DID YOU KNOW? Everglades National Park, designated in 1947, is one of the largest wetlands in the world with nine different habitats, including pine rocklands, marine waters, and coastal lowlands. Everglades consists of 1.5 million acres of saw grass marshes, wetlands, hardwood hammocks, and mangrove forests. It's home to many animal species such as alligators, crocodiles, panthers, pythons, turtles and more.
While we were in Florida, we decided we might as well make a stop in Everglades National Park for an airboat tour through the marshes, with the hope of spotting a gator or two in the wild. While on our all-too-short boat tour, we did spot three or four gators...albeit from a distance...we would spot many more while driving our RV through the Everglades the next day.
The Coopertown airboat tour was a lot of fun, although it was definitely louder than a normal boat would have been. Everyone is presented with a pair of noise-blocking headphones as they board, but even with the headphones, the roar of the boat is really loud. Any conversation has to happen when the guide stops the boat to point something out. We learned a lot about the marsh plants and animals...and discovered that airboats have no brakes or reverse option :0
Airboat guides have to really know the route, as much of the scenery looks the same and many channels lead off into other parts of the marshlands.
Our guide was really fun and full of information.
Living a life of comfort at Coopertown is the popular alligator, Jojo, who has appeared in several commercials and movies over his lifetime. While Jojo is about as calm as a gator can be, it isn't recommended that visitors ask for his autograph:)
We got to learn some cool alligator facts during an animal exhibit and touch a baby gator...which the little boys loved!
The next day we took the 2 lane road that crossed from one side of the Everglades to the other, almost coast to coast. We counted alligators lying in the sun as we drove through, stopping count at 200+ alligators in approximately an hour drive! We know we missed so many, and could have kept counting, as that was only on one side of the road. It was fun crazy to see so many wild gators living their wildly lazy lives. :)
Until next time, God bless!
Awesome! I'm with your mom----they would make great pets.