Airboat Tour in Florida

Taking an airboat ride through the Everglades is usually one of the first things on everyone’s Florida bucket list (after visiting Disneyworld, of course). I had an upcoming vacation planned to central Florida, and knew I wanted to get in on the action. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to make it down south to the Everglades, so I found an airboat tour I could do during my day in Orlando.

The best tour I came across in my research was Wicked Airboat Rides, located only 10 minutes from the airport. The tours are short and sweet, lasting only 30 minutes and running every half hour from 9am – 5pm six days a week (p.s. they don’t take any reservations). We paid the $20 USD per person and waited on some picnic benches for the next boat to go out. Luckily, we only had to wait about 5 minutes until we started boarding the boat. Unluckily, the weather wasn’t cooperating and it was starting to drizzle.

The rain didn’t last for long, but our guide told us that the large alligators tend to stay underwater when the sun isn’t out. We were still able to see quite a few smaller alligators.

I would highly recommend checking out Wicked Airboat Rides if you’re in the Orlando area and want to experience a classic airboat ride. It’s the perfect thing to do on our way in or out of the city. As well, I thought 30 minutes was just the right amount of time to keep me engaged. Although, the airboat was quite loud (headphones were provided), and it seemed like it might have scared off a lot of the wildlife. If you’re near Crystal River (one of hot spots for manatee tours), try checking out Captain Mike’s Lazy River Tour. The tour takes you down on a leisurely boat ride down the Withalcoochee River, where we got to see 10 ft alligators, turtles, birds, and even a racoon (we also got to bring a alcohol on board, which was a real bonus for me).

Other Things to Do

If you’re looking for other things to do in Central Florida, check out my other posts on swimming with manatees and visiting a citrus grove.