My parents were reminiscing about when they were middle school aged and came here for field trips…read more I was surprised to find out that Silver Springs State Park and the glass bottom boat tours have been around for that long! It was about a 1.5 hour ride from Orlando. Woke up real early on a Saturday (on honestly one of the coldest days of the year) to arrive at the park around 8am. I highly suggest purchasing glass bottom boat tour tickets online about a week in advance atleast since time slots fill up! We purchased the 1.5 hour tour on the boats. Our tour guide was incredible and shared so much knowledge and facts about the wildlife and park. I got to see tons of manatees! Plus getting to see gators, turtles, birds, and even monkeys! The glass bottom gives such a cool perspective on viewing the wildlife and plants underwater. Aside from the tour, we walked several trails to enjoy the great outdoors. Also, we had coffee in the morning when we first got here and lunch after the tour. The food was pretty good and filling. At the gift shop I made sure to leave with a magnet and Christmas ornament to remember such a great day here.

What a breathtaking location! From the parking lot, it doesn't look like much. They are redoing the…read moreentrance sign, and from the outside, it seems like the place might be pretty rundown. However, once you walk through, you are quickly transported. The entrance to the park is only two dollars per person, and honestly, in my opinion, they could charge just a little bit more. The glass-bottom boat tours run faster than you might expect, so if you have the time (which we didn't during our visit), opt for the longer boat ride; it doesn't cost much more. They also have little shops to explore and plenty of outdoor seating so you can take in the beautiful surroundings. If you're a water lover, make sure to plan ahead and reserve a crystal-clear kayak or paddleboard to enjoy the water--it'll be worth every penny. The only hiccup in our plan was that we booked everything on the day of our visit, so we ended up with a shorter tour on the glass-bottom boats and got locked into the last kayaking time slot. The woman at the reservation desk for the kayaks was not very pleasant. She told us that despite showing a 5 o'clock slot, they were no longer taking reservations. I showed her the option on my phone, but she still refused to let us sign waivers. Luckily, we found the manager in charge of the rental hut, who advised that we could still make our reservation online. I showed him on my phone, and although we'd have to pay full price and probably have less than an hour, that was perfectly fine with us since we were in the last slot. The lake was practically empty, so we had the entire waterway to ourselves--so beautiful and peaceful. Honestly, it felt like we were in another country, surrounded by nature. If you don't have the chance to kayak, there's also a walking path where you can see monkeys left behind from one of the movies that was filmed on location. We walked part of the path, and it was just as beautiful. Any chance my kids and I get to be outside in nature, we gravitate towards it, putting away our phones to enjoy everything around us. What a great way to spend your day and your vacation!

This company took very good care of us and made sure we had the best experience. Juan and Ralph are…read moreknowledgeable about the manatee and wildlife in the area It was a very chilly morning but they made sure we were comfortable with blankets and hot chocolate! They take care of the photos which means we were just able to take in and enjoy our time with the manatees.

Great experience and knowledgable friendly staff. Gorgeous day and boat was clean and safe.read more

Mount Dora Boat Center is perfect for renting a boat and going exploring the Harris Chain of Lakes…read more They offer friendly, fast service with clean and modern boat choices. Rates are fair and you will have an amazing day viewing wildlife and cruising the canal!

Mount Dora has a lovely marina where you can rent boats and more. Their shop is small but offers…read moreall the essentials as well as a restroom. We enjoyed doing the CatBoat Adventure Tour that left from the marina.

Thank you Piper and Wade (best guide and captain combo ever!) for an experience my wife and I will…read morenever forget! Amazing! We learned so much and got to go face to face with a big old male. Piper's encouragement and direction kept us calm when things got exciting! Would recommend to everyone who loves nature. Also the office staff were gracious and made great recommendation for lunch at a local deli. 100% glad we chose these guys.

Garrett was a blast! We are just coming into the warm season and most manatees are back in the…read moregulf, he still got us to 7 manatees, 2 gators, and we caught a dolphin in kings bay towards the end. He gave us plenty of time to look for things to come up out of the water which was great for my 2 year old. Boat was shaded and was enjoyable even with a small child. Other tours wouldn't let me book because she was under 3- we brought our own lifevest but they did also have some on board that were her size.

