An airboat ride through a swamp in Orlando?!

Have you ever seen an 800 year-old cypress tree? Do you know what a z-donk is, or what it looks like? Have you ever held a live alligator? Did you know a watusi isn’t just a popular dance from the 60’s? Well, there’s a place in Florida that you can see, do and learn all of these things! It’s called Wild Florida, and it’s located on Cypress Lake just south of the Orlando theme parks.

One of the main attractions at Wild Florida is the airboat tour around Cypress Lake. The tour is led by one of Wild Florida’s expert guides that know almost everything there is to know about the land and animals you’ll see while you’re there. During the tour, you will encounter numerous different animals and plants indigenous to Central Florida. You can tour the lake and swamps for ½ hour to an hour, day or night. During the tour I was on, we saw alligators, deer, cows, multiple species of birds, and the oldest cypress tree on record. Sometimes you’ll even spot a rare bald eagle. This virtually untouched part of Florida provides you with a glimpse of what the state looked like before it was discovered and inhabited (and certainly before the mouse made his home there!).

Another amazing aspect of Wild Florida is the Wildlife Sanctuary they have installed there. The collection of animals you’ll see will give any zoo a run for its money! There is a pond that holds dozens of alligators, and you can stand on the dock that hovers over it and feed the alligators as they swim under your feet. You also get to feed the watusi, which is a breed of cattle with distinctively large horns that was once endangered. You learn that a z-donk is a breed between a zebra and a donkey, and you can get close enough for a photo op with the unique looking animal. You also get to wander through the cypress filled swamp on the property along a winding man-made dock, where you may spot more rare birds and other creatures.

There are many things to do in the Orlando area, but don’t limit yourself to just the theme parks while you’re there. Check out some of the natural beauty Florida has to offer and visit Wild Florida!