Visit Everglades Holiday Park
Deep within the Everglades of Fort Lauderdale in the United States, you will find a recreational and educational park that takes you across the water at high speeds. Its goal is just as much family fun as it is educating the public on the local ecosystem.
History
Georges Bridges is an American tobacco farmer with a background in mechanics who decided to build his own airboat right in his backyard. Strongly believing in the idea of using these machines to help people discover the Everglades, he mortgaged his house to secure the funds needed to build several of them.
Tours of the Everglades officially started in 1982 aboard these vessels, which have become a defining symbol of the region.
The park spans a 29-acre (approximately 12 hectares) plot of land. At first, the grounds were managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, before management shifted in 2012 to the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division.
Everglades Holiday Park
This park focuses heavily on teaching visitors about local wildlife. Ultra-modern airboats take you out for a one-hour ride to encounter the native animals.
There is a sanctuary where alligators captured in urban zones are safely relocated. Their daily feeding sessions draw crowds for an impressive show. These alligator handlers are well known, having starred in their own television show with numerous episodes filmed right at the park.
You can also observe and even feed other animals on site. Raccoons, snakes, pigs, skunks, and turtles also call the park home.
To finish off your visit, you can try alligator meat and local-style frog legs.
It is an outdoor excursion that helps make sense of a territory that remains wonderfully untamed.
Opening hours
| Monday | 09:00-17:00 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 09:00-17:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00-17:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00-17:00 |
| Friday | 09:00-17:00 |
| Saturday | 09:00-17:00 |
| Sunday | 09:00-17:00 |
*Information subject to change
Really fun activity that combines thrills on the airboat, discovering impressive animals you rarely see like alligators or snakes, and then an adventure in a (seemingly) wild natural environment.