Wild Florida Airboats & Gator Park

Reviews 5

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Anthony Martorina

This place is so much fun and it gets you away from the theme parks and into the Wild. It took us about an hour to get here from Kissimmee but it was well worth the drive. The staff was very friendly when we checked in. They hooked us up with a map of the park, pointed out the upcoming shows & told us where to meet our captain for our airboat ride. The airboat ride was a lot of fun. We only did the half hour tour which was great but next time I want to go longer. In the short time we were out we actually saw gators. Last time I rode an airboat in the Everglades we saw nothing but mud & water, so this trip was successful. It was also the first time my little one got to ride on an airboat and she loved it. After the airboat we went to explore the zoo and had a great time. The alligator enclosure was really cool and you could feed them too. The enclosed docks allowed us to get close but not to personal with these amazing creatures. I surely do not want to go swimming with these guys. There were also beautiful turtles swimming around the gators. That shell definitely protects them from the powerful bite of the gator. There are many other kinds of animals to check out. We had a ton of fun with some of the birds who were totally talking to us. We laughed as they engaged us with human words. I often wonder if they know they can speak or are they merely imitating the human voice. I wish we had more time to explore the park but we had to run to the airport to catch our flight. When I am back in Orlando, I cant wait to come back here for another adventure.

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Brooke Leigh

I bought this for 4 people on Groupon. My friends and I went here on Saturday and we had a good time. It was an hour away from us so we all drove together and when we got there, we were disappointed because the girl asked us if we had made a reservation for the hands-on animal experience. When I had called weeks prior to our visit, the receptionist said that we did not need any kind of appointment or reservation. We had to wait hours before we could have our animal experience because nothing was available sooner. The thing that made us the most upset was that on Groupon it said we get to choose between a fox, bobcat, sloth, or gator for the hands-on animal experience. We were all looking forward to playing with the fox (or bobcat), but mainly the fox as this is one of my favorite animals. When we arrived, the girl said neither the fox nor bobcat were available for the experience because they havent been behaving with visitors properly. This is something that they shouldve notified Groupon about. So that was extremely disappointing since we drove an hour to play with foxes but they did have a nice selection of animals and they looked well taken care of. We ended up having to do the animal experience with a baby sloth which was adorable. I would recommend to anyone who loves animals and nature. But just keep in mind, make a reservation in advance if you want to do any kind of activity there (animal experience, tour, or air boat ride) and be prepared to not have access to the animal you intend on playing with.

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Arjun Patel

Amazing family day out. Id recommend the 60 minute air boat ride, 30 minutes would leave you wanting more. The captain made our ride very informative and we experienced Floridas unique wildlife. Be sure to book ahead as slots fill up. The souvenir shop and wildlife park were excellent, there are daily animal shows and you can watch the gator feeding. The whole facility was very well designed. All the staff were amazing and most helpful throughout the day, especially the captain of the boat and the photographer. However there was some disorganisation. When I booked online (through viator) it said our air boat ride would be at 2:00, however when we arrived it turned out to be 2:30. On top of this, there was an additional 45 minute delay. Then it started raining (of course this is not the fault of the staff) resulting in a further 1:30 wait. We were given the option of a refund or waiting for the weather conditions to improve. The staff always remained patient and helpful, showing us weather maps on their computer to help us decide. In the end we were very happy we waited, we were offered drinks due to the initial delay and were upgraded from a 30 minute ride to 60 minutes for no extra charge. Some other visitors did opt for a refund. I was considering leaving a 4 star review rather than a 5 due to the above mentioned delay. However, despite the delay, me and my family thoroughly enjoyed our day at wild Florida air boats and I am very happy to recommend it.

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Maude Levesque

We went there as 2 adults and one 12 year-old. We all enjoyed the ride in the airboat, we saw lots of beautiful birds, cranes, herons, eagles, turkey vultures, beautiful cypress trees, and of course alligators, all of which were mothers with babies, maybe because theyre the ones who cant run away from the boat. That was the one hour ride. I wish they didnt have that horrible zoo or at least that they would give up on keeping animals that dont do well in captivity and that they clearly dont have the space for. They had tamarin monkeys in a tiny cage, a group of lemurs in a tiny cage too that kept fighting each other horribly in front of us, a raccoon that I watched turning in a circle without stopping, it was clearly going crazy, they had big felines too that shouldnt be in such small cages, there was a lot of this left that we didnt go see because we all felt sick to our stomachs at this point. If I had known, Id have looked for another airboat ride where they dont torture animals for benefits. I think they could come up with a more respectful side activity to their boat tours since they dishonestly call them "ecotours". I sure felt fooled by that term and regretted giving them my money. I still give two stars because the boat ride was pleasant and the guide was both cordial and knowledgeable.

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A Private User

Doug- December 22, 2011 The staff and our Tour Guide, Daniel, were very helpful and most congenial during our visit. Being a "Crackers," we could readily tell by the layout, Wild Florida is going to soon be one of the most prominent and premier tourist locations. It is obvious by the land and facilty already in place, Wild Florida has big plans in store for the public. We will continue to follow their progress during the months and years to come. Daniel, our Guide, was to say the least not only a native of Florida, but showed our group he was astute to all the nature and wildlife Florida has to offer. My wife and I have ridden airboats tours throughout Florida and Wild Florida ranks in the upper echelon of them all. This was a particularly special trip for us since our two grandchildren, ages 11 and 14 repectively have never been on an airboat previously. We all enjoyed the 1 hr. tour and highly recommend them. Only one suggestion, which is constructive... It is hoped sometime during the tour, the Tour Guides are allowed to "open up" 80%+ of the airboats capable speed to show its occupants not only the airboats capability, but thrill only an airboat can exhibit on open water. In other words "gun it," but keep the airboat in a straight line so as to remain safe.

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