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Waycross, GA

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Okefenokee Swamp Park

4.3 (74 reviews)
Open • 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

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Chris B.

We really enjoyed our visit. The boat and train rides were fun and informative. The park was really clean. Weather was great. Reptile show was cool. Gift shop was nice. Definitely fun times.

An egret greeted us at the door.
Diana D.

Drove over an hour from the Golden Isles area on a recommendation of the shuttle tour driver. We booked our tours on the antiquated web page prior to our visit. When we arrived at 11 am, we were informed that we had been bumped from our noon boat tour in favor of a school group. We now had to wait until 2 pm or return another day. This is our last day in town, so we unhappily opted for the 2 pm boat tour. Even the employee said there isn't 3 hours of stuff to do in the park, however, we walked around for 2 hours, had lunch at the snack shop and then arrived 15 minutes early for our boat tour, only to be told they couldn't accommodate everyone that they booked. The boat was a small boat with 5 rows and there were 13 people scheduled for the tour. We all were also booked for the 3pm train and 4 pm reptile experience, so no-one wanted to wait for the next boat which the employee couldn't guarantee would have space or when it would arrive, for fear of missing the train at 3. After the employee decided she could get everyone on the boat, we decided to forgo. It would have been very cramped and uncomfortable. The exhibit buildings are old and not well kept. It is like nothing has been updated since the 80's. From other reviews, it seems the boat tour and train ride are great, but understand that the general public comes secondary to school groups. The employees that we encountered were friendly and extremely apologetic, therefore the 2 stars. The management at the park is non-existent. We were able to get a refund, but left very disappointed and feeling like even if we come to the area again, we will not return. Our time is valuable, especially when traveling. We wasted an entire day. My recommendation would be to call ahead and make sure there are no school groups or large groups visiting the day you want to go, as we got the clear message that we were not as important as the groups.

Gonna ride the train
Christina B.

What a fun little excursion in the Okefenokee! We were expecting to just drive through the park but to our surprise there was a lot to do here! Since we got there later in the day we had to decide between the boat tour our the train tour. Having just been to Louisiana recently and doing an alligator boat tour there we opted for the train tour. Our conductor, Katie did a great job giving us the history of the swamp and how the Indians and later the white man lived off the land. We visited the pioneer island and she told us about the various buildings that are there. She was very informative and friendly! Since it was a colder day we only saw one alligator but the train ride was fun! The nature center and honey house were very informative as well and we walked along the boardwalks and saw the alligators. If you have kids this is a great and educational day tour. Highly recommend!

Christa L.

It was a beautiful place. The boat ride was awesome. We saw a lot of wildlife including gators, turtles, snakes, squirrels, birds and even an armadillo. The Guide was super informative and a bit of a comedian (Thanks Joey for an awesome ride). We highly recommend this when you visit. By the way, we are huge dragonfly lovers and they were EVERYWHERE. They even landed on us and were unafraid. This really made my heart happy.

Melanie M.

Lovely well maintained park with gators galore. Springtime visit is comfortable and not crowded. We went to Suwannee Canal Recreation Area (MAIN Entrance) during spring break. We took a 90 minute boat tour with Okefenokee Adventures. Our tour guide Joey, a native of the area was both super knowledgeable and entertaining. We also drove the Swamp Island Drive 7 mile nature road to Chesser Island Homestead. Could have spent a whole day on just that road, exploring hiking trails and biking. Overall great trip and great time of year to go.

Jasmine P.

This was our WOW moment when visiting Okefenokee Swamp Park! It was a drive for us coming from Omni Amelia Island but it was all worth it. What an incredible first time "up close & personal" experience with the gators! We even got to see Erin & her babies along with some intimidating large size gators & vultures, too. We walked the plank trail which was right above water level which was somewhat eerie not knowing what we may encounter surrounding us. One more thing...Shane our guide on the riverboat cruise through the swamp was hilarious & entertaining who completed our total gator experience. Thank you all!!!

Elke W.

We came here this weekend and rented some kayaks, it was amazing. We had so much fun. We had seasoned kayakers with us as well as beginners and it was a great experience for both. I just started kayaking and was a bit weary about the alligators, but thank God we did not see any. The landscape was stunning, after a 1 mile stretch we took a little path to the right and were basically kayaking through sea roses and huge leaves and high grass. It was amazing. We ended at a platform where you can hang out and relax. Definitely will come back.

Ron D.

We took a boat ride from the Folkston entrance and highly recommend it. Love that our guide/naturalist Jenny took time to educate us on the history of the swamp and the nature around us, for instance allowing us to touch the red root fruit and explaining and showing us why the water has the unique dark color. We saw lots of wildlife on the ride. If you're looking for a way to see the Okefenokee, this is the way to go.

