• Beauty
  • Home
  • Lifestyle
    • Christian Living
  • Southern Living
  • Theo’s Corner
  • About Me!
    • Contact Me!
    • Let’s connect!
    • Shop My Favorites!
    • Disclosure
    • Terms + Privacy

Hello South Blog

Beauty | Home | Southern Living

4 Things To Know Before You Book Your Everglades Swamp Tour

October 18, 2022 · Southern Living

4 Things To Know Before You Book Your Everglades Swamp Tour

Is an Everglades Swamp Tour on your bucket list of things to do? The Everglades is fascinating, and I wanted to check it out even before we moved to Florida! We had the chance to go on a swamp tour and I wanted to share a few things with you before you go! So today I am sharing 4 things to know before you book your Everglades swamp tour! I am also sharing a few facts you might not know about the Everglades!

We have been in Florida since late May and have finally been able to start taking in a few sights. One of those was an Everglades Swamp Tour. The Everglades have always fascinated me, so I wanted to check it out. Our experience was not great, but I think it was due to the company we went with. We are hoping to go back down in the future and see more of the area when we are in a better frame of mind. You will understand more as you read the blog post!

This site uses affiliate links, which means a commission is earned if you make a purchase via the link. All content and images on this site are protected and may not be reused without written permission from the author.

Where are the Everglades?

The Everglades are found on the southern tip of Florida. It has over 1.5 million acres of wetlands. The Everglades was designated a National Park in 1934. The nice thing about the park is that you can enter from several locations because it literally takes up almost the entire southern tip of Florida. You can enter from 3 different locations, Naples, Shark Valley, and Ernest F Coe Visitor Center which is on the Miami side.

The Everglades has some interesting animals that can be found there. My husband and I were surprised by some of them. As we were driving there, we saw signs on the side of the road warning of panther crossings! Below are several but this is not an exclusive list!

4 Things To Know Before You Book Your Everglades Swamp Tour
  • Manatee
  • Panther
  • Bobcat
  • Red fox
  • Gray fox
  • Black bear
  • Long-tailed weasel
  • Everglades mink
  • Short-finned pilot whale
  • Atlantic bottlenose dolphin
  • Rice’s whale
  • Cottonmouth
  • Boa constrictor
  • Eastern diamondback
  • Eastern indigo snake
  • Burmese python
  • River otter
  • Southern flying squirrel
  • Wood stork
  • Roseate Spoonbill
  • Blue Heron
  • Double Crested Cormorant
  • Red-shouldered Hawk
  • American Flamingo
  • American white pelican
  • Short-tailed hawk
  • American alligator
  • American crocodile
  • Loggerhead
  • Atlantic leatherback
  • Atlantic hawksbill
  • Water moccasin

1. Ask if you will get wet!

This 1st thing I will admit may not bother everyone, but I think I had a valid complaint! Lol. My husband even had a problem with it. I don’t know about you but I don’t like getting wet with swamp water! Let me explain a bit!

I highly recommend asking if your tour guide will get you wet while on the excursion. And I totally understand getting a little spray if the airboat is going fast through the water, but I recommend asking if you will get soaked! The tour we went on had a guide that was very impressed with his airboat skills and liked to show them off. He would speed through the mangroves, stop suddenly, then turn. This would in turn soak us all in the boat. We were soaked from head to toe.

These waters are not clean water, it is very muddy and kind of stinky water. After the tour was finished and we dried off, we had a coating of dirt on us. We had plans of driving around the town of Everglades and wanted to check out the area, but we ended up having to drive home right away so we could shower and get the coating of mud off. It even felt like we ingested some and all I could think of was all the bacteria that had to be in that water! Lol.

I am certain that all the tours are not like this because young children are allowed to go on them. We would have enjoyed the experience if we had not gotten covered with swamp water during our tour. So, I highly recommend you ask prior to purchasing your tickets if you will get wet and make your decision based on that!

2. Are you touring mangroves, grasslands, or cypress forests?

There are several different types of tours you can go on. Some companies have options to do a package deal but not all companies have multiple options so be cautious about what type of tour you are going on, so you aren’t disappointed.

