#NInjaVerdict: Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures, Orlando USA

Orlando, Florida – described as a ‘’magical place, where dreams come true” – and whilst this is true, the magic doesn’t always have to be centred around theme parks, superheroes and “the” mouse and his pals ….. there are lots of various other things to do and see, to maximise your experience, and the absolute perfect FAMILY destination is Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures

After countless days of maneuvering crowds of 1000s in the big parks, we decided to take a break and visit Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures in Kissimmee, Florida, just a short 30-40 min drive from our hotel in Orlando. Once we heard about this place and checked out the reviews, the opportunity to jump in an airboat for the first time and see some alligators in the wild and in their natural habitat was just too good an opportunity to turn down. The kids were extremely excited at the prospect!

We had a 11.30am slot booked, and we arrived at around 11am, as advised on our booking confirmation. Please note booking is advised, not mandatory for 30 min tours and walk ins are accepted (subject to availability) between 9am-5pm. Booking is mandatory for 1 hour tours however.

Upon our arrival, on a nice warm sunny March day, we were welcomed by a very picturesque view out to the clear, smooth headwaters to the Florida Everglades. We parked up in the (free) car park which had ample parking spaces and is only a short 30 second walk to the customer service desk. Here, without having to queue, we had one of the representatives scan our booking confirmation, hand over our coloured wristbands and welcomed us to make our way through the gate to the waiting area at our leisure – a refreshing change from the wall-to-wall madness of the big theme parks!

As we made our way through, there was plenty to keep us entertained during our 30 minute wait. Some of the things available to us included-

– Butterfly Enclosure- Learn everything you need to know about butterflies, native plants, wildflowers and native wildlife

– Alligator Oasis- View on site baby alligators in a safe and extremely up close environment.

– Gem mining station- Search for gems and fossils including shark and alligator teeth !

– Native American Village- Replica rooms of a traditional native family giving an insight as to how they survived on the swamps (separate admission required)

– Fun fact boards giving lots of information on alligators, bats, gator land and on Kissimmee’s natural resources!

So lots to keep us going until we made our way down to the pontoon to be met by our captain/guide for our tour. On top of this, the venue does offer additional educational classes in ecology/ nature and geology along with the opportunity to book for birthday parties with food packages available. Once at our boat, we were each handed a set of ear defenders as we boarded. The airboats can be very noisy at times and I for one am glad these were provided ! Following a quick safety brief, we were on our way!

Our boat was occupied by around 5/6 other passengers. Straight away our guide brought us to a site where we were able to get up close to a mother and her baby alligator which was really cool! And following a brief look and a few questions, we quickly left them in peace. It is worth saying our guide was extremely knowledgable and any questions asked about the alligators or general wildlife, he was able to answer in great detail! We then made our way further out where our guide pointed to more alligators slightly in the distance, just hovering above the waterline.

It was vitally important to slow down and carefully make our way closer because if the boat gets too close, too quickly, the alligators have a tendency to dive underwater. But our guide, clearly very experienced, knew exactly what he was doing as he brought us closer and enabled us to take some pictures before making our way across to see what else we could stumble upon. At his point, it’s worth saying it can get a little chilly further out, so it might be worth bringing a jumper or hoodie, regardless of how nice the weather is !

As well as the alligators, there was the opportunity to see other wildlife in the area. We had many different breeds of birds hovering past the boat, ducking and diving and resting on top of the water. But my particular favourite was a bald eagle in the distance, which was perched high up in one of the trees! I assume it is a common resting place for this particular one as our guide was able to take us to it and point it out straight away !

After 30 minutes or so and lots of knowledge gained, we made our way back to port before vacating our boat for the next awaiting party.

Our experience at boggy creek was thoroughly enjoyable. Especially for the kids we feel there was a lot for them to see and learn about first hand, while taking in an experience that simply isn’t available back home in the UK. If you are busy and have a jam packed daytime schedule there is also the option of sunset and night time tours.

If you fancy a bite to eat after your tour, you will be made more than welcome at Boggy Bottom BBQ (my kids found the name of this very funny as big fans of Paw Patrol!) for on site mouth watering burgers, brisket and much more to cater for all. Unfortunately we didn’t have time on this occasion due to our tight schedule but should we be back in the near future we would be very keen to try!

If you are a single traveller, travelling as a couple or, particularly as a family with young children, I highly recommend taking a few hours to escape the hustle bustle of Orlando and take the opportunity to experience what Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures has on offer. We will certainly be visiting again on our next trip to Florida which hopefully will be in the not too distant future.

For more information and to book, please visit BOGGY CREEK AIRBOAT ADVENTURES