Swamp Boat Everglades Tours

The Florida Everglades aren’t actually a swamp; they’re an aquifer. However, the swamp tour technology that is used for tours around South Louisiana (the New Orleans area is popular for their bayou boat tours) is exactly what works so well for seeing the Everglades up close.

Why Airboats Are The Best Option For The Everglades

There’s no better way to experience the Everglades than speeding across the water on the airboat ride of your life.

At Everglades Holiday Park, you can reserve one of our smaller tour boats for a quieter, private event. Our modern airboats comfortably seat 2 to 25 people, making them perfect for a large variety of events.

Each airboat tour is guided by an experienced captain who personally knows where to find the best viewing spots to see gators, snakes, and other wildlife living their daily lives on the River of Grass.

These captains take you flying along at speeds of 40-60 miles per hour as you journey deep into the Everglades, see once-in-a-lifetime sights, and go on a thrilling adventure that will last forever in your memories.

Large Airboat Rides

The beauty of Everglades airboat tours is that they are both entertaining and educational. That makes them perfect for all ages and personality types.

The group tours are a lot of fun and a great way to bond with your friends and family.

If this is the first airboat ride for you or your kids, there’s no need to worry. All of our captains have gone through rigorous training, and they keep your safety their top priority. You wouldn’t be safer if a member of the Coast Guard was driving you around.

Group airboat rides are an exceptional way to see the Everglades because you get to enjoy unprecedented access to the stunning wetlands full of all manner of snakes, wading birds, alligators, and occasional sightings of rarer animals such as the Florida Manatee. The large, shady canopies make it easier and more comfortable to keep your eyes wide open for all the unique views the Everglades has to offer.

How do Airboats Work?

Airboats have become an iconic piece of watercraft largely due to the massive fan that sits on the back to help propel itself through shallow water, marshes, swamps, and aquifers such as the Everglades. They were produced to help move through difficult areas with a complicated combination of dense vegetation and lower water levels like Louisiana’s swamps.

History

Prototypes

Early prototypes of airboats weren’t that different from what we have today, in principle. In design, we’ve come a long way. For example, the early boats were created with wooden hulls that were easily damaged.

The first airboat made by Alexander Graham Bell was propelled by an aerial propeller that was hooked up to a water-cooled aircraft engine weighing 2,500 pounds. The makeshift, raft-like boat wasn’t able to exceed 4 miles per hour. However, Graham didn’t lose hope. The strong and quick rotation of his propeller prompted him to believe that the craft could have reached much higher speeds if the drag had been eliminated.

Early airboats

As the need to traverse difficult terrain increased, other names continued to contribute to the development of the airboat. The French aviation pioneers known as the Tellier brothers made significant steps toward our modern airboat in 1907 by combining a smaller engine with faster speeds.

In 1982, a man named George M. Bridges left his tobacco farm behind in favor of a new and exciting adventure. Using his background in construction, George built his first airboat and, seeing a true vision for what could be done, he took the terrifying plunge into investing in Everglades Holiday Park. Because of his innovative and determined spirit, we now experience the comfort of our covered airboats. George was one of the first people to ever experiment with this addition, and it’s added so much to our park and the comfort of our guests.

Why Are Airboats Used For Swamp Tours

Are airboats dangerous?

While airboats can be tricky to guide and even trickier to bring to a complete stop, they aren’t dangerous with an experienced captain in control. As long as they have regular maintenance and a few rules put in place, airboat tours are a fun, relaxing, and perfectly secure way to see the Everglades.

We understand that some people are a little wary of airboats, which is why we proactively address concerns. All of our boats are state-of-the-art and inspected regularly. Each boat is equipped with life jackets for every passenger, a medical kit and a well-trained, conscientious captain.

We adhere to the Wildlife Conservation Commission’s guidelines because we want you to get the most out of your airboat tour, and that means feeling safe and comfortable. With the high-quality build and added stability of our boats, you can rest easy knowing that even at those top speeds, you are well protected.

Why are airboats so loud?

Airboats are notorious for being loud. This is because the big propellers are turning at incredible speeds. The faster they turn, the louder it is. Boats are almost always outfitted with mufflers, but even then, achieving the high speeds we love means it’s going to get a little noisy.

If you’re sensitive to loud noises, we offer hearing protection in our gift shop so that you can better enjoy your airboat tour.

Why are airboats so expensive?

You may have looked up the price of an airboat and been the recipient of a little sticker shock. These boats range from $30,000 for a simple jon boat with a fan to $450,000 for a more professional model. What is driving this price tag?

There are several reasons. Right off the bat, it’s important to understand that the propeller used to push the boat around is airplane grade, which makes it costly. On top of that, the powerful engine works hard and needs to be finely tuned to run as it does. This requires some highly skilled technical staff. The cage is expensive, and a lot of components are custom-made. Finally, these boats aren’t mass-produced, and they’re almost all made in America, which makes the production cost higher.