The tour we went on was mostly of mangroves which are fascinating and native to Florida. The mangrove tree can take freshwater from saltwater to survive! The mangrove tree helps to protect the Florida coastline, and the roots stabilize the coastline and highlands by reducing erosion. They also help to block winds, waves, floods, tides, and storm surges from damaging the land. Mangrove trees are protected in Florida so check your local laws prior to removing any!

Two other options for tours are grasslands and cypress forests. If you have never seen a cypress swamp, you are missing out! It is a sight to see, a tree that appears to be growing out of water. We had some great cypress trees in South Carolina and I did a blog post a while back that you might want to check out; 3 Hidden Gems to Visit On Your Next Trip to Charleston, SC. You can read that here.

4 Things To Know Before You Book Your Everglades Swamp Tour

3. Don’t forget the bug spray & sun protection.

What is the one thing you think of when the word swamp comes to mind? Mosquitoes? You would be correct! We planned, used bug spray, and had no issues with bugs biting us. We also did an afternoon tour which may have helped also. The Everglades is the perfect environment for mosquitoes so make sure you come prepared!

You will also want to come prepared with sun protection. We wore sun shirts and sunhats along with sunscreen. You can never be too safe, right?! Lol! I knew we would be going through the mangroves, and someone mentioned to me that they have snakes I didn’t want to even think about a snake falling on my head! The sun is strong down here in Florida and especially when you are out on the water. Most of the tour boats do not have any coverings on them for shade so keep that in mind and come prepared.

4. Do they only tour on their private land?

Most of the Everglades Airboat tours are on their own private land and are on the outskirts of the Everglades. It will also depend on that company’s land whether they will be able to do a mangrove, grassland, or cypress forest tour. I have seen a few companies have a deal with another company to give a discount if they aren’t able to do all the tours themselves.

So, do your own research and decide what type of tour you are most interested in. And depending on how large their private property is that could determine the scope of what you actually see!  


Have you ever been on an Everglades Swamp Tour before? Is so, what was your experience like? We are hoping to go back and be able to enjoy the National Park another time now that we are a little more educated about it!


Share this…
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Linkedin
  • Copy

Posted In: Southern Living · Tagged: Florida Living, Helpful tips, Top picks

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Meet Julie

About
Welcome to Hello South! If you love hair, skin, and home tips then you have come to the right place! It is also a safe place to talk about aging gratefully! Because isn’t life better with someone to lean on?

Theo’s Corner

theos-corner
Welcome to Theo’s Corner! My mom finally decided to let me have a voice here. I plan on talking about the world according to me. And all the things that I love and maybe things that I don’t like so much!

Categories

  • Beauty
  • Christian Living
  • Home
  • Lifestyle
  • Southern Living
  • Theo's Corner

Reader Favorites

3 Must Do's on Your Next Charleston Trip

3 Must Do’s on Your Next Charleston Trip

Daily Walks and Mean Neighbors

Daily Walks and Mean Neighbors

You Don't Have to be Southern to Have Manners

You Don’t Have To Be Southern To Have Manners

Disclosure

This site uses affiliate links, which means a commission is earned if you make a purchase via the link. All content and images on this site are protected and may not be reused without written permission from the author.




On the Blog

  • Beauty
  • Home
  • Lifestyle
    • Christian Living
  • Southern Living
  • Theo’s Corner

Connect

juliemanquen_hello_south

Hello South Blog
Beauty | Home | Southern Living
𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒔 12:6
Let’s age 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆fully together 👇🏻