Baby Gator

North Entrance is awesome and has a lot to offer. Train tour, boat tour, lots of our buildings, small museum and great nature show. Lots of gators and other wildlife.

View from tower

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2 months ago

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2 years ago

Lots to see out here you can go check out the wildlife and get great exercise. They have walking trails for days

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3 years ago

I took grandkids on homeschool day. They offered a great discount. The boat ride was very interesting and informative.

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8 years ago

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3 years ago

Very enjoyable. Great for all ages. Very educational to. Depending on the season you go they have a great train ride with Christmas lights.

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3 years ago

An awesome experience!! We went in April and the weather was perfect! It was not busy that day either.

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Nature, educational, and views are amazing. Watch the alligator show and see the largest fresh water swamp in the southern United States

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Okefenokee Swamp Park Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Okefenokee Swamp Park

How much do it be?

The boat tour package is $27 (adult) $22 (child) + tax and comes with a boat tour along the old indian boat trails, train ride along the outskirts of the wetlands, Pioneer Island homestead, exhibit buildings, boardwalk to 90-ft observation tower and… 

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Review Highlights - Okefenokee Swamp Park

“Roy was our boat guide and made our boat tour fun and memorable.”

Mentioned in 3 reviews

Read more highlights

Okefenokee Adventures

Okefenokee Adventures

4.9(25 reviews)
23.3 mi

It's so worthwhile! We had 3 young kids 20m,4,&5. They were highly engaged in everything going on…read moreand it was a safe fun way to immerse yourself in the swamp! You'll get to see so many alligators incredibly close along with spotting other wildlife like turtles, owls and other birds. The plant life alone is worth the trip because the guides will bring you up close and let you experience it! They even passed a cup around of the swamp water offering people to take a sip of it if you wanted haha the guides were awesome the boat was comfortable and spacious with more than enough room to see everything. The gift shop has more than enough snacks and drinks to refuel and loads of merch to bring home to remember your super cool experience! I would do this experience again. It's great!

Okefenokee Swamp is 700 sq mi, half the size of the state of Rhode Island…read more There are three park entrances: in Waycross, GA, Folkston, GA, and Fargo, GA. This review is for the Okefenokee Adventures entrance in Folkston. We drove to the Visitor's Center after paying park admission. I had bought boat tour ticket ahead of time online. Show your tix in the gift shop and board the boat. Our guide was very informative and made sure to give an unrushed thorough look at any gator we spotted, plus other wildlife. Our tour was Christmas time and we saw plenty of creatures out and about. After the boat tour we hiked a couple nearby trails. Learned that white paint rings on trees are those with endangered woodpecker species. They have an old settlement set up to show a sand yard, which was used to stop forest fires, and to observe or track (footprints) of wildlife attempting to attack livestock or pillage food storage. They offer overnight camping tours for up to five nights. Our guide said, for example, 3 nights is $500pp, and that is all inclusive including gear. Campsites are on floating platforms in the swamp. Yes, amidst the population of 12,000-15,000 alligators living in the swamp (and we saw a TON of them just off the Visitor's Center! There are barred owls making crazy calls all night, and two types of nocturnal aquatic salamanders that hunt fish and can be seen with a flashlight overnight. Everything was clean, quiet, and felt serene/relaxing, just as we'd hoped.

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Okefenokee Adventures - Okefenokee Adventures -- boat tour

Okefenokee Adventures -- boat tour

Okefenokee Adventures - Sunset

Sunset

Okefenokee Adventures - Okefenokee Adventures -- boat tour

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Okefenokee Adventures -- boat tour

