.
• Skim over the water on one of our  Airboat Tours  and see the grasslands of the Florida Everglades the way it was meant to be seen.
• Captain Mitch House of  Everglades Private Airboat Tours , and his family has been in the airboat tour business for more than 60 years.
• This is the original small Airboat Tours in Everglades City, FL.
• In our private Everglades Airboat ride park we see gators, birds, fish, snakes come see all of our friends!
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TRAVEL LIKE THE OLD PIONEERS WITH A REAL PIONEER FAMILY.

Know that your time at  Everglades Private Airboat Tours  will be one of your cherished memories of your Florida Everglades Airboat experience, whether you are visiting or a year-round resident. We’ll see you soon!

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1-800-368-0065

Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours 31000 Tamiami Trail E Naples, FL 34114

A Florida Everglades airboat ride, Everglades City, FL. Just south on US 41 in the swamps from Naples or Marco Island, FL. Ft Myers or Miami fl are great day trip of aprox 1 1/2 hrs drive. Private Everglades Airboat Tours through the swamplands and Everglades island.

**SPECIAL**

$5.00 OFF (ADULTS ONLY) Mention Verbal Code: ***EARTH DAY*** at check in to receive discount ***EXPIRES: 04/30/2024

*Cannot be combined with any other coupons* **Verbal Code must be mentioned at check in to receive the discount. Coupons will NOT be accepted after purchase**

COUPONS NOT VALID ON PRIVATE TOURS

Airboat Ride Adventures

Experience this THRILLING once in a lifetime one hour Everglade airboat tour in the Florida Everglades swampland at Captain Mitch’s airboat park.

Reservation Request

*All online reservation requests should be done 72 hours in advance. If you are planning same day service (less than 72 hours), please call our office to ensure we can get you in right away.

**Current prices effective 04/07/2022**

Adults: CASH PRICE: $45.00 per person, plus tax. CREDIT CARD PRICE: $50.00 per person, plus tax (1 hr ride) Child: CASH PRICE: $20.00 per person, plus tax. CREDIT CARD PRICE: $25.00 per person, plus tax (1 hr ride)

(Boat minimum 2 adults)

AIRBOAT PIONEER BARREL HEAD HOUSE

• 31 reviews of Everglades Private Airboat Tours in Everglades City

Our local Airboat tour captains

Capt Mitch.

Born and raised in Everglades City Fl. Raised commercial fishing the Everglades National Park and running airboat tours.

Raised in Chokoloskee, FL crabbing, commercial fishing the Everglades 10,000 Islands and airboat rides

Capt  Hunter

Raised in Chokoloskee, FL airboating the Everglades all his life

Born in Ohio relocated to Everglades City fishing and airboating the Everglades 20+years

Naples Florida redneck. Airboat Captain from the swamp.

Captain Cory

Our newest Airboat Captain living the island life on Chokoloskee, FL

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Everglades Tours

Animal encounters, alligator shows, and much more, everglades airboat tours, everglades vip tour, animal encounters, alligator shows, group tours & events, everglades holiday park tours in fort lauderdale, fl.

Welcome to Everglades Holiday Park! We are located in sunny South Florida, just outside of Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Our world-famous airboat ride and alligator park is a top attraction for locals and visitors alike. It’s perfect for kids and adults of all ages.

Climb aboard one of our state-of-the-art vessels for an unforgettable   Everglades airboat tour . Then, experience a live alligator show featuring the Gator Boys Alligator Rescue team in our world-famous Gator Pit! Even get an opportunity to hold a baby alligator. With miles of wetlands and mangrove tunnels, you’ll journey deep into the Florida Everglades, zipping across the “River of Grass” at top speeds with an expert airboat tour guide.

Our fleet of airboats are spacious safe, offers comfort, and covered protection from all weather conditions. Lock eyes with an American alligator and snap amazing pictures as you come face-to-face with some of the most unusual and exciting animals. Don’t forget to upgrade your boat ride experience with an animal encounter. There’s only one Everglades and only one way to see it. 

AIRBOAT TOURS & ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS

Exciting tours.

Experience a tour as stunning as it is intriguing. Our tours of the ‘Glades are unlike any other—packed with facts, history, and educational tidbits about this distinct Florida region filled with unparalleled wildlife; our exclusive fan boat tours offer you an exhilarating thrill like never before. The following are included:

• *60-Minute Everglades Airboat Tours
• 20-Minute Live Alligator Show
• 1 Premium Group Photo for Your Party
• Unmatched Family Fun for All Members

VIP TOUR WITH TRANSPORTATION

Your tour should be the very best—that’s why we make it more seamless than ever to ensure your visit is exhilarating, streamlined, and as memorable as can be. In other words, leave the round-trip transportation planning to us. Our tour transportation packages offer you a ride from our park. Includes: 

• Round-Trip Transportation Included
• *60-Minute, Fully Narrated Airboat Tour
• 20-Minute Live Alligator Show 

Wildlife & Animal Encounters Experience

Discover the thrill of interacting in a private setting with up to 5 exciting and unique, uncaged animals during our private tour. Listen and learn as our professional animal handlers dive into deep, detailed explanations, fun facts, and intriguing information about some of the most interesting and distinctive wildlife.

