Home
life
news
I take everyone who visits Florida for the first time to a $35 wildlife attraction instead of Disney World

I take everyone who visits Florida for the first time to a $35 wildlife attraction instead of Disney World

Terri Peters

I love going on airboat rides across Florida with my out-of-state guests.Terri Peters

I've lived in Florida for seven years, and the first thing I do with guests is an airboat ride.
Airboats glide through Florida swamps, allowing visitors to observe wildlife without disrupting it.

I've lived in Florida for the last seven years. Since I'm located close to Disney World and the beach, I get a lot of out-of-state visitors.

But I always add something else to our agenda: a 30-minute, $35 airboat ride.

The boats, featuring flat bottoms and an aircraft-type propeller, zip tourists through the Florida wilderness to spot wildlife.

Here's what my most recent airboat ride was like.

Prices usually depend on the length of the tour.

I recently paid $55 to ride an airboat with my mother-in-law. Terri Peters

I recently took my mother-in-law and her friend on an airboat ride at Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures in Kissimmee, Florida.

Since we opted for the hour-long tour instead of the 30-minute one, it cost $55 a person on this trip.

But both prices seem standard compared to the facilities I've visited in other Florida cities, like Miami.

During the tour, we saw lots of wildlife.

I love seeing Floridian wildlife during an airboat ride. Terri Peters

Throughout our boat ride, we saw countless alligators ranging from tiny babies to big adults.

We also saw bald eagles, turtles, fish, and even a few cattle that had roamed into the waters from nearby ranches.

The airboat captain pulls double duty as a tour guide.

Our captain gave us great facts during the ride. Terri Peters

Boggy Creek operates 12 airboats, each of which has a captain who doubles as a tour guide.

I've noticed that the guides are often people who've grown up in the area, so they're familiar with the waterways and wildlife.

Our captain stopped the boat throughout the tour to explain the types of nearby plants or point out an alligator.

We found plenty of things to do at Boggy Creek after our ride.

It's nice that Boggy Creek offers more than just airboat rides. Terri Peters

Aside from airboats, Boggy Creek has some fun land-based activities, including a butterfly enclosure and a mining slew.

One of the best parts about the tours is the gator-themed gift shop.

I loved Boggy Creek's gift shop. Terri Peters

Every airboat venue I've visited has had a gift shop full of gator-themed merchandise.

I left Boggy Creek with an airboat-themed T-shirt, a Christmas ornament of an alligator wearing a Santa hat, and bracelets with alligator beads for my kids.

It's a tradition to eat gator bites after each airboat ride.

I ended the trip with deep-fried gator bites. Terri Peters

Most airboat facilities have a snack stand or restaurant on-site, and they almost always serve deep-fried alligator bites.

At Boggy Creek, there's a barbecue restaurant that serves everything from gator bites to gator sausage.

I'd recommend an airboat ride to anyone who's planning a visit to Florida.

An airboat ride is a nice break from Disney World and other tourist attractions. Terri Peters

Airboat tours feel like a more on-brand Floridian activity than a day at Disney World or the beach.

From spying on alligators in a swamp to chowing down on gator bites, the tour is a quintessential Florida experience. And I let all of my out-of-town guests know it.