We had a wonderful leisurely visit to Everglades Holiday Park this afternoon. We purchased our ticket/meal online prior to going. There is plenty of parking right near the handicap wood ramp that you walk up to enter. There are registers inside where you purchase your tickets, or redeem them from your online purchase. You are then given a number to be called for your airboat ride. While you wait, there are plenty of shaded areas, picnic tables, and Adirondack chairs to sit in. Once your number is called so that you can join your tour group in line, there is no shade, so I recommend a hat, cap, or even a small umbrella. They do have large fans blowing air/mist while you stand in line, so that was a nice little treat! As soon as your captain is ready to bring you on board, they take a "complimentary" photo (and I want to emphasize this because at other places, they seem to want to push the photo opportunity on you just to make the extra buck!) that they develop and hand to you (at no extra cost) upon disembarking your airboat. We were SO privileged to have been placed on the SunDance with Capt. Dylan! He was so much FUN, and had great command of his airboat. We felt like at times we were flying through the water, or on a ride at a theme park! If that in and of itself wasn't enough, Capt. Dylan came into the boat and gave us an interactive teaching on the sawgrass, the cat tail, the bonnet lilly pad and the worm that lives in it, as well as, a plethora of information on Florida wildlife and the Everglades. We were able to see several gators up close, a purple bird, a big iguana perched on a branch and several different species of fish. We were also introduced to pond apple trees, that as the captain described, when the fruit is green, it is highly toxic (full of arsenic) and therefore only edible once a year in its ripest, red form! After our tour was over, we stood in line for approximately twenty minutes in the hot sun waiting to enter the Gator Boys show. This was the only downer to the whole experience and the reason I cannot give this review five stars!!! Once we were in, the short but pleasant show starring, the beautiful redhead of the "Gator Boys" Ashley, was entertaining, amusing and well done. Upon exiting the gator show, there was one more stop for us...the Gator Bites Cafe. We enjoyed an all-American meal of a burger, hotdog, fries and two drinks for a more than moderate price! I can't wait to share this experience with my family members and friends!

OMG had the best time ever and I've lived in Florida 10 years and 1st time on airboat ride! It enclosed and OK even in rain. Did this for my birthday and had the best birthday ever! Will definitely do again.

I had a great five day Everglades paddle trip with Dave K. He knows the waters like his backyard. Dave is entertaining, low-key, informative and highly organized. His meal preparation was a marvel. The food, as claimed, was delicious. He gave me a short, but highly effective paddle lesson that increased the quality of my trip dramatically. Just a couple of caveats, especially for the older traveler. At 67, and a non-kayaker, I did a fair amount of practice just before the trip, and it paid off. The sleeping pads provided were too thin for me to sleep comfortably; you might consider bringing a thicker one. Technically, the tents provided on the trip are large enough for two people, but with two people, I don't know what you would do with your gear. Sleeping on this trip is difficult enough; two in a tent would have been an enormous challenge. Otherwise, go and enjoy.