• 45-minute Animal Encounter Experience 
• Stories and Fun Facts About the Animals
• Professional Photos Included
• Special Packages Available

EXOTIC, EDUCATIONAL FUN

Our thrilling airboat rides through the Florida Everglades offer both education and entertainment (we call it edutainment) —with experienced captains, cutting-edge performers, and exceptionally talented wildlife handlers on our team, we’re proud to offer an experience unlike any other.

Join us in Fort Lauderdale for a thrilling experience, and also available with round-trip transportation included!

Adrenaline Packed

60-minute airboat tour.

Glide through the wetlands of the Everglades at top speeds for amazing views, unparalleled thrills, and a thoroughly stunning experience! Our expert guides will take you on an enthralling tour of this distinctive habitat while imparting their vast knowledge of the plants and animals that call it home. Get ready to see alligators, rare birds, and other amazing creatures up close.

Leave the transportation up to us for an effortless vacation. When you book an airboat tour with transportation, we’ll handle the to-and-from accommodations—you handle the 1-hour airboat tour, exclusive live alligator show, and 1 free premium group photo per party. This VIP experience is created to satisfy the needs of explorers who seek both the excitement of exploration and the comfort and convenience of seamless transportation. With our VIP Tour, you can take your journey to the next level and make memories that will last a lifetime.

OUR EXCITING WILDLIFE

Our animal encounters offer you the chance to experience exciting and interesting wildlife as up close and personal as possible. Meet our uncaged animals courtesy of our expert wildlife handlers—learn about their diet, lifestyle, habitat, and much more

OUR GROUP TOURS & ADVENTURES

From school field trips to corporate team building activities, our group tours make for epic, fun-sized adventures. No matter what your event—a family gathering, birthday party, or a summer camp field trip—we can accommodate your party in style.

Stop by The

Gator bites café & gift shop.

If you’ve worked up an alligator-sized appetite while here at our park, you can chomp on some delicious treats from our full-service café and deli. From tasty breakfast and lunch options, we’re proud to offer both kid-friendly delights as well as some more exotic delicacies (an order of frog legs, please). Don’t forget a souvenir from our gift shop to remember your once-in-a-lifetime experience. Gator Bites Café & Gift Shop is more than just a pit stop.

A PRIVATE AIRBOAT TOUR

Climb aboard for a personalized experience just for you and your party. You tell us where you’d like to go how fast to do it, and your wish is our command. Enjoy the wetlands at top speeds for a thrilling adventure, or take a moment to slow down and savor the scenery. You have the freedom to explore, whether they be close encounters with wildlife or peaceful periods in unspoiled wilderness. Our guides will offer a fully narrated experience at your preferred pace.

THE GATOR BOYS IN ACTION

Live shows at the world-famous Gator Pit.

High-octane performances and captivating education about alligators.

Witness a mind-blowing, up-close-and-personal look at the antics and demeanor of rescued American alligators.

Our tour is loaded with excitement and maximum entertainment in mind—that’s why each tour includes an action-packed live alligator show. Our 20-minute gator shows offer heart-pumping stunts peppered with tons of educational facts—all brought to you by the Gator Boys Alligator Rescue team from Animal Planet’s hit TV series.

NEWS & ARTICLES

Visiting the everglades.

Everglades National Park wasn’t established until 1947, and by then, the damage to the Everglades was already noticeable.

Decades Of Restoration Work – The Everglades Bridge That Changed it All

10 surprising facts about the everglades.

Do you know the Florida Everglades? You might be surprised to learn that America’s wetland is actually a river. Here are 5 surprising facts about the Everglades.

EVERGLADES TOURS, ALLIGATOR SHOWS, AND ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS EXPERIENCE

Our cutting-edge airboats provide a smooth and secure ride, allowing you to concentrate on taking in the surrounding natural beauty.

After your *60-minute Everglades airboat adventure concludes, take in an exciting and educational alligator presentation where you’ll learn all about the American alligator! As part of the airboat tour experience, you’ll receive 1 free group photo per party to remember your fun-filled day at the park! If that’s not enough, GO WILD with our animal encounters experience, where you’ll meet, interact with, and learn about five different animals within a private area inside our park.

No matter where your interests lie, you’ll find something to enjoy during your stay with us. Just ask the locals: they know Everglades Holiday Park is a great place to host a birthday party or a corporate event. Our private airboat tours cater to parties of 2 or more. You can also customize unique shore excursions for your entire group.

As you soar over the glassy waters near Everglades National Park, our designated coast guard will reveal secret information about this unique ecosystem as you soar over the glassy waters. The lush mangroves provide a welcoming aura, and the chirping sounds of animals affirm that you are truly experiencing the purest form of nature.

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Breaking News:

Gator Park is open every day. No reservations required, just show up!

NPS Entrance Fee is now $8 per person for adults, free for seniors, children under 16, National Park passholders, military and veterans.

Please be advised that holding live baby alligator for a photo is no longer allowed. Thank you for your understanding.

We have a limitied availability for private tours. Please call to make reservation in advance. 

Walk-ins are always welcome!

Attention Drivers: Please exercise increased caution while traveling on US41 due to current road conditions. Stay alert, reduce speed , and maintain a safe following distance. 

Welcome to GATOR PARK

An alligator adventure in the heart of the everglades national park..

Looking for some serious gator action? Gator Park is the premier airboat tour in the Florida Everglades to spy these fierce reptiles. Airboat rides depart every few minutes, so your Everglades experience begins the moment you arrive. We also offer private airboat tours for a more up close and personal look at the alligators .

