An airboat ride through the Everglades is on a lot of Florida bucket lists. If you are staying in Orlando, though, Everglades National Park is a long way south. The good news is that the Everglades do not start in South Florida. They start right here, in the marshes and lakes south of Orlando.
Everglades National Park is roughly a 3.5 to 4 hour drive from Orlando each way. For an Everglades-style airboat tour without the drive, head to Kissimmee, where the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and its marshes form the headwaters of the Everglades. Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures runs tours there, about 35 minutes from Walt Disney World.
Where Do The Everglades Start?
The Everglades are more than a national park. They are the southern end of a huge, connected water system that begins in Central Florida. Water flows from creeks like Shingle Creek near Orlando into the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, down the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobee, and then south through the Everglades to Florida Bay. Florida's water management district calls the Kissimmee basin the headwaters of Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades.
So an airboat ride in the marshes around Kissimmee is not an imitation of the Everglades. It is the top of the same system, with the same kind of shallow marsh, tall grass, alligators and wading birds.
Kissimmee Headwaters Vs Everglades National Park
| Kissimmee (Boggy Creek) | Everglades National Park area | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive from Orlando | About 35 minutes from Disney | Roughly 3.5 to 4 hours each way |
| Time needed | A morning or afternoon | A very long day, or an overnight |
| Scenery | Freshwater marsh, tall grass, lakes and cypress | Sawgrass prairie, mangroves and hammocks |
| Wildlife | Alligators, bald eagles, sandhill cranes, herons, turtles | Alligators, wading birds and, near the coast, crocodiles |
| Extras | Highland cows, gem mine, butterfly garden, gator pond, BBQ | Visitor centers, trails and boardwalks |
If you are already visiting Miami or the Keys, the national park is well worth it. If you are based in Orlando and want the airboat experience without losing a full day to the highway, the headwaters make a lot more sense, especially with kids.
What You Will See On A Headwaters Airboat Tour
- Alligators, often sunning on the banks during the day. Daytime sightings are never guaranteed because they are wild, but the night tour guarantees them.
- Bald eagles. The area has one of the largest bald eagle populations in the world.
- Wading birds like great blue herons, egrets, wood storks, roseate spoonbills and sandhill cranes.
- Turtles, ospreys, deer and plenty of surprises.
Which Tour To Pick
| Tour | Good to know |
|---|---|
| 30-minute tour | A quick first taste. Walk-ins welcome based on availability. |
| 1-hour tour | More time to go farther and look for wildlife. This is the tour in the Mini Moo Land combo. |
| Sunset tour | Ride toward the sunset over the lake. Very limited seats, arrive an hour early. |
| Night tour | Guaranteed alligators after dark. Reserve ahead, arrive an hour early. Does not run below 55°F. |
| Private VIP tour | A boat and captain just for your group. Seasonal pricing. |
First airboat ride? Our first-timer's airboat guide covers safety, what to wear and whether you will get wet.
The Kissimmee River's Comeback
The Kissimmee River once wound for 103 miles through Central Florida. In the 1960s it was straightened into a flood control canal, which drained wetlands and hurt wildlife. A major restoration project has since been bringing back its curves and floodplain, one of the biggest river restorations in the country, and a good reminder of how much this whole system matters to the Everglades downstream.
Make It A Boggy Creek Day
An Everglades airboat ride near Orlando is just the start. Boggy Creek is also home to Mini Moo Land:
- Ride an airboat through the headwaters of the Everglades and look for wild alligators, bald eagles and wading birds. Choose a 30-minute or one-hour tour, a sunset tour, or a night tour that guarantees gators.
- Dig for gems at the 70-foot Prospector Gem Mine, where kids sift for semi-precious stones, fossils and crystals.
- Walk through Lily's Butterfly Garden and its native butterflies and plants.
- Visit the Gator Pond.
- Eat lakeside at Boggy Bottom BBQ.
The easiest way to do it all is the 1-hour airboat ride and Mini Moo Land combo, which costs $10 less than booking both separately.
