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Airboat Rides at MIDWAY
Categories: Active Life Boating Event Planning & Services Boat Charters Hotels & Travel Tours Boating, Boat Charters, Tours [Edit]
28501 E Colonial DrChristmas, FL 32709
(407) 568-6790
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 5 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
19 reviews for Airboat Rides at MIDWAY
19 reviews in English
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Review from Jennifer B.
San Jose, CA
3/5/2012
Wow. This was an experience that I will remember and look back on for the rest of my life. Starting with Judy in the shop up front. She is so friendly, welcoming and helpful. Her side kick - a piggy named Pork Chop - is instantly lovable. As are the baby gators, Hollywood and Gucci - you get to hold them after the ride. So cool. Captain Mike is the best. He was funny, knowledgeable and easy to talk to. You could just tell he loves his job. On the ride we saw lots of gators, 12 ft to little babies, ibis', geese, bald eagles, cows, horses, pigs and even a few fish. The boat moves really fast but the driver can turn off the engines and swing it right close to a gator. Close enough to hear it hissing! Racing through those waters gives you this incredible feeling of freedom and peace. It's exhilarating and somehow calming at the same time. I learned so much and had a great time doing it. Can't wait to go again.
P.S. I enjoyed this experience so much that I went on another ride with Twister/Lone Cabbage - not the same experience. The drive and a few extra bucks are definitely worth it in this case. -
Review from Andre M.
3/21/2012
This is a must if in Orlando or Daytona. About 1.5 hrs from Daytona along Interstate south. Skipper was a great guy. Loads of laughs. Great driver. Saw lots of gnarly gators - some just 6 feet away. Very cool. The pelicans and egrets were magnificent. Do this! Don't even think about it.
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Review from Jennifer C.
Borough of Princeton, NJ
4/11/2012
Surprisingly fun! I had my doubts about a swamp tour, but it turned out to be very fun. Great views of the landscape and animals, lots of gators, turtles, cows, birds. Fast, loud boat, a genuine Florida experience. I highly recommend, especially for children (still fun for adults too)! The perfect combo of kitsch and local friendliness. A welcomed change from the highly controlled experience of theme parks.
Stop by the Lone Cabbage for the complete experience-- deep fried alligator bites! Gator and shrimp were yummy, frog legs not so much. You can even go fishing nearby too. -
Review from Dave J.
3/18/2012 5 photos
What an experience well worth the money. Very good guide and very informative. A little out of the way but well worth the time.
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Review from Chuq Y.
9/21/2011
This is a great alligator tour. It was easy to get to, and we saw lots of gators and cows! Yes, Cows!
The boat captains are friendly, knowledgable and are great airboat drivers! It's a very scenic boat ride (and you go fast!). I like how all the boats are set up too. You will always get a great view.
Back at the shop, there is a pig named Porkchop, and he's HUGE! Other cool stuff too there, but the best is that you get to take a picture with a gator! -
Review from G M.
El Cajon, CA
- The site is great and out on this strip of land by itself.
- There wasn't much traffic car or people. I'm guessin' the tourist season is pretty much done.
- The guide was a good lookin' young guy with obvious enthusiasm for his job. Very cheerful, funny and knowledgable.
- The ride was great and the scenery fantastic.
- Plenty of alligators, bird, cattle, etc.
- I high recommend doing this tour.
Enjoy the show! -
Review from KristynJoseph T.
Los Angeles, CA
9/15/2011
We had a fantastic time with Capt. Mike on this excursion. He did an excellent job of communicating with us via the headsets so that we could follow what was going on and what he was doing.
The alligators were intense!
Although we didn't get soaked or even really significantly wet by water spray, please note that you will get some spray on you when he makes some sharp turns in the airboat.
Also, we LOVED holding the baby alligator after the tour! -
Review from Chris C.
5/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
Oh man. Midway just gets it right. Great, knowledgeable guides who know how to have fun, wonderful staff inside (helped by Pork Chop, their enormous pot-bellied pig, sprawled out on the doormat inside when we arrived) and so many gators you simply can't be disappointed. (And a happy tortoise outside, as well.)