The Everglades National Park is known for its vast wildlife, many of whom you’ll meet on your airboat tour. From endangered birds you won’t find anywhere else to small creatures that live among these wild alligators , you’ll see Florida as few people do.

The Everglades' marine life includes more than 200,000 alligators, so you’re guaranteed to spy quite a few on your Everglades tour! American crocodiles and fish, including large mouth bass,  blue gil and catfish, are also frequent guest stars on the tour.

More than 28 different snakes - a few of which are venomous – also call the Everglades home, alongside the beautiful and elusive endangered Florida panther.

Experience this unique Miami, Florida attraction by booking your airboat ride through the Everglades National Park today. Give us a call at 800-559-2205 or buy tour tickets online now.

Ready to meet the gators? You’ve come to the right place. Buy your airboat tour tickets online and save time and money at the park. No reservations required! Your tickets will be available at Gator Park on the day of your airboat safari.

Airboat Tours

Get ready for the ride of your life. The Gator Park Airboat Tour begins by winding down the canal, providing plenty of photo ops to catch wildlife in their natural habitat. Experienced guides offer tips to ensure you spot alligators large and small...

Wildlife Show

Go beyond the Everglades with Gator Park's famous alligator and wildlife show and watch alligators from just a few steps away! This barehanded technique was originally used to capture alligators and showcases the great power and agility of the gators.

ALLIGATOR TOUR HOURS & RATES

Looking for a unique change of pace from other Florida tourist attractions? An Everglades airboat safari is just what you need. Gator Park is open and ready for your Everglades adventure every day, rain or shine! (The gators like the rain.)

Monday – Sunday:

• 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Last wildlife show:

Last airboat departure:

Tickets to Gator Park include admission, airboat ride through the Everglades and watch alligators at the Wildlife show. Buy tickets online and save. 

• Adults: $29.99 ($29.99 at the gate)
• Children: $19.99 (Kids 1-5 years old ride for free!)

Private airboat tours run on your schedule and are a great way to get up close and personal with the gators. Rates are by the hour.

• 1-4 People: $525.00
• 5-6 People: $695.00
• 7-10 People: $895.00
• 11-15 People: $995.00
• 16-24 People: $1495.00

$8 National Park Service entry fee is not included.

Excluded from National Park entrance fees:

• Children under the age of 16
• National Park passholders
• Senior citizens (62+ years of age)
• Active Military personnel with proper ID

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and Diner's Club cards accepted for all our Everglades attractions.

SUNSET AND NIGHT TIME TOURS

Private Sunset and Night Time Airboat Tour rates begin after 5:00 pm. Florida is known for many beautiful things and among them are our majestic and surreal sunsets, and that is why we offer the Sunset and Night-Time Tours. Wondrous memories and adventure await you as the sun goes down and stars shine.The rates for this adventure begin at 3:30 pm daily.

Reservations are recommended at least 2 day in advance

One Hour: $275.00 for two people One And A Half Hours: $375.00 for two people Two Hours: $475.00 for two people

$60.00 Dollars for each additional person over the age of 5

Sunset and nighttime airboat tours offer a completely different experience compared to daytime tours. The Everglades, or any wetland environment, transforms as day turns to night, and many nocturnal animals emerge. Here’s what you can expect and some considerations if you’re thinking of embarking on a sunset or nighttime airboat tour:

What to Expect :

• Atmosphere : As the sun sets, the sky over the Everglades can be a breathtaking canvas of oranges, purples, and reds. It’s serene, with the sounds of nature becoming more pronounced as the world darkens.
• Wildlife : Many creatures of the Everglades are nocturnal. Night tours might give you a chance to spot animals like owls, bats, and even nocturnal reptiles. Alligators, for instance, are more active during cooler evenings.
• Temperature : It tends to be cooler in the evenings, making the experience more comfortable, especially during the hotter months.
• Guided Experience : A knowledgeable guide will use spotlights to highlight wildlife and points of interest. The darkness also means that you’ll be more reliant on their expertise to navigate and explain the sights and sounds.
• Sensory Experience : The lack of visual stimuli heightens your other senses. The sounds of the wetlands at night – from the chirp of crickets and the distant call of birds to the subtle movements of water – create a unique auditory experience.

Considerations :

• Dress Appropriately : Evenings can get chilly on the water, so bring a light jacket or sweater. Mosquito repellent is also crucial, as bugs can be more active during dusk.
• Safety : Ensure that the tour operator provides all necessary safety equipment, including life vests and ear protection.
• Camera : If you’re keen on photography, note that nighttime shots can be challenging due to the low light and movement of the boat. A camera with a good low-light function or a flash might be helpful.
• Reservations : Sunset and nighttime tours might be less frequent than daytime outings, so it’s a good idea to book in advance.
• Duration : Check the duration of the tour. Night tours might be shorter or longer than daytime counterparts.

In conclusion, sunset and nighttime airboat tours provide a unique way to experience the wetlands’ nocturnal side. It’s an adventure that combines the thrill of speeding through the waters in the dark with the serene beauty of nature at rest. If you have the opportunity, it’s a journey worth taking.

PRIVATE SUNSET AND NIGHT TIME ADVENTURE

HOTEL PICK UP

1-888-893-4443

Advanced Reservations Recommended

Airboat in everglades.