We went with friends to the Gulf of Mexico in their boat rental. Everything was fine at departure…read moreand return. Smooth operation .

Our 2 boat rentals were transferred from River Safari marina to Homosassa springs marina. They…read morehonored our river safari price with no hesitation. They even credited our fee we were charged for boaters insurance thru river safari with no hesitation. Dillon was in charge of us on both days and did a spectacular job getting us checked onto the boat. His interpersonal and communication skills are top notch! The sea grass was terrible and did cause a lot of cavitation but they can't control the grass! A bigger motor would have been the only thing that could have made it even better! Our boat engine began to fail on our way back in so I called the marina to let them know. The engine shut off about 30 mins later because it was overheating so I called the marina back. They sent the boss to save us! Mark hooked up our pontoon to his pontoon and towed us back to the marina! He even gave us a credit on our bill for the minor inconvenience we incurred. Thank you Dillon, Mark, and Christine for being so kind to us!

One of the best things about the trip was Captain Sean. He was a great guide. He was filled with so…read moremuch information and so many fun facts. He had a great sense of humor. He also knew where to find all the manatees. Also our photographer Serena was great. The photos she took were unbelievable. Well worth the money spent. Which was not a lot considering the amazing pictures we got. It's going to capture our memories at snorkeling with manatees forever. It was on our bucket list of things to do and I totally am amazed by the experience. It wouldn't have been the same without the captain in the photographer. It was just the perfect day.

Awesome adventure they took our time with us and the tour guides really take such special care of…read morethese precious manatees. We loved it!!

This was my very first gator encounter and my first time on an airboat, and honestly, it blew every…read moreexpectation out of the water. From the moment we arrived, the place had this incredible energy -- the kind of spot that instantly makes you think, I'd camp here in a heartbeat. The grounds were beautiful, the amenities looked top‑notch, and the whole atmosphere felt like a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. And the staff? Absolutely phenomenal. Genuine, warm, and the kind of people who clearly love what they do. I hesitated to wander into the camper store since we weren't staying overnight, but now I wish I had -- the whole place had that welcoming, "come on in" vibe. I wasn't sure if the campground and airboat tours were run separately, but everyone we met felt like part of one big, enthusiastic team. Before the tour, the staff came out and gave us a fascinating crash course on gators -- and then we got to hold Luke the gator. Let me tell you, once you hold Luke, something changes. You walk away feeling like you've bonded with a gator. I'm not kidding -- I still catch myself wondering how Luke is doing. Then came the airboat ride. We loaded up, the engine kicked in, and suddenly we were flying across the lake. Our tour guide Kyle was outstanding -- knowledgeable, funny, confident, and able to answer every question thrown his way. For my first airboat experience, I was genuinely impressed by how smooth and skilled he was behind the controls. We spotted plenty of baby gators and even a mama gator. Sure, I would've loved to see a few more, but for the price, the thrill, and the overall experience, it was absolutely worth it. We were on the 12:45 tour, so the time of day may have played a role -- but honestly, I left feeling thrilled. If I could change one thing, it would be knowing ahead of time that tips for the guides are cash‑only. We weren't carrying American cash, and Kyle definitely earned a tip. Adding that note to the FAQ or confirmation messages would be super helpful for future guests. All in all, this was an unforgettable experience -- exciting, educational, and genuinely fun from start to finish. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something unique, thrilling, and full of heart.

Oh my gosh, this was the best experience we had on our vacation to the Tampa Bay Florida area. Our…read moreguide was knowledgeable funny and engaging. We saw so many alligators, including many many babies. The birds were incredible as well. I would highly recommend swamp fever airboat adventures

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff, easy entry point for a day on the river. Great time…read morekayaking with the manatees!

MANATEES ARE MAGICAL! We saw well over 30+ manatees on our late January kayaking outing. We rented…read morea 2-seater top kayak (comes w paddles and life vests). And from the staff to the dock hands, to the quality of the vessel and cleanliness of the shop: 10/10. A guide handed us a laminated map (nice touch) and told us where to head for manatee sightings. And even pointed us to a cove that homes a lot of turtles and alligators. We saw it all! They have volunteers overseeing the 3 sisters springs, to help monitor the safety of the manatees (and scold ignorant people lol). Great time! If you're unsure, let me assure you.. just book.