Florida Guide > Other Activities
Boggy Creek airboats (8)
Boggy Creek airboat rides ranks very high on my family’s list of things to do for both 14 year and 8 year old.
There is a choice of two lakes, The East lake Fish camp that is only 15 minutes from the airport and also the quieter Southport site.
East Lake was the first that we visited where there is a restaurant, which serves gator tail and frogs legs, which certainly impressed the children.
The half hour boat ride takes place in 18 seater passenger airboats with one lucky person being chosen to ride up top with the driver.
You will skim over the wetlands at 45mph stopping to view alligators, turtle, snakes and bald eagles. My son who was at the front of the boat was thrilled to see a mother alligator with her babies very close up. The driver knows how to make your trip thrilling sending your speeding boat sideways and skimming through the greenery.
We made this trip in February and there was plenty of wildlife to see. In the summer however the alligators stay on the bottom of the lake to keep cool and night trips are recommended.
The Southport Lake area is quieter with a few snack machines and small gift shop The Lake is bigger and more open than East Lake. Here although we saw a bald eagle we saw less wildlife but this was during one of the hottest days Orlando ever recorded so any sensible alligator would be cooling down on the bottom of the lake. The sensation of speed, the drivers knowledge and the alligator and bald eagle that we did see still made it a worthwhile trip, so much so that we returned for a nighttime trip.
1 hour night time trips are great, we saw about 20 alligators and although we had been told that you would only see their red eyes I felt that you saw them easier than when camouflaged in the day. The 30 or so cows that appeared in the darkness standing still in the lake were a very strange and eerie sight. There are a lot of bugs when travelling at these speeds so remember to keep your mouth closed!
Daytime rides at both lakes run every 30 mins but try to get to the front of the queue for your boat so that you get a front row seat. The nighttime rides get very busy so booking is essential.
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