On The Water In Florida
This is part 2 of my Florida vacation roundup. You can find Part 1 here.
On the Friday, we took a one hour boat trip along the Florida waterways near Las Olas. Part of the enjoyment for some participants was the opportunity to gaze at the multimillion dollar homes and boats of stars and celebrities. There were so many of those that in some ways the tour was like an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, complete with the captain as omniscient narrator.
Las Olas Waterways
I’m less interested in celebs, but I still had a great time looking at the majestic waterways, spotting the water taxis and generally enjoying being out in the open. However, our next boat trip was to prove far more exciting.
The Sea Of Grass
On Sunday, we decided it was time to see some of Florida’s famous wildlife, so we set off for the Everglades Holiday Park to take a one hour airboat ride through the river of grass. (Note to the unwary: the holiday map shows this park at the end of a major road, but you have to drive for another 20 minutes after you reach where you think it should be.) The park itself was unprepossessing and a bit run down, but that didn’t matter once we’d begun our ride.
Our captain had been navigating the ‘Glades for a couple of decades and had a deadpan but hilarious manner as he described incidents that had happened to his passengers while trying to prove that they could outsmart the wildlife (they couldn’t). He also gave us lots of info about hunting and fishing laws, navigation etiquette and more. We found out about the birds that lived in the area, got a close up of some vultures, met a raccoon called Squirrel and then got to the main event.
On The Gator Trail
The captain knew his alligators, which were what we had come to see. Obligingly (or perhaps, hungrily) they came up to the boat at every opportunity, once only inches away from where I was seated. We watched them stalk a mother bird and her chicks (luckily they escaped uneaten), and open their jaws to give us a glimpse of their wicked teeth (which can grow back if broken, apparently).
Stalked by an alligator in the Everglades
Just to prove how quick they are, our captain tossed a fish overboard; the gator swallowed it whole before it hit the water. Nothing you have seen on television prepares you for how big and menacing those things are close up, so you had better believe we kept our arms and legs inside the boat at all times. Although the 15 minute alligator show when we returned to base was anticlimactic and a bit tacky, the tour itself was excellent and I’d definitely recommend it.
Look out for the final part of the series of Tuesday, when I’ll be looking at three of the family activities we tried.
Tags: Attractions, Destinations, everglades, florida
September 10th, 2009 at 7:30 am
really good
September 10th, 2009 at 8:31 am
The old Florida Gator shows do tend to be quite kitschy, but I hope you got to learn about them. It is still bizarre to me that they are all over the place out here. I am from California, and not accustomed to having to check the bottom of even a swimming pool before deciding to jump in.
September 10th, 2009 at 8:42 am
That would definitely freak me out, James. Seeing the gators in action was amazing - I’d be interested in a longer visit to the Everglades next time I go to Florida.
September 15th, 2009 at 8:50 am
I had a wonderful time here in the Everglades. In addition to the air boat ride alligator Farm is great for a stop where one can see hundreds of aligators and other wildlife. The baby aligators were so cute.
October 27th, 2009 at 5:17 am
[...] attractions in the area can be found in recent posts on Florida: On The Water In Florida, Coasting and Karting in Florida and A Vacation in [...]