17696 SW 8 ST Miami, FL 33194 Telephone: 1-888-893-4443

Local Phone: 305-972-3297

8:00 am – 5:00 pm Daily Walk ups welcome but subject to availability [email protected]

Rated 4.8 of 5 Stars based on 2130 Reviews RESERVE HERE

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Hmmmm you’ve read this much, read more and book with us.

Everglades departure points

17696 SW 8 ST Miami, FL 33194 Telephone: 1-888-893-4443 Hours: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm Daily Walk ups welcome but subject to availability [email protected]

BEST AIRBOAT TOUR IN MIAMI FLORIDA

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Please Contact Us For More Information.

Airboat Tours: 17696 Southwest 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33194 (Pilot Travel Center)

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Call Toll Free: 1-888-893-4443

Copyright © 2010-2023 Airboat In Everglades Inc

DISCLAIMER: ***RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK*** Cancellations must be received 48-hours in advance in order to receive a full refund.. A 50% cancellation charge will be issued if you are a no show or cancel within 48 hours prior to your reservation. If the adventure is canceled on behalf of Airboat In Everglades INC for any reason what so ever the guest is entitled to a full refund. We are closed on Sundays.

Have an unforgettable Everglades experience at Jungle Erv's!

Zip through the Everglades on airboat tours

Take a buggy ride through a cypress forest

Get a chance to see wild alligators, birds & more

Stay safe and comfortable 

See alligators & animals up close

Hold a baby alligator

Explore mangroves on a boardwalk stroll

Take home gifts and memories

Everglades National Park Boat Tours

Mangrove Maze & National Park Combo

Ten thousand islands boat tour, mangrove maze airboat tours.

Race through a maze of Everglades mangroves on an airboat, away from other traffic • 12-seat boats

• Mangrove Maze Ultimate Combo

Mangrove Maze & Grassland Combo

Mangrove Maze & Buggy Combo

• Mangrove Maze Airboat Tour

Mangrove Maze Ultimate Stay & Play

Mangrove tunnel airboat tours.

Zip through the world-famous mangrove tunnels of Everglades City on an airboat • 6- or 10-seat boats

• Mangrove Tunnel Ultimate Combo

Mangrove Tunnel & Grassland Combo

Mangrove Tunnel & Buggy Combo

• Mangrove Tunnel Airboat Tour

• Private Mangrove Tunnel Airboat Tour

4 Attractions Included with All Our Tours

When you book direct.

Animal Sanctuary

Alligator Show

Hug an Alligator

Why choose erv's.

Local Roots

Safety & Experience

Two-Way Headsets

Alligators & Animals

Quietest & comfiest.

A Timeless Classic

Refreshments & Gifts

Guests love us.

• Mangrove Maze & National Park Combo
• Mangrove Maze & Grassland Combo
• Mangrove Maze & Buggy Combo
• Mangrove Maze Ultimate Stay & Play
• Mangrove Tunnel & Grassland Combo
• Mangrove Tunnel & Buggy Combo
• Lodging Nearby
• Animals & Alligator Show
• Everglades City Boardwalk

Expect to have fun

Discover what awaits in the mangrove jungle, from marine wildlife to birds and critters

Feel welcome and comfy

Enjoy little extras like drinks and snacks, misters, fans and comfortable indoor/outdoor seating

Get cool souvenirs

Browse our gift shop for T-shirts and hats with our logo, unique art and gator memorabilia

JESUS IS LORD

Family and faith are important to us, so we are closed on Sundays. As locals and natives to this area, we want your experience in nature’s beauty to be safe and wonderful. You’re sure to leave with a smile on your face!

Your adventure starts now!

FEEL WELCOME AND COMFY

Make Airboat tour reservations

Up to 90 days in advance.

Tours typically run 55-60 minutes.

Hop on and ride the mangrove jungle

Interact with your captain over two-way headsets

Four generations of our family want to make you smile

Enjoy the safest, quietest airboats in the mangrove jungle *

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• Animal Sanctuary & Alligator Park

3 attractions

20 min show

1-2 hour visit

There’s a good chance you’ll see alligators and other wild animals on our airboat and swamp buggy tours, but Mother Nature makes no guarantees. That’s where our Animal Sanctuary & Alligator Park comes in! It’s home to animals like turtles, a lion, alligators, and otters. Our professional alligator handlers put on a live alligator show hourly. Our handlers will thrill you, fascinate you with alligator trivia, and let you hold and hug an alligator!

3 Attractions Included with All Our Tours

Animal Sanctuary

Alligator show.

Hug an Alligator

Live alligator shows run hourly between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m, with the last show starting at 4:00 pm.

Our expert handlers will show you the power and beauty of these magnificent creatures. Feel free to ask questions and learn everything you wanted to know about the uniquely American alligator. After the show, you can even hold and hug a baby alligator.

Upgrade Your Tour

+ Add Swamp Buggy Tour

+ Add Grasslands Airboat Tour

+ Add Extended Airboat Tour

Choose the right tour.