We saw about 25-30 gators, including a few that let us creep right up on them. We also saw two gorgeous bald eagles incredibly up close, and a ton of cows, other birds, turtles, and all sorts of crazy stuff. (Including some lovely fishin', shirtless redneck types who waved kindly as we cruised by.)
Our guide was fantastic and would slow down or stop for us to get the pics we wanted, but knew how to kick the airboat into gear and "drift" around bends in the river for great fun. (We hit 37 mph, according to my GPS, and damn is it FUN!)
$35 per person is a steal for this roughly 1-1.25 hour tour, and it's simply fantastic. Exactly what we wanted from a tour place like this, and they have their own private dock and private boats, so you're not paying a "tour company" middleman on top.
Oh, and you GET TO HOLD A GATOR!
Absolutely brilliant, and a must-see. About a 15 minute drive from the coast, and only 45 minutes from Orlando. Totally worth it to top off a day at Kennedy Space Center/the Space Coast. I'll upload some of my amazing gator shots when I get a spare minute. -
Review from Brian S.
Warwick, RI
6/21/2010 25 photos
A great
way to
see a
swamp
Wow, what a great place. You get to ride in an airboat, screaming around the rivers and and inlets. They don't let you drive the boat but it's still pretty damn cool. I've been to a lot of swamps and this is definitely an impressive one.
All kinds of wildlife can be seen just hanging around, including of course lots of gators. Big gators, little gators and medium gators, this place is infested with the beasties and the guide knows exactly where they are and how close he can get. Absolutely gorgeous and stunning critters.
Besides the gators lots of birds, turtles, rescued horses and some surprisingly mean looking cows can be seen. A farmer lets his bovines out in the swamps to feed and they just mingle and make friends with the gators. Sort of.
The guide was great, he knew this place like his own backyard and was very personable in a back country and causal manner. He could answer any gator question people came up with and you could tell that he had a great respect and even admiration for the reptiles. He would slow down for any pictures folks wanted to take but still hit the afterburners enough to keep the ride fun.
Besides the airboat ride and the nice swamp, the inside of the gift shop was also pretty cool. They not only had plenty of crummy t-shirts and gifts but also a pig called Porkchop and a Tortoise called Turtle. Both of these guys were very friendly and seem to enjoy the attention from us. They also had various snakes, birds and even let us hold a gator. The store was almost as much fun as the airboat ride.
A great way to spend some time if you ever happen to be in Christmas, Florida and the airboat is definitely the way to see the back waters of the swamp. You even get to pet a pig, feed a tortoise and hold a gator. Just doesn't get much cooler than this.
A great
way to
see a
swamp -
Review from John G.
9/14/2009
A great scenic ride along the St. John's river. Lot's of wildlife and a few gators. When the driver took us back into Jim's Creek area, it was like we were lost in the thick everglades with many cyprus trees all around. Really neat.
Grasslands galore and for one that has never seen the backwaters of Florida, this is quite the trip.
The shop has many gator items for sale which are a little cheesy, but hey, this is Florida after all. Very friendly staff, and our driver was very nice and explained many things along the trip.
A fun ride enjoyable by the whole family. -
Review from Aieabo y.
Sacramento, CA
3/27/2009
What a dope ride! Alligator piss in your face and crocodile shit on your boots. Located in "beautiful" Christmas, FL. AKA middle of fucking nowhere. Me and the boy got to see 50+ gators during the 1 hour ride. Cost was about $55 for 1 adult, 1 kid. Mention the internet discount coupon to get a few bucks off.
All in all, well worth it. Sat up front, unobstructed view. Go fast, slow down, look to your right, gators, go fast, slow down, look to your left, gators, go fast, slow down, look to your right, vultures eating a dead gator...SWEET! Gators, gators, gators, everywhere. Big uns too. 10+ feet long.
The Capt. had this gig down, very informative, answered all questions, genuinely nice guy and professional. "I make most of my money from tips on this job" I think the whole boat probably tipped him about $30 plus the $6.25 he made for the hour......sssshit that's more then I make. I tipped the dude $6, WTF, I was on vacation and there to stimulate the economy.
