Mickey and Minnie aren’t the only famous animals in Florida’s repertoire. In the Sunshine State, there’s one alligator to every 10-15 people. They may be slightly less friendly than their mousey neighbours, but
at Wild Florida, you can still get up close and personal with these pre-historic creatures…
Wild Florida Location
Contrary to expectations, you don’t have to venture far from tourist hotspots to experience the Everglades. Just half an hour’s drive south of Orlando, the outdoor adventure park, Wild Florida, resides in
Kissimmee – and it certainly lives up to its name. Located on the headwaters of the Everglades, here is where you can glide past gators on an airboat tour – just like in
the Everglades National Park, over 200 miles away.
Airboat Adventures
Have you even been to the Everglades if you haven’t been on an airboat? These super-cool, flat-bottomed watercraft are propelled along the waterways by a giant fan at the back. It’s the ultimate Everglades experience. Your captain will sit behind you and act as an expert guide for your tour, where as well as gators, you can expect to encounter everything from turtles and fish to wading birds. In fact, the area’s a bit of a bird-watcher’s paradise, with herons, egrets, and the iconic bald eagles all on the must-see list.
When it comes to airboat tours, you’ve also got options. There are half-an-hour long tours – perfect for families with little ones. Better yet, kids under three ride for free, too. Or there are hour-long adventures, which give you extra time to explore the swamps, marshes, and rivers. And if you don’t fancy sharing with anyone else, you can also book a private tour. These tours are an hour long, plus there’s the option to go out after dark. On a private evening tour, you’ll get to see the swamp after dark when things really come alive, giving you the chance to catch a glimpse of the nocturnal creatures that lurk in and around the waters.
Beyond the Airboats…
Wild Florida is also home to a drive-thru safari park and a Gator Park brimming with more than 200 animals. It’s a top spot for seeing the Sunshine State’s natural side, however you choose to do it.
Personally, we love driving our car through their 170-acre safari park, travelling from the forests of North America to the plains of Africa in less than a mile. This drive-thru safari experience gives you the chance to see giraffes, zebra, American bison, and wildebeest, without leaving your vehicle. There are more than 150 exotic and native animals to snap photos of. Plus, you can complete the adventure with a stop at the giraffe feeding platform – a real highlight, literally.
When it comes to the Gator Park, admission is included in the price of the drive-thru safari tickets, so you can add another 200 animals to your sightseeing list. Lemurs, bobcats, porcupines, wallabies, and sloths are just some of the animals on the agenda. And alligators, of course. There’s a little something for everyone here. A petting zoo for the youngest visitors, as well as a covered playground. A cypress-lined boardwalk, often home to roosting owls, for the older guests to stroll. And educational animal shows that will keep the whole family entertained. There’s the exotic animal show and the alligator feeding show. But the star of the park is Crusher – a 13-foot-long American alligator – who gets his own show.
Extra Animal Encounters
You can pay extra for some pretty wild encounters at Gator Park. There’s the chance to snap selfies with a sloth or go VIP and hold one while they nap or snack. You can tickle a porcupine under its armpit, hand feed capybara or meet one of the most endangered species on the planet, the ring-tailed lemur. Plus, budding artists can put paint to canvas from the giraffe feeding platform on a once-in-a-lifetime Giraffe Painting Experience. You’ll even be given giraffe feed so you can tempt your 17-foot-tall muses even closer.
And, it goes without saying, that reptile lovers are in for a treat, too. You can feed dozens of hungry gators from the crow’s nest, learning how to lure them in with a feed pole on a Gator Feeding Encounter. Or get up close to super rare albino gators and learn how to use verbal cues with an animal trainer. There are less than 20 albino gators in the world and Wild Florida hosts a handful of them, after a successful breeding programme. There’s also the opportunity to meet Crusher, one of Florida’s biggest gators, and the residents of the Snake House on the VIP Reptile Encounter.
What’s more, if you’re sold on Wild Florida and want to pack it all into your day, go for the Ultimate Wild Florida Experience. You’ll start at the Gator Park meeting sloths, lemurs, and an African-crested porcupine, before heading out
on an airboat tour by late morning. Then, after lunch at the on-site Chomp House Grill, you’ll explore the drive-thru safari park on four wheels.
What Else Is There to Do in Kissimmee?
The Kissimmee area is great for balancing natural chills and theme park thrills. Its lakefront parks provide a green oasis away from the rides, with fishing lakes, biking and hiking trails and playgrounds. What’s more, it’s got a wild card up its sleeve. Did you know that Kissimmee can be even closer to Disney World than Orlando? It’s just over 20 minutes’ drive to the parks of Walt Disney World, making it the perfect place to see both of Florida’s wild sides.
Uncover the Everglades and beyond on a holiday to Kissimmee.
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