Everglades Holiday Park Airboat Tours and Rides — Attraction in Weston

Not the Everglades, or at least not the natural Everglades. They explained to us that this part of the Everglades is formed by man made channels, so no natural. Being in the territory of the National Park doesn't make it the natural Everglades.

The worst thing is that we went on a tour reserved on a web site, and everyone was given more priority than our group. We were waiting there for more than an hour while we watched everyone coming from cruises just arriving and being assigned a boat. Our van guide told us that it is always the case, as we are "less important" for the company than people from a cruise, which are more profitable.

So, we waited more than an hour at 33°C (91°F) with no fans, no free water, and in a crowded area with limited shade. Of course, this was just next to the gift shop, so you can buy water from them. The bathrooms didn't have water nor power, and it was extremely dirty.

Also, they told us that they normally take a photo of the group in the boat, which was not taken because there was no power. However, after the show they were taking photos of people with a highly stressed baby alligator and a snake, charging you $10 for each photo, of course.

The show was ok, and the rescued animals were doing "tricks" for treats. I don't think they treat the animals badly considering they are rescued animals and the alternative is to "get rid of them", but I found the enclosure a little small. People who say this is animal abuse should know what enrichment is, and how it can help to build a good relationship between the animal and the caregiver. Although I don't think grabbing an animal and forcing it into a position for the show while it is clearly resisting is not good for the animal. There was a gator fight while we were waiting for the show, probably because it was mating season.

They had more animals in the back, including a fox, racoons, tortoises and an albino gator that we were not able to see because that part was closed to the public. I understand those animals are for their "animal encounter" program, but at least let people see them properly.

You only explore a small triangle of the channels looking for alligators while fishing boats and VIP tours pass you and scare whatever you could see.

I've been on more alligator tours in the Bijou of Louisiana, and we saw more gators. They were curious towards people. Boats were not as noisy and the boat captain clearly loved the gators. In Louisiana we took a free photo with a rescued baby gator that the boat captain raised himself with no stress or tape in the mouth.

In contrast, although they rescue the gators here, everyone felt everything was about the money.

On the good side. We saw alligators and some birds, Our boat guide was nice. The caregivers look like they really care about the alligators.

So as a summary: This is not the true Everglades, but man made channels. They care more about some customers than others, the installations were faulty, we had to wait for more than an hour, the show was short and an animal was forced to be put into a position with the trainer on top, the baby alligator for the photo was stressed, the animals in the back were not accessible, and they ask you for tips or donations for everything.

Edit: I increased one star for their...

I give this 5 Stars for the "Over All Experience". Look I live in Fl. There are many places to do an air boat ride. This place offers so much more.

Parking: Tons of parking.

Lines: Get there early. Weekends are crazy busy and you might get in the mix with tour buses!

Value: We chose to add the Animal Encounters experience. Worth every penny. The handler, Chad as I recall, was phenominal with the kids and parents. He was super knowledgeable about each animal and engage all the questions we could throw at him. Pictures holding every animal were included, plus we got to take our own as well. For kids, this is the way to go!

Lay Out: Huge gift store, bathrooms, waiting areas and plenty of room to explore. The entire facility is well laid out and does not feel crowded. Everything is relatively new. Wild birds walking around. We did not eat at the cafeteria, but it was the traditional kind of stuff you find at parks.

Gator Show: Was entertaining. He talks faster than most people can think. Can be challenging if your 1st language is not English. However, you get a close encounter with some really large gators which is really cool. Bring a sense of humor! Show was out of the sun and rain which was nice.

AirBoat: Huge boats can take more than 25 people. I reccomend a private boat. Each row holds like 7 adults. Getting stuck in the middle is not plesant. Your not going to get any pictures. If this is your only chance, do not miss it. It is beautiful out there and there are gators swimming around. It is really loud, I reccomend bringing ear plugs. Especially for young children. Our captain was pretty fun. Great sense of humor and knowlegeable about the local trees and plants. If this is your 1st air boat ride, it is a lot of fun. Most boats are covered so you avoid the direct sun. The wait time from check in was only about 15 min, we went on a Sunday afternoon. Most tour buses had left. Bring extra cash to tip your guides. They deserve it and it is the primary source of their income.

Other Cool Stuff: The albino alligator is pretty interesting. Such a freak of nature. Also an albino raccoon. The fox was sleeping but cute none the less. You can get a picture holding a small gator after the gator show.

Staff: Everyone was super friendly. They were all in a good mood. Every one answered all my questions and engaged in a very friendly informative manner. This made the experience really great.

You have to go to this place at least once! Easy to get to from Ft Lauderdale or...

I took part in the VIP Tour in June, where they offer a package with hotel pickup and drop off.

The van driver was fantastic and such a nice guy who chatted with us and made the Everglades vibe right away.

TLDR; great scenery. Great boat ride. Great captain baby gator photog young man had a catty attitude. Renovation in spots, accessible for the MOST part. Gets odd after the gator show. small zoo exhibit is nice but tight gift shop is subpar 3/5 stars.

The boat ride was great, the fans themselves are a bit noisy but nothing as loud as I thought they were. We waited long and saw only a handful of animals, right towards the end we did see a gator! Very happy and the speeds go fast, twists and turns! 5/5 boat ride and the captain is knowledgeable and comedic.

The downside comes moreso in the gift shop and back on land. The gator boys were great but the show was shorter than I expected. Seating is plentiful but can be a bit tighter.

There’s a small zoo exhibit after the show with plenty to see and a photo opp with the baby gator. That is where there was a sour spot, the young man taking photos was extremely rude and catty. Called me “boss” when I tried to adjust my grip on the gator for comfort, I did see other folks who tried to take photos behind him and of course they shouldn’t be doing that as the photo is intended to be taken by the professional photographer. But he did have a catty attitude.

The gift shop was small - limited momentous and moreso a snack shop with stuffed animals. I wished they had more magnets/keychains and hats, prices were a bit high but seemed appropriate I guess. The entrance can be a bit tricky but they should put signs.

For almost $70 I left expecting a bit more but for the included hotel pick up and drop with complementary baby gator photo, I would...