• On a 30-minute Grassland Airboat Tour you'll take an airboat through the expansive grassland and mangroves on 259 acres of private land. Boats seat a maximum of 15 guests.
• On a 50-minute Extended Airboat Tour , you'll explore the grasslands and get deeper into the mangroves where the larger boats can't go. Boats seat 9 guests.
• On a 50-minute Private Airboat Tour , you get the same amazing experience as the Extended Tour, but the entire boat is reserved only for your party. Boats seat up to 9 guests.
• On a 30-minute Swamp Buggy Tour , you'll explore exclusive grasslands and cypress forests from a raised buggy, which seats up to 22 guests.
• For groups of 20+ people, see our group tour page for discounts on airboat and swamp buggy tours.
• If you have students K-12, create a fun, educational experience with an  Everglades Field Trip .

Guests Love Us!

"What an amazing day! Airboat ride and swamp buggy were so great! Got to see the Everglades, a lot of gators, bear tracks, birds and vultures. Staff was friendly and accommodating. They knew a great deal about the animals in the area and answered a lot of questions. I highly recommend!"

—S. from North Carolina

"The airboat was a thrilling ride and we saw a lot of alligators! The swamp buggy was fun and fascinating. This is definitely the place to go to check off your bucket list. Everyone working there was friendly and gave us a great time! I would definitely do this again."

—L. from Florida

—C.Z.

"We sat in the front row for the airboat tour and it was so much fun. The captain was very knowledgeable with a sense of humor. Seeing the alligators and holding them was something I never thought I would get to do!"

—S. from Massachusetts

Why Choose Wooten's?

Local Roots

Most of our team grew up in the Everglades and they all look forward to sharing their passion for the water and wildlife with you!

Safety & Experience

Our safe, experienced captains are licensed by the Coast Guard, and our boats are regularly maintained.

Alligators & Animals

You'll definitely see alligators and other animals in our sanctuary, and you might even see wild ones on your tour!

Quietest & Comfiest

Our custom airboats are the quietest and most comfortable they've ever been, with a ride just as thrilling.

A Timeless Classic

Wooten's has a long history of delighting customers since 1953!

Refreshments & Gifts

Buy refreshments and take Everglades gifts and souvenirs home with you.

Top Questions

• 45 minutes from Naples
• 75 minutes from Fort Myers
• 90 minutes from Miami
• 3 hours from Tampa
• 4 hours from Orlando

Don't use Uber, Lyft, or other ride-sharing services. They can't pick you up when you're done!

• Yes, all ages are welcome on all our tours.
• Any passengers aged 17 or younger must be accompanied by at least one passenger who is aged 18 or older.
• Coast Guard regulations require everyone, even infants on your lap, to buy a seat.
• Consider bringing sunblock, bug spray, and comfortable shoes and clothes.
• You might get a little wet from small splashes and spray.
• If rain is forecasted, we recommend bringing a poncho.
• Many guests see wild alligators, birds, and other wildlife on their airboat and buggy tours, but Mother Nature makes no guarantees, so neither can we.
• You will definitely see alligators and other rescued animals in our Animal Sanctuary , an attraction included with all our tours.
• Our tours run rain or shine, except when there's a thunderstorm.
• We don't refund bookings if you cancel too close to a tour's departure time (check the policy when booking).
• Sometimes we need to delay due to thunderstorms or other unforeseen circumstances. We'll do our best to reschedule or issue a refund.
• Our airboat docks are handicap accessible, but wheelchairs can’t be loaded onto our airboats.
• If anyone in your party is using a wheelchair, please be sure they can move from the wheelchair onto the airboat.
• For everyone's safety, pets and service animals are not allowed in the Animal Sanctuary , near the boat launch, on airboats, or on swamp buggies.
• Service animals are allowed only in the gift shop, restrooms, and picnic areas.
• Grassland & National Park Combo
• Original Combo
• Extended Combo
• Total Everglades Combo
• Private Combo
• Kayak Airboat Combo
• Grassland Airboat Tour
• Extended Airboat Tour
• Private Airboat Tour
• Swamp Buggy Tour
• Lodging Nearby
• Stay & Play Adventure
• Large Group Grassland Airboat Tour
• Large Group Original Combo
• Students & Field Trips
• Online Gift Shop
• Gift Cards for Tours
• Shipping, Tax & Returns

Environment | Bright Lit Place: The people who fight for —…

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Environment

Environment | bright lit place: the people who fight for — and depend on — everglades restoration.

Deep in the Everglades, in remote sawgrass marshes few people ever see, Michael Frank points to a faded white, red, black and gold Miccosukee flag that flies above the dock at his family’s tree island.

“We were told to never, ever leave the Everglades. You leave the Everglades, you lose your culture, you lose your language, you lose your identity,” Frank said. “You become just like the outside people.”

Today, unnaturally high water flows under the boardwalks that connect the island’s thatch-roofed chickees. Native plants fight for space with weedy elephant grass, Brazilian pepper and other invasive species.

The flag stays up, Frank said, because it represents the Miccosukee Tribe’s willingness to talk with those outside people to help save the marshes that hold his ancestral tree islands.

The new WLRN podcast  Bright Lit Place , part of the Pulitzer Center’s Connected Coastlines  reporting initiative, examines what happened to Florida’s promise to undo the damage killing the islands and restore the Everglades with a  massive plan  approved in 2000. Work was originally expected to cost just under $8 billion and take about 20 years. The price has now soared to $23 billion and fallen decades behind schedule. Meanwhile, the swamp keeps dying.

