By:
Submission
From I-95, Exit 18 West, Make your 2nd left turn just after the railroad tracks. Sales/Check-in Office is at the back right of the community.
Great experience, had the youngest guide, he was nice, pleasant and funny, he told us about the animals, he caught fish and told us about them, told us about the birdlife and sailed us around.
Unfortunately we didn't see any crocodiles, but many other animals.
Then a wonderful show where we got to see crocodiles up close, also with good humour.
Can definitely recommend this place.
The boat cruise was nice, I liked it and that's why it's 2*. If this was the only attraction, I would give it 5.
But after the cruise, it's time to torture the animal. The alligator that a guide is talking about twists the animal's head, forcibly opens its mouth and sits on it for about 15 minutes, happily joking. He tells an interesting story, but for me it's an embarrassment. I wonder who allows this and if it is allowed... I didn't like it. But the cruise was nice, I'm sorry that you can't separate these two elements...
The airboat ride was amazing, Gus was a phenomenal tour guide and airboat captain. The Gator Show however left much to be desired. The alligators were kept in a small enclosure with little to no enrichment, and one of them got exposed from all sorts of abuse from the obnoxious show host for a few cheap rounds of forced applause. I really wanted to enjoy the whole experience and I did right up until the show, which left a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the trip. Overall I highly recommend the airboat tour of the everglades, but don't bother with the show.
I'm not a fan of these kinds of Parks in general and how animals are kept and treated. A visit to this Park was part of a bigger tour, so unfortunately I didn't really had a choice here.
