When I told Dustin we were going to Orlando with my sister and brother-in-law, his eyes lit up like a little kid. The first thing that came out from his mouth was “Can we go ride on an airboat?” How could I say no to all that enthusiasm? Airboat rides are a super fun way to experience Florida’s everglades and see alligators in the wild. Wild Willy’s Airboat Tours stood out to us as one of the best airboat rides in Orlando.
STATS:
Where:
Wild Willy’s Airboat Tours
4715 Kissimmee Park Road Saint Cloud, FL 34772
(407) 891-7955
Coordinates: 28°11’56.1″N 81°22’34.5″W
Info:
You can check out their website here. They are one of the closest places for an airboat ride if you are in Orlando.
Parking:
There is plenty of parking in front of their office.
Restrooms:
Yes, inside the building
Hour:
9 am – 5 pm every day. We recommend making your appointment online first.
Estimated Completion Time:
The tour is one hour. You do want to be there 15 minutes before for some quick briefing and 15 minutes after to meet with Sergio, the baby alligator.
Ideal Weather:
Dry days
Ideal Time:
The best time to see the alligators is in the afternoon when it’s warm out. That’s when they are usually out sunning themselves.
Dog-friendly: No
THE ADVENTURE:
We left our hotel early for the roughly 50-minute drive from Orlando to the small town of Saint Cloud. Even so, Wild Willy’s is one of the closer places for an airboat ride in Orlando. They did a great job with directions to their office on your welcome email. The dock is actually located at the back of a mobile home park. Once you are in the park, the speed limit is only 5 mph. We have heard that the residents are quite strict about the speed limit, so please drive slow and give yourself plenty of time to spare.
As my sister and I checked in, the boys ran out to the airboats dock behind the office. You can tell they were drooling over the engine. I can’t blame them though. Airboats really are unique machines. They have strong but light metal hulls that are capable of gliding over the glades and taking all sorts of abuse from plants and roots. This is paired with a beefy Supercharged LS1 engine which is similar to the engine that comes in the Corvette. Throughout our ride, I kept being amazed as to how easy it was for the airboat to glide through almost anything on the water.
Soon after, our captain/tour guide Brandon appeared. He had a big warm smile as he greeted us. After a quick briefing, we all headed out to the boat. Of course, I claimed my seat on the front row of the boat. One thing that kind of surprised us was that there were no seatbelts on the boat. There was a metal railing around us to prevent anyone from falling over though.
Once we were all seated and had our ear muffs on, the big glorious V8 fired up and we were off. After pulling out of the no-wake zone, we made our way into a clearing. This is what we were waiting for. Brandon put the hammer down and 650 horsepower finally had a chance to show what it was made of. The boats here have a top speed of right around 45 miles an hour.
It was quickly apparent why there were no seat belts on board. We didn’t need them. The airboat rode like it was on glass as it carved its way through and around the sawgrass. If you own a wave runner or any sort of boat, you can understand how magical it is to be able to go right over the reeds and plants without having them get sucked into the intake. It blew our minds when we headed into a cove that looked like a dead-end and dove right into a field of sawgrass.
After about 10 minutes of ripping through the beautiful landscape, the engine came to a very sudden halt. The boat slid to a stop and settled into the water. Even though we all had ear muffs on, we could still hear Brandon shout “GATOR!”. There he was, our first gator of the day. He almost looked like he was smiling at us as he basked in the warm sunlight. We crept a bit closer to get a good look at him before he got shy and dove into the lush vegetation.
One of the main reasons we wanted to do the airboat ride in Orlando is to see the gators in the wild. But it was pretty cool to see other animals as well. Over the course of our adventure, we also saw cows, tons of birds, and even some bald eagles. Brandon was extremely knowledgeable about the alligators. He was more than happy to share facts with us at every given opportunity. For instance, did you know that alligators are opportunistic hunters? They prefer smaller, easy prey. Alligators are also creatures of habit. They will often hang out in the same spots and raise their young in the same place year after year. Even so, it still can be tricky to spot them because of their impressive camouflage. Lucky for us, Brandon was awesome at spotting these gators. We saw at least 7 of them on our run.