Half of the  Everglades tree islands  in Frank’s homeland are  now gone , washed away by high water stored in the marshes after the Everglades was dredged and drained to make way for development. Pig Jaw, Smallpox Tommy, Stinking Hammock and other islands where Frank lived and played as a child remain, but they’re chronically threatened by water.

Without freshwater from the Everglades, mangrove forests that protect the shoreline struggle to keep up with sea rise. Spongy peat soils and sawgrass marshes that help clean and recharge South Florida’s drinking water  continue to collapse . And a menagerie of wildlife, from scarlet-colored roseate spoonbills to marsh rabbits, disappear.

These are some of the people appearing in Bright Lit Place who’ve spent decades waiting for progress. Those hit hardest measure losses in their checkbooks and family businesses, or even their homelands. Others have devoted their careers to the science needed to get restoration done right, working long hours, often in inhospitable conditions, and sometimes, facing fierce opposition.

Fishing Guide Tim Klein

On a postcard perfect day in Florida Bay, fishing guide Tim Klein and his son, James, steer their boats around a small, horseshoe-shaped key crowded with squawking sea birds.

The water ripples with nervous mullet as a small pod of bottlenose dolphins swim nearby. Suddenly, a dolphin breaks the surface, belly up, with a mullet in its mouth.

“That was epic! Did you see that?” an astonished Klein shouted. “See, I give good eco tour.”

Klein, 62, is a champion flats guide with a long list of tournament victories. Years of poling clients to victory in his skiff kept his schedule booked nearly every day with anglers wanting to catch one of the Keys’ cherished sportfish — bonefish, permit or tarpon.

Fewer days get booked now. When they are, Klein usually suggests a day looking for sawfish or sightseeing around the emerald mangrove islands.

“I got all new clientele,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for 38 years now, and the people I’ve fished in the past are just not here anymore.”

That’s because it’s getting harder to find those champion sportfish in Florida Bay, where flood control has cut off freshwater and left water chronically salty. High salinity can damage seagrass meadows that harbor shrimp, crab and other prey for the fish.

The bay now gets about half of the freshwater it received a century ago.

“It’s never going to be like it used to be back in the days when my dad was guiding, especially with all the big bonefish and scores of red fish,” said James Klein, 23, the third generation of Kleins to captain a boat.

He does most of his guiding offshore, not the flats that brought his dad so much success. “We used to drive around on my little Hell’s Bay (skiff) and just find schools of hundreds of them.”

That rarely happens now, he said. And Tim Klein is getting tired of waiting.

“We need to change,” he said. “We keep doing the same thing, year after year after year. It’s always waiting for this project and that project — and nothing happens. We just need water some way or another. We need water in our bay before it dies again.”

To hear more from Klein, listen to  episode 1  of  Bright Lit Place .

The Gardeners: Eric Crawford and Tadese Adeagbo

Eric Crawford and Tadese Adeagbo work for the South Florida Water Management District tending to bulrush, lacy hydrilla and other plants that fill 57,000 acres of man-made wetlands where polluted water is cleaned before it flows into the Everglades.

“You didn’t think you’d enjoy sitting in the middle of an industrial wastewater treatment facility. But that’s where we are,” Crawford said as he throttled down on his airboat.

Under an early morning sun, the treatment marshes fill with birds as the brightening air wakes up bugs and ripples with a soft breeze. Alligators slink through the coffee-colored water.

“We are a farm, but we don’t have a crop. We’re the reverse of normal farming,” he said.

Instead of adding nutrients to help grow plants, they use plants to suck up and trap nutrient pollution in the water.

Crawford, 56, and Adeagbo, 34, spend their days on airboats skirting around the marshes. That often means wading into the water where crews hand plant the bulrush to inspect the work.

While the workers toil in water that can be waist-deep, crew chief Ismael Gerena keeps watch for gators from the controls of his airboat.

“You don’t know where they’re at because they stay underwater. So you got to constantly watch out for them,” he said.

There are also snakes, said Juan Hernandez, 60, who started working in the treatment marshes more than a decade ago.

“Some people quit,” he said. “They try it and [don’t] like it because [there are] snakes, alligators. And it’s hard to walk in here.”

Over the years, the hardworking stormwater treatment marshes have removed millions of tons of phosphorus, dramatically reducing what flows south. But they still consistently fail to reach the limit required under a court-ordered clean-up plan.

And managing them has been no easy task. During storms, they switch to flood control to store high water. That means the careful work Crawford and Adeagbo do on clean-up can get wiped out by a tropical storm.

“You don’t get two different teams,” Crawford said. “You get one piece of land to do both.”

To hear more from Crawford and Adeagbo, listen to  episode 3  of  Bright Lit Place .

Hydrologist Tom Van Lent

After more than four decades working on Everglades restoration, hydrologist Tom Van Lent is considered among the leading experts on how the swamp works.

“He’s absolutely one of the top hydrologists that’s ever studied the Everglades from a technical perspective,” said Robert Johnson, who retired as the director of the National Park Services’ science center where he helped steer restoration for 40 years. “People go to Tom to learn about the Everglades.”

A lawsuit filed by Van Lent’s former bosses at the Everglades Foundation in 2022 now threatens to undo that legacy and  send him to jail .

Van Lent began his Everglades career out of graduate school at the South Florida Water Management District, the state partner in restoration, then moved to the National Park Service’s science center, where he helped create the models that set the course for restoration work.

