Since moving down to Florida I had to make a trip to the Everglades to see some gators. I had done a lot of research on a good place to hop on an airboat. Sadly, everything was just crazy expensive. So, naturally I decided to check out some sites like Groupon and Travel Zoo. Ultimately, my Mom and I decided on heading to Sawgrass Recreation Park, which received amazing reviews on TripAdvisor (I always head over to TripAdvisor to see if people enjoyed their experience!).

Sawgrass Recreation Park

Lucky for us, Sawgrass Recreation Park is just a few miles from Ft. Lauderdale, making it about a 50 minute drive from home. We arrived around 10:30 AM, right after the park opened, as recommended by many of the reviewers on TripAdvisor. It was the perfect time to arrive as it still wasn’t crazy hot and we beat the crowds. It also tends to rain in the afternoon during the summer in South Florida, and when that happens its less likely to see alligators.

We got our tickets and we were placed on the 5th boat of the day. We met our captain, Alex, who was quite the character… He was really funny, made sure that everyone was having a good time, but was really knowledgable. He had this super dry sense of humor that just made me laugh — I’m so glad we ended up on his boat.

The airboat tour lasts about thirty minutes and during this time you’ll (hopefully) see some gators, learn about the different plants and animals in the Everglades and go really fast over the water. It was the perfect amount of time and the views were stunning. I wasn’t sure what to expect — I’ve always been under the impression that the Everglades was a gross swamp land, but I was extremely mistaken.

After the boat tour, you have full access to the park’s wildlife exhibit with your ticket. You’ll see gorgeous wild cats, huge alligators, birds, and turtles. You even have the opportunity to hold a baby alligator!

If you’re headed to South Florida definitely add Sawgrass Recreation to your list of things to see.