Stephen C Foster State Park - Go

Stephen C Foster State Park

4.8(17 reviews)
16.8 mi

What a great park! This is the only main entrance on the Tifton / Valdosta side of the refuge…read more The other entrance is in Waycross, GA... about a 1 1/2 hour drive away. Also the park is a good 15 miles away from Fargo, GA (teeny tiny town) so make sure you have enough gas for the 30+ mile drive there and back. Like Mike T. said the cabins are super nice. 2 bedrooms, large living room, kitchen, and eat in area, and a large screened in porch with rocking chairs. I was with a Cumberland Island park ranger and one of the wildlife refuge employees and they were both surprised by how nice the cabins were as well. They also have camping and RV spaces. I camped one night. The bathrooms are nowhere near as nice as what's going on in the cabins, but that's to be expected I guess. Each camping space has room for about 2 tents and also has a fire pit and picnic table. You park right next to your spot so don't forget to bring as much shit as you do or do not need. You can rent motorized boats, kayaks, and canoes from the visitor center. I was on a Georgia Conservancy trip so they did all the renting for us. The state park is really small. Once you leave the slim canal that takes you from the visitors center to the large canal you are no longer in the the state park. Close to the park is historic Billys Island, which has lots of cool history, but nothing that really shows on the surface. All buildings and things were shipped out back in the early 1900's. Do your research beforehand so you can be in the know. My favorite thing on the water was kayaking to Minnie's Lake and back. It's a much tighter space than in the main canal and is so peaceful. I was with a large group, but there were parts of it where I couldn't see or hear anyone on either side and it was peaceful with all the looming cypress feet away from me and the black water slowly moving past. There is a platform with bathroom at Minnie's Lake so if you need to stretch or poop here's your chance. I didn't see many alligators during the trip up to Minnie's Lake, but once there I saw about 8 or 9 chilling in the water lillies. I also saw a red shouldered hawk, wood stork, anhinga, and loads of white ibis in the main canal.

Love Stephen C. Foster is a great place for camping and see wild animals. Staffs are very friendly…read moreand knowledgeable about the place..

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Stephen C Foster State Park
Stephen C Foster State Park - Wild

Wild

Stephen C Foster State Park

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Lady Jane Shrimp Excursion - They boiled fresh shrimp for us.

Lady Jane Shrimp Excursion

5.0(11 reviews)
47.5 mi

This is one of the best adventures I've ever been on and I would do it again and again…read more Lady Jane is a United States Coast Guard certified 49 passenger steel shrimping vessel retired after years of loyal service to the shrimping industry. She has been painstakingly refurbished for cruising pleasure and is the only shrimp vessel on the entire east coast that has been certified by the USCG to carry 49 passengers offshore 20nm.. For $40 (worth every penny), you get out on the water while the crew trawls the water. They do this twice, pulling up all kinds of sea life, and take the time to explain everything and passengers are encouraged to touch, ask questions and hold the animals. We set sail from the dock in Brunswick and soon were winding our ways through the inland waters of St. Simons Sound. The marshy surroundings seemed to glow in the late afternoon sun, while a line of seagulls trailed behind us awaiting their dinner. Captain Larry E. Credle is operator/owner of Credle's Adventures LLC " The Lady Jane," and president of Coastal Marine Consultants, a company that provides expert consults for marine related incidents. He is a marine surveyor and holds memberships in a number of professional societies. The title of Captain comes from holding a U.S.G.C Master's Rating. Captain Larry has served in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary for many years, holds a number of specialized qualifications and is an instructor. He comes from a family with a rich heritage on the water. The first time Larry was called Captain, he was running a commercial fishing vessel in the family business. He has been active in building and repairing boats from 11 foot fiberglass dingies to hand laid 70 foot vessels. A lifetime of working on the water has prepared him for his current position as owner and master of the Lady Jane. Our guide - Cliff - was not only incredibly knowledgeable, but has been sailing these waters with his dad - the Captain - since he was nine years old. Talking to him was the closest I might ever come to meeting a marine biologist. A walking marine encyclopedia, doing the work of his father, and his father's father. After trawling the water for about 15 minutes, Capt. Larry instructed him to pull it up. Shrimping nets are outfitted with wooden tongues that help keep them open underwater as they dredge the ocean floor. The Lady Jane runs a single net, however commercial shrimp boats are able to run multiple nets at one time by using giant booms which extend from the sides of the vessel and keeps them from becoming tangled underwater. Fish, sharks, sting rays, jelly fish...so many awesome things came out of that net! Cliff took the time to explain each different kind of fish and interesting things about each of them. Like, if you rub the belly of the blue crab it falls asleep. With a quick tap, it wakes right back up. He told us when shrimp sense danger (using that really long hair in the front) the curl up and shoot back While we were learning about our catch, John Tyre, USCG Licensed 100 ton Master, was cooking up some shrimp for us to eat. He grew up aboard his fathers shrimp boat, the late Benny Tyre, a well known commercial fisherman. John learned from his dad the in's and out's of commercial fishing. He is also a firefighter.

This was by far our daughter's favorite adventure while visiting! :) she told everyone about what…read moreshe saw and what she did for the next three weeks! It happened three months ago and she still tells people about how fun it was to touch animals and learn about them!! Get tickets early cause they sell out fast!

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Lady Jane Shrimp Excursion - This was the coolest thing we have done while visiting St. Simons island. Amazing cool fish

This was the coolest thing we have done while visiting St. Simons island. Amazing cool fish

Lady Jane Shrimp Excursion
Lady Jane Shrimp Excursion

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Okefenokee Swamp Park - parks - Updated October 2026

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