“My father and grandfather were very good carpenters and they said it’s not the tools that make a good carpenter. And it’s the same with models,” said Van Lent. “You have to kind of know how to use them.”

Van Lent’s models helped redefine restoration before the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration plan passed in 2000, when he argued that benefits to the park would not arrive for three decades. In 2005, the Everglades Foundation convinced him to join the nonprofit to build its science team.

“I was just known for just speaking what I thought and would speak truth to power. And they, at the time, admired that,” he said.

But in 2016, that doggedness got him into trouble when he objected to a controversial Everglades reservoir. After lawmakers dramatically scaled back the original plan from 60,000 acres to 17,000 acres, Van Lent worried treatment marshes were too small to clean water from the much deeper reservoir. The Army Corps and U.S. Department of Interior also raised objections. The Everglades Coalition, an umbrella group for more than six dozen environmental groups across the state, also objected.

Van Lent stepped aside as chief scientist, he said, as tension worsened.

He finally quit in 2022 and on his last day tweeted that he was going to work for another conservation group, Friends of the Everglades, that put “science over politics.” Two weeks later the Foundation sued, filing a sealed complaint that accused him of stealing trade secrets. A judge ordered him to stop downloading information from any computer and in May found Van Lent violated the injunction. The judge also ordered Van Lent to pay the Foundation’s legal bills, totaling $178,000.

In December, Van Lent filed for bankruptcy. At his December sentencing hearing, his wife Lois, 66, said she’s going back to work.

More than two decades ago when he pointed out that flaw in the original restoration plan, Van Lent took a huge risk to ensure restoration was done right, Stuart Pimm, a leading expert in extinction biology, said at the hearing.

“That was a very courageous thing to do academically,” Pimm testified. “It was … even a more courageous thing to do politically and it represented to me the extraordinary commitment to getting the story right and doing the science properly that has characterized everything I’ve seen Tom do.”

To hear more from Van Lent, listen to  episode 4  of  Bright Lit Place .

Beekeeper Rene Curtis Pratt

Keg-sized bees hover over windows and honey oozes from a comb on a two-story mural outside the Harold P. Curtis Honey Co., a block from the Caloosahatchee River in tiny LaBelle.

Inside, honey is everywhere: in plastic bears and jars, in soaps and candles that line shelves against golden yellow walls.

Rene Curtis Pratt, 65, runs the store her grandfather started nearly 70 years ago. She added the mural a few years ago to highlight the plight of honeybees and the fading honey industry that once flourished around LaBelle.

Before sugarcane dominated the landscape, cattle and citrus groves filled its saw palmetto prairies. This was the land of juice and honey. Now, it’s a landscape increasingly crowded with planned communities like Timber Creek, Savanna Lakes and Liberty Shores.

Since Hurricane Irma came through in 2017, “This place has exploded,” Pratt said. And that’s bad news for beekeepers.

“People want bees on their property, but yet they don’t want them to sting them or their kids or their horses or their cows,” she said.

It’s another trend getting in the way of restoration. As Florida’s population swelled, housing spread further inland, backing up to the Everglades’ borders. Where farm fields once replaced prairies and wetlands, gated communities now fill fallow fields.

All that growth has helped worsen the state’s water problems, with more stormwater and leaking septic tanks fouling Lake Okeechobee and the coastal estuaries connected to it.

Pratt grew up running between her house next to the store and her grandfather’s riverfront house a short walk away.

“We would jump down there and we’d swim in there and there’s gators everywhere. They wouldn’t bother us,” she said. “Now, I wouldn’t get in that river to save my life.”

Last year, Pratt stopped selling her own hive-raised honey in the store and instead buys it from beekeepers located farther away. She also sold the last of her hives.

“I didn’t tell my husband. I didn’t tell my children. Nobody for about six months,” she said, breaking into tears. “And it hurt my heart and my soul.”

To hear more from Pratt, listen to  episode 6  of  Bright Lit Place .

Wetlands Ecologist Evelyn Gaiser

Evelyn Gaiser grew up exploring frigid wetlands in Ohio, camping along the shores of Lake Huron. South Florida lured her to its buggy marshes in the late 1990s with a chance to work in one of the world’s largest wetlands. At the time, some of the most exciting new science was unfolding in the Everglades.

“I came in at the time when we were writing the Yellow Book, the plan for fixing everything,” she said. “All these different contingencies were planned, all these complicated trade-offs were understood. People were really careful in trying to get that plan right.”

Gaiser, 56, was part of the team working with biologist Ron Jones to establish limits for phosphorus, the nutrient from fertilizer choking the marshes by fueling thick stands of cattails and killing the floating mats of periphyton that feed wildlife.

“You could fly into Miami on a plane and notice from the air these expansive areas of cattail,” Gaiser said. “Just as far as you can look, you see cattails.”

But Jones had a plan: build vast treatment marshes south of sprawling sugarcane fields where plants could soak up the nutrient pollution.

Gaiser spent the next five years studying the effects of phosphorus in a remote part of the park untouched by pollution in experimental plots as long as a football field.

“What we discovered was that that very, very low, barely measurable level of enrichment above that extremely low background level was enough to catalyze a full cascade of changes resulting ultimately in a cattail invasion into this very pristine part of the Everglades,” she said.

Evidence that even small increases in phosphorus triggered catastrophic changes confirmed the need for Jones’ costly clean-up plan. That drew fire from both the state and sugar growers.