They also have a pot belly pig, python and a baby alligator that you can molest when you hold him in the wrong place. Did I mention the cheesy gift shop? Actually, the prices were pretty good, course the stuff had several years of dust on it.
Never been on an airboat ride? Here's your chance. Had a blast. Would do it again. -
Review from Kingsley Q.
San Clemente, CA
11/17/2010
It was awesome.
Super easy to get too and the staff was great. Capt mike knew his stuff about the area and wildlife. Got lots of pictures of alligators.
Felt like I went on a safari!!!!!
Get a discount online and save $2 per person.
Don't forget to say hi to pork chop the welcome pig!!!! -
Review from Kim T.
San Francisco, CA
7/14/2011
Great staff and place. Learned a lot about gators and surrounding ecology. Part of cruise excursion. Love hanging out with the Pig in the store. Got sprinkled a bit on the ride but dried right up in the FL spring heat. Highly recommend.
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Review from Shane G.
Smyrna, GA
8/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Fantastic! Highly recommended and the guide is a hoot. The tour is an hour down and back up the St. John's River. You will get to see alligators (20), cows (hundreds), horses (2) and a number of different birds (hundreds). When you return, they will give you the opportunity to hold or pet a baby gator. Very nice experience. There is also a very cute brunette that works in the office/gift shop.
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Review from Nathan R.
Orlando, FL
10/18/2008 2 photos
Midway Airboat Rides is located sort of in the middle of nowhere between Orlando and Titusville off east colonial drive, which actually works for them. This whole area is swamplands, covered in marsh and grass and water and gators. If you have never been on an air boat ride, I would most definitely suggest it. It is like riding in a hover car, but only over the water.
It is about 25 bucks for admission for adults and a little bit cheaper for kids, but definitely worth the experience. You get the opportunity to see some great Florida wildlife in their natural habitat, sans cages and pens. Both times I have been there I saw gators, deer, a boar, snakes, lots of birds, and got to hold a baby alligator (with his mouth taped shut thankfully!). They open at 9am everyday, except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Check it out! -
Review from Jim T.
Southgate, MI
11/27/2010
It was a fantastic experience and we had an excellent guide. I got to see lots of alligators. I would highly recommend it to others. Money well spent.
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Review from Sara S.
Denver, CO
11/18/2010
What a great ride! Perfect for kids and grandparents alike. We were able to see lots of wildlife, including some big gators, a snake and tons of birds, even some bald eagles! The ride itself was fast, and terrific. The only negative for us was that we went on a Sunday so the water was fairly busy and we didn't get to see any alligators on land. The guide was funny and super personable.
If you are nearby you have to go on an Airboat ride. A highlight of our vacation. -
Review from Claire V.
4/1/2011
So cool! I was a little skeptical of the price -- $35, minus $2 when you mention the online discount -- but really, for an hour-long guided nature tour, it's a great investment. We went earlier in the morning, at 9:30, and there were 10 people total on the boat. The seats are graduated, so every row has a good view. Our guide was friendly, informative, and had some fun anecdotes (the best was helplessly watching his neighbor's yappy dog get eaten by an alligator, and since he couldn't do anything to help, he cracked open a beer and witnessed the circle of life). He speaks over headphones, which duly protect your ears from the fan. The gators were shy, but we saw at least fifty pairs of eyes and snouts poking out of the water, plus six bald eagles, many osprey, sand hill cranes, other birds, and grazing cattle, which add a surreal aspect to the swampy flatlands. There were a couple guys with a truck out fishing, but other than that no people. The boat zoomed fast and we skidded around some corners. Back at headquarters, we handled baby alligators, the pet pig Pork Chop, a desert tortoise, and talked to the cockatiels.
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Review from lars h.
San Diego, CA
8/10/2010
It is as good as it gets. Nice and relaxed place with clean facilities. Negative - bad u-turn, when you are driving from Orlando. Lots of gators on the tour. Try it. The kids love the airboat.