I don’t think that any of us expected the everglades to be so beautiful. Despite the sound of the motor, there was something so peaceful about its narrow passageways and sweeping views with lily pads that stretched way off into the distance. Halfway through our tour, we encountered a rival tour company’s airboat. We exchanged a friendly wave, but the other boat’s guide must have been feeling a little mischievous. Just after we went by, he floored it and sprayed water all over us. It was actually pretty refreshing. As we looked over to the other airboat, we could see they got blasted too. I guess it is a tradition here.
After our surprise shower, we headed into a dense cove that had a bizarre abandoned houseboat. You could tell that it hasn’t been moved in quite a while. There’s not much info about this abandoned houseboat. This spot is where the baby alligators hang out until they are old enough to go out to the everglades. This has also been home to a female gator for the last 5 years. We didn’t see her that day but we saw a few of the little ones. They were very good at camouflaging and they were also super fast, that made them super tricky to spot or get any good photos of them.
After leaving the cove, we hooked a right and circled around a wooded island. I have no clue how he spotted her, but Brandon saw a big gator sitting deep in the trees. He was actually surprised because this wasn’t a spot where they usually hang out. He spun the boat around to get a better look. We were all excited as this alligator was the biggest one yet. She had to be about 12 feet long. According to Brandon, this was one of the bigger gators that he had seen in the area. He also taught us a trick to tell how long the gator is by measure the distance from its eyes to the tip of its snout. Every inch equals 1 foot of the body length.
After the huge alligator swam off, it was time for our ride to come to an end. After we pulled up to the dock, Brandon rushed off as everyone gathered their belongings and headed toward the covered picnic area. As we were all standing there, recapping our experiences, Brandon reappeared with the cutest baby alligator, Sergio, in his hands. We all got to hold him for a little bit. Dustin obviously fell in love with Sergio. I was a little bit apprehensive to hold him as I wasn’t a big fan of reptiles. It wasn’t that bad actually. His skin felt smooth and cold but dry. My sister was terrified but we talked her into holding Sergio. She wasn’t super thrilled but she was happy that she did it.
We would love to send a huge thank you to Brandon, Sergio, and the crew at Wild Willy’s Airboat Tours. Also, a shout out to Jon Williams, the owner of Wild Willy’s for supplying us with some amazing photos of the animals that live on the everglades. This airboat ride in Orlando was a fun experience and definitely one of the highlights of our Florida trip. Make sure to give these guys a call if you want to get your airboat ride in. If you’re up for more adventures around Orlando, check out Wekiwa Springs State Park or the gorgeous Blue Spring State Park to see the adorable manatees or to snorkel, dive, or go tubing. If you want to actually swim and kayak with the manatees, check out our blog on kayaking with the manatees at Crystal River.
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and sign up for our newsletter!
RECOMMEND GEAR:
Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
• Sunscreen:
If you need sunscreen, we use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter – Zinc Oxide – Coral Reef Safe and All Good Sport Sunscreen Lotion – Coral Reef Safe (3 oz)(2-Pack) or Stream2Sea SPF 30 Reef Safe Sport Tinted Sunscreen.
• Sunglasses:
It will help with the wind in your face
• Jacket
Depends on the season, it might get cold and windy. We love our packable Patagonia Puff Jackets! You can get Vy’s version here, and Dustin’s version here.
• Water
You’re only going to be gone for an hour, but some water wouldn’t hurt.
• Bug spray
Not while you’re on the boat but maybe as you’re waiting around. We use REPEL Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent.
CAMERA GEAR:
• Camera:
Sony a7 III
Gopro Hero 7 Black
• Lenses:
Sony 24 -70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T Zoom Lens
• Accessories:
GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip – Official GoPro Mount
Aluminum GoPro protection frame
