A special thank you to Visit Seminole for providing me access to experience Black Hammock Airboat Adventures near Orlando Florida. Opinions expressed are that of my own.
I have lived in Florida for the majority of my life, but have never taken an airboat ride. Well, thanks to Black Hammock Airboat Adventures, I was given a chance to try it out first hand.
After this experience, I now not only want to do it again but also want to take my family on a ride as well.
Black Hammock Airboat Adventures rides occur daily on Lake Jessup, and last for 30 minutes.
According to the website, this 100,000 year old lake is home to over 9000 alligators, which is the largest concentration of the magnificent beasts of any lake in the U.S.
To give you an idea of how an adventure like this starts, when I arrived at the location our group first walked down a grassy area that had a variety of boats docked.
Then, our “captain” and navigator came and gave us earmuffs to block out the sound of the motor. We then got on board the airboat.
It happened to be a chilly day so I was bundled up with a long sleeve top, long pants, and a coat. I also made sure to seat myself at the very back of the boat.
After that, we immediately headed out into the open water and then went into a wooded swampy type area. There we saw foliage, a variety of birds, and baby alligators.
Our captain was extremely knowledgeable, and gave us a history on the area and information about the animals.
We then headed back out into the open water.
However, the ride was actually very relaxing in my opinion.
After that, we then headed back into a grassy swamp area near cows in pasture lands.
It was breathtaking to see such a concentration of wild birds in one spot. Some were searching for food, and others were in flight.
Next, we paid a visit to a very large gator. Our navigator explained to us about how this big reptile got in a fight and had actually been missing for a while.
However it had made a reappearance and was is in the process of healing.
When we arrived back at the main location we got to meet a baby alligator. I didn’t hold him, but I did get to feel his skin.
This would be such a fun experience for my kids.
Have you ever taken an Airboat Ride before? What was your favorite part of the experience?
Airboat Rides at Black Hammock Adventures start at $26.95 for Adults and $20.95 for Children 10 and under. Reservations are not required and rides depart every 30 minutes starting at 9:30 am.
For more information about this experience, visit theblackhammock.com. You can also check them out on Facebook at facebook.com/theblackhammock and Twitter at twitter.com/Black_Hammock.
FFM
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