“It was very controversial because we were going up against the interests of the agricultural industry that drives a lot of the economy in Florida,” she said.

The scientists prevailed and the limit remains in place. A court-ordered deadline for the state to begin showing it will meet the limit for phosphorus pollution is set for 2025. All these years later, Gaiser is dismayed that work to reconnect the river of grass and repair the Everglades has gone so slowly.

“It’s happening in small areas, but it needs to be that on a massive scale, on the scale that created the problem in the first place,” she said.

You can hear more from Gaiser in  episode 5  of  Bright Lit Place .

Tribal Elder Michael Frank

Growing up, Frank lived on tree islands, moving within the swampy patches of high ground shared by the tribe.

Even before he was born, the islands were starting to disappear, as the Central and South Florida flood system took shape in the 1940s. The tribe often gathered for celebrations and meetings on a large island called New Town. When the Army Corps dredged a canal to drain farm fields to the north, it split the island in in two.

As flood control pushed more water into the vast conservation area west of Miami, Frank was forced to move more frequently. His family finally fled the islands, he said, when the Army Corps dredged a levee near the Tamiami Trail.

“Back in 1949 or ’48, when my grandpa and grandma moved in, that’s when they started working on the levees,” he said.

“And when they were working on that, they told my grandfather and grandmother, ‘If that day ever comes when your island goes underwater, we’ll come and build up your camp,’ which they never did. It went three, four feet under water, but they never came and built the camps up.”

Today, Frank and his uncle still camp on Rice Island, about seven miles north of the Tamiami Trail. He gets around the boardwalks with a walking stick now. Age has left his hands crimped and knotted. He’s had to rebuild his dock as water rises. But he keeps his flags flying.

To hear more from Frank, listen to  episode 1  of  Bright Lit Place .

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• Preplanned tours
• Daytrips out of Moscow
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• St. Petersburg

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro Tour is included in most guided tours’ itineraries. Opened in 1935, under Stalin’s regime, the metro was not only meant to solve transport problems, but also was hailed as “a people’s palace”. Every station you will see during your Moscow metro tour looks like a palace room. There are bright paintings, mosaics, stained glass, bronze statues… Our Moscow metro tour includes the most impressive stations best architects and designers worked at - Ploshchad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya and some others.

What is the kremlin in russia?

The guide will not only help you navigate the metro, but will also provide you with fascinating background tales for the images you see and a history of each station.

And there some stories to be told during the Moscow metro tour! The deepest station - Park Pobedy - is 84 metres under the ground with the world longest escalator of 140 meters. Parts of the so-called Metro-2, a secret strategic system of underground tunnels, was used for its construction.

During the Second World War the metro itself became a strategic asset: it was turned into the city's biggest bomb-shelter and one of the stations even became a library. 217 children were born here in 1941-1942! The metro is the most effective means of transport in the capital.

There are almost 200 stations 196 at the moment and trains run every 90 seconds! The guide of your Moscow metro tour can explain to you how to buy tickets and find your way if you plan to get around by yourself.

personal & popular

Captain Jack's Airboat Tours are the most popular airboat tours in Everglades City. We're open 365 days a year, allowing you to experience the Everglades any day that suits you. Our captains personalize each tour for your group on small, 6-passenger boats. They will draw on their knowledge and passion for the Everglades to teach you about the landscape, wildlife and history of the area.

Making Everglades Memories

We don't just want our guests to take a safe, fun, and educational Everglades airboat tour. We want them to have an awesome Everglades experience—with hours of unforgettable memories they'll want to share with family and friends.

That's why we offer multiple tours and attraction combinations that explore a variety of Everglades ecosystems. In addition to a fast-paced ride through the twisting, world-famous mangrove tunnels of Everglades City, you may enjoy  exclusive tours on private land including our wide-open grasslands and our cypress forest. We want every group to find the right tour for their schedule and budget.

Alligators & Animals

Many of our guests see a few wild animals like alligators, raccoons, birds, fish, bears, and deer on their tours. But sometimes Mother Nature has other plans, and wild animals don't appear.

That's one reason we maintain an Animal Sanctuary with over 100 alligators in addition to rescued animals like otters and a lion. Our sanctuary is licensed by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These licenses allow us to take proper care of our animals so you can be sure to see some amazing creatures when you visit.

In the Animal Sanctuary you can attend an hourly alligator show with an expert handler to ask questions and learn everything you wanted to know about the uniquely American alligator. After the show, you can even hold and hug a baby alligator. Don't forget to take pictures!

Why Choose Captain Jack’s?

Local Roots

Safety & Experience

Two-Way Headsets

Alligators & Animals

Quietest & Comfiest

Personal & Popular

Refreshments & Gifts

• Total Everglades Combo
• Mangrove Tunnel & National Park Combo
• Mangrove Tunnel & Grassland Combo
• Mangrove Tunnel & Buggy Combo
• Private Mangrove Tunnel & Buggy Combo
• Mangrove Tunnel Airboat Tour
• Private Mangrove Tunnel Airboat Tour
• Mangrove Maze Ultimate Combo
• Mangrove Maze Airboat Tour
• Grassland & Buggy Combo
• Grassland Airboat Tour
• Lodging Nearby
• Total Everglades Stay & Play
• Online Gift Shop
• Animals & Alligator Show
• Everglades City Boardwalk