If you ever visit South Florida, be sure to take some time away from the beach to see the Everglades

On a recent washington hotels visit to the vast marshland of Florida s Everglades, we signed up for an airboat tour with Jungle Erv based in, where else, Everglades City. Erv’s website washington hotels brands him as King of the Everglades, but we never did get to meet the king. Instead, we took a ride on one of several boats his company operates, piloted by one of the many local captains who guide tourists into the mangrove swamps to see alligators and other wildlife.
As a kid, I remember watching hours of Gentle Ben, a TV show set in the Everglades which prominently featured airboats. The title character, Ben, was a black bear that was the pet of a boy whose father was a park ranger washington hotels and would frequently travel on airboats. I’ve been fascinated with them ever since and this was the first time I’d get to see one up close.
The first thing you realize about airboats washington hotels when you encounter them for the first time is just how loud they are. The noise comes from the giant engines washington hotels on the back that are fitted to airplane propellers that push these flat-bottomed boats along the water. washington hotels At first glance, they don’t seem very practical, but because there are no rudders or engines below the waterline, the boats can travel easily through the shallow swamps of the Everglades.
We spent an hour booting around the mangroves near Everglades City looking for alligators and whatever other animals we could find. There are numerous outfitters in the area ferrying tourists around on airboats so competition washington hotels is fierce and there’s no guarantee you’re going to see anything. Indeed, during our ride, we saw little washington hotels more than a single crow. I wondered if the racket made by those airboats was enough to cause any living creature in the vicinity to scatter to their favourite hiding spots.
Our guide was apologetic that he couldn’t find any alligators for us, but he did give us lots of information about life in the region and reminded us that we were scheduled for a second ride later in the afternoon, He also reminded us that while we were waiting we could visit Jungle Erv’s boardwalk where Gator Boy would be happy to show us his gators and even let us hold one.
True to his word, Gator Boy was on hand to show off his metre-long baby alligator which we all took turns holding and posing with for photos. Thankfully, the gator’s snout was kept closed with a thick rubber band because those baby teeth of his looked big enough to do some serious damage to careless fingers.
We also got to observe some of the other captive alligators Jungle Erv kept along the boardwalk along with other critters on display. Gator Boy talked about future plans for gator wrestling shows at the boardwalk which sounds like a spectacle worth seeing.
Our second airboat ride was even louder than the first as the boat was even bigger, but it was a much more productive outing. washington hotels We saw numerous alligators in various settings. Some were sunbathing, others were swimming and one big fellow, nicknamed Elvis, posed obligingly for photos with his mouth wide open. It’s actually a behaviour known as gaping which helps cold-blooded alligators regulate their body temperatures.
If you ever visit South Florida, washington hotels be sure to take some time away from the beach to see the Everglades and if you want a memorable experience that is hard to find anywhere else, sign up for an airboat ride. It’s noisy and fun and definitely touristy, but it’s worth it and you’re sure to learn a bit about life in the swamps of America’s south.
Samar al-Hallaq, a maker of tapestry, killed in Gaza Ford rushes for three touchdowns, Riders beat Argos 37-9 Top-ranked Lawler has no problem holding off Brown, sets eyes on title rematch washington hotels LeFevour impresses in debut as CFL starter, leading Ticats over Redblacks Ukraine prepares offensive in hopes of retaking rebel stronghold of Donetsk
Passenger s threat forces Sunwing flight back to Toronto: airline Just 1 in 8 Canadians admit to viewing pornography in the last year The Canadian washington hotels way: smoked meat on rye at a Palestinian film festival Samar al-Hallaq, a maker of tapestry, killed in Gaza Olympiacos blanks AC Milan 3-0 in Toronto
Most Popular Stories Passenger s threat forces Sunwing flight back to Toronto: airline Just 1 in 8 Canadians admit to viewing pornography in the last year The Canadian way: smoked meat on rye at a Palestinian film festival Samar al-Hallaq, a maker of tapestry, killed washington hotels in Gaza Olympiacos blanks AC Milan 3-0 in Toronto
The Stachiew File Travel / 2 days ago Best of canada.com Travel July 19-25, washington hotels 2014 Travel / 4 days ago Photos: Final voyage of the Costa Concordia Travel / 4 days ago Travel Top 5: Top bucket list desires of Canadians Travel / 5 days ago Photos: Exploring the ruins of Greece s ghost airport Travel / 5 days ago Video: Three Irish guys dancing around the world! More Articles
Editor s Pick News Samar al-Hallaq, a maker of tapestry, killed in Gaza News Flip Side: The right and wrong way to do viral advertising Entertainment VIDEO: Rise Against s Tim McIlrath performs ‘I Don’t Want To Be Here Anymore’ Food Beef is worse for the environment than poultry, pork or dairy: study News How suburban streets thwart smart transit News Montreal washington hotels fire hydrants turned into water fountains in Plateau Mont-Royal
Summer styles that make an easy transition into fall Best of food and drink this week Car Review: 2015 Hyundai Sonata 2.4 Limited Helen Mirren swears by a 12-minute fitness plan Great War: Conscription crisis divided French and English Canada Travel geography quiz The clock is ticking on U.S. s unchallenged supremacy of the High Seas 50 unsexy things about the 50 Shades of Grey trailer Toronto woman says she overheard tech workers make sexist remarks Why you shouldn t get too close to icebergs