Everglades Tours: Airboat Ride in the Everglades
Airboat ride is a favorite activity among people living in marshlands and other places with shallow waters like the Everglades. As a matter of fact, one mention of the Everglades and the image of a delirious redneck riding an airboat through swamp waters in high speed will come to mind. Stereotypes aside, the Everglades do stir that kind of excitement in anyone who dare take the challenge of riding airboats.
Airboats, for those unaware, are flat bottomed boats that have a huge propeller installed on its rear. This propeller, which is placed inside a metal cage, is of course used to propel or move the craft forward using an engine while a certain rudder-like device characterized by a long vertical stick is used for stirring the boat.
A quick peek of its history will reveal that the very first airboat was used in 1905 by a group testing numerous engines led by inventor-extraordinaire Alexander Graham Bell, the same guy responsible for the modern-day telephone. Glen Hammond Curtiss, a pioneer in the field of aviation, would later register the first airboat in 1920 which he called the Curtis Scooter.
An airboat ride remains to be the most popular activity in the Everglades National Park. It is also the main mode of transportation for the locals and has been a fixture in rescue attempts during natural calamities like the one caused by Hurricane Katrina. Suffice to say, airboats are also a major part of the city’s tourism and economy. In fact, most local businesses provide airboat tours of the Everglades at affordable prices.
Most businesses provide at least two tours in a day, usually one in the morning and another in the afternoon after the first trip commences. These tours will take you through the shallow waters of the Everglades as you take in the beauty of your surroundings. During these airboat tours, you will also get a chance to encounter some wild animals like snakes and alligators. You don’t need to worry, however, as your guides are experienced drivers and knows everything that needs to be known about the Everglades and its local dwellers. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and pay attention to everything your guide tells you.
Before embarking on your tour, you will be introduced to the park’s visitor center where you can enjoy educational films and displays. Here, you will also be briefed with what to expect and what to do while inside the national park.It is important to follow all the rules that the park requires as they are there for a reason. The main reason for such rules is too help preserve the natural landscape of the Everglades, especially since it has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Going on an airboat ride of the Everglades is something that is experienced and not just something that is only read in stories or seen on TV shows or movies. An Everglades boat tour is probably one of the best ways to experience nature at its finest. Miami Tours, There is another show called the Flipper Dolphin Show that occurs at the Flipper Lagoon.
Miami Tours, Here the dolphins would show their intelligence and grace in a show that sees flips, tail walks, signs and jumps.
Miami Tours, There is the audience participation section that personalizes the performance for all visitors.
