Airboating Flying high and low throughout Florida
By Gary McKechnie I
t doesn’t seem normal when you’re on a boat that’s blasting its way across the water and, with seemingly solid land dead ahead, the boat never pauses, never hesitates, never swerves. Instead, the man at the controls maintains a steady clip and then flies over whatever’s in your path. No, it’s not quite normal. But it is incredibly exciting. When you’re on an airboat, you’re on an extraordinary vehicle that can navigate places where normal watercraft can’t go. Tere is no engine dragging behind it, so you can race through fields of water hyacinths. It’s stealthy enough to creep into dense swamps, but powered by a massive propeller it can also fly flat out across wide-open lakes. An airboat is versatile and packed with excitement. Best of all, because airboat tours are found all across the state, you can travel far off the beaten path and see Florida as it was when residents were still paddling dugout canoes into the backwaters. Had you been hanging out with friends in Kissimmee in the early 1960s, chances are you’d have been discussing cattle and fishing and rodeos and why some ranchers were selling thousands of acres of scrub pine to folks from California. Although Walt Disney would change Kissimmee forever, not everyone
get there WestJet and
Sunwing offer a total of four direct flights from Winnipeg to Orlando per week
Flight duration 3hr 30min
The Hub How to
got the message – especially the folks at Boggy Creek Airboats. Each day, they’re still introducing guests from around the world to what Kissimmee looked like when Cracker cowboys were wrangling cattle near the waters of Lake Tohopekaliga. With two locations to choose from, I headed to the more remote Southport location. On a simple shoreline excursion, we sailed past cattle and great blue herons and flew over reeds and stopped for awhile by an old island that once housed a pioneer family. I knew if I looked over my shoulder, just a few miles away were seven of the world’s Top Ten at- tractions. But here on an airboat, I was back in the world of fishing, cattle, rodeos, and Cracker cowboys. I loved the setting of Boggy Creek. It’s nice to escape to a destination where guests can rent a cane pole and fish from the dock, enjoy an old-fashioned picnic at an adjacent park or simply enjoy Florida as it was – and still is. Before you go, be sure to call ahead for specific directions: airboat tours
are often at remote locations. Also, ask about prices, tour times, reservations, and duration of the ride. And be sure to look for discounts in tourist publi- cations and check tour operator websites for online savings. For more information contact Boggy Creek Airboat Rides 2001 E. Southport
Road or 3702 Big Bass Road Kissimmee (407) 344-9550 (877) 304-3239. Tis story first appeared on
VISITFLORIDA.com.
Fall 2014 • 33
Photo by Bill Strength
Photo by Peter Cross
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