Julie  Manquen
•
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚋𝚜 𝟷𝟻:𝟹
It's difficult sometimes when someone hurts us. We sometimes wonder why God "isn't doing anything" about the bad things in the world, or the bad people in our lives. 
But it isn't up to us. We only need to worry about ourselves. He sees it all, the good and the bad. And sometimes we only see a small part of what is really going on in someone's life. It is easy to make a judgment. It is difficult to 👇
Give it to God 🤍
~𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕! 
 #christianblogger #hellosouthblog #Floridablogger #prayonit #Godsgotthis #prayerchangesthings #talktojesus #inspirationalwords #Godisgood #praywithoutceasing #proverbs
📌 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬? 
There are a lot of benefits to having a dog, besides unconditional love. 🤍 Studies have shown that just petting a dog can:
• Lower your blood pressure
• Lower heart rate
• Slows breathing
• Relaxes muscle tension
I think Theo has been doing a good job of all of the above! I won't even get into what he does when I have a migraine. 🤯 Dogs are amazing. 🤍
Do you have a dog? Do you agree with what these studies have shown? 
~𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕! 
 #dogblog #lifestyleblog #hellosouthblog #Floridablogger #shinefromtheinsideout #doglife #doglover #dogloversofinstagram #therapydog @theos_corner_
• 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 •
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮; 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥. 𝙴𝚡𝚘𝚍𝚞𝚜 𝟷𝟺:𝟷𝟺
Have you been looking for someone that is always by your side, someone that you can always talk to, and someone that you can count on? God has your back, you just need to invite him into your life. 🤍
~𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕!
 #christianblogger #hellosouthblog #shinefromtheinsideout #talktojesus #Godsgotthis #Godisgood #praywithoutceasing #inspirationalwords #prayerchangesthings #prayonit #bestill
• 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒊 •
𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒔. 🐚 
It took me a while to find some barstools that I liked. I didn’t want your classic ones. I wanted a coastal feel to them. I also didn’t want to spend an arm & a leg for them! Can you believe how expensive bar stools have gotten?! 🫣
I am a bargain shopper and I finally found these at @target of all places! I have them linked over on my 𝐋𝐓𝐊 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 if you want to check them out. 👇
https://liketk.it/46BcW
~𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕!
 #targetstyle #coastaldecor #coastalliving #coastalkitchens #barstools #homeblog #ltk #LTKFind #LTKhome #targetfind
• 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 ℛ𝒾𝓈ℯ𝓃! Happy •
𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 ℛ𝒾𝓈ℯ𝓃! 
Happy Easter friends! Jesus' story didn't end on the cross. It only just began. 
Sometimes on our hardest days or toughest times in life we look back and realize it was the beginning of something good. 🤍
~𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕!
 #christianblogger #prayonit #Godisgood #Godsgotthis #inspirationalwords #prayerchangesthings #praywithoutceasing #talktojesus #HeIsRisen #happyeaster2023
• 𝓗𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 💧 •
𝓗𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 💧
If you have read any of my blog posts over on 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐠 then you know that drinking your water is important for both healthy skin and hair. 
Our body is made up of about 50-70% water. So, staying hydrated is important! Experts recommend that you drink half your body weight in ounces. 
I was gifted this great water bottle to help me remember to drink my water from @venturepal_usa. It has such cute reminders on it to help keep you motivated throughout the day! They also come in different sizes and colors. 
How much water do you drink every day? I need to drink more so hopefully this will help! 🤍
~𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕!
#venturepal #venturemoment 
 #beautyblog #favoritefinds #hellosouthblog #reminderoftheday #shinefromtheinsideout #helpfultips #drinkyourwater
𝐈'𝐦 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲! 
The world around us can get stressful. We have become a society of being "honest" to the extent that it doesn't matter if it's true but it's that person's opinion. Opinions have become facts. I don't know about you, but a lot of this causes me anxiety. 
Do you struggle with anxiety? If not, you are lucky. But if you do all is not lost. The Bible talks about anxiety and worry. God doesn’t want us to be anxious, He wants us to come to Him for help. Remember, you are never alone! 
Head over to 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐠 to read our post, I'm Only Talking To Jesus Today! When I am worried and anxious, I often find myself going into this mode. 
We are sharing a few tools to help get you through those times. The link is in our profile! 🔗
~𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕! 
 #christianblogger #hellosouthblog #Floridablogger #shinefromtheinsideout #prayerchangesthings #prayonit #inspirationalwords #Godsgotthis #Godisgood #anxietytips #praywithoutceasing
•
𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝.  𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝟷𝟸:𝟸𝟷
This has been a rough week for a lot of us on many levels. What makes evil happy? Tearing each other apart, dividing, and breaking down. How do we overcome evil? With good. 
Be good. Be kind. Don't participate in the unkindness and negativity. And above all else, pray. 🤍
~𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕! 
 #hellosouthblog #Floridablogger #shinefromtheinsideout #christianblogger #inspirationalwords #prayonit #Godsgotthis #talktojesus #Godisgood #prayerchangesthings #bibleverse
Load More... Follow on Instagram




Copyright © 2023 Hello South Blog · Theme by 17th Avenue