Reviews of Sawgrass Recreation Park (Tourist Attraction)

Matt DeBenedetto

Taking an airboat ride was a once in a lifetime experience. The operators are very knowledgeable and work hard to make it so that you see a gator. There is a cute gift shop and zoo on property as well. If your near the Everglades, this is something you should try!

G Burk

This place is a treasure in the Everglades. The Soverns family runs a great business and gives back to the community in meaningful ways. My family will always remember our visits there. Keep up the great work!

Angie Kenyon

This was so cool! Our tour guide did a great job at explaining things and letting us ask questions. We got to see a couple of gators up close and also got to hold a baby alligator, totally amazing! We also got to catch one of their shows. We would recommend this place to others.

Victor R

Bait shop is awesome. Has everything. Great bait mate

Phil Emms

The disgusting and cruel Zoo is the side attraction here when the boats fail to find the Gators. The boat tour was fun, high speed and a good Captain. Not the ideal Alligator spotting craft being so noisy though. But the real disappointment was finding the huge animals in such small and confined pens. Mountain lions, Panthers and large birds of prey in tiny cages. For what? A quick glimpse of a depressed animal. Boycott it

Scott Lukes

I would not recommend this trip to see the Everglades especially if you are on a time constraint (esp if trying to get back to the airport after a cruise). It is neat that they have a wildlife refuge park associated with it and it was fun to see all of the animals, but we waited so long to get our boat, and then we’re almost late for our flight. Class C experience. Also didn’t help that our bus driver was in a bad mood and yelling at us when putting bags in the bus.

Cyn Nickens

Me and my husband loved it. Our tour guild was wonderful. I think his name was captain David. He very very knowledgeable. We even got 2 hold a baby gator.

chris ressler

Saw a gator, had fun, about enough time on the boat to expirence it. Reasonable price

Raquel Prince

The tour was interesting. We saw live aligators. Afterwards the grilled gator bites were delicious!

Elizabeth Nitsch

I have been coming here for over 10 years and bring all my visitors here. No matter what age, everyone loves it! The ride is just beautiful and the wildlife always interesting. Highly recommend it!

Peter Goatley

We had a good time here...got tickets online with a $5 discount, and the check in was easy and quick. The Airboat is fun and interesting.... we only got to see one alligator, but that was OK.... saw other birds and wildlife and a good experience. The animal display was quite good too...got to hold baby alligator for a photo....all quite entertaining. Gives a taste of the Everglades and not exorbitantly priced.

Jillian

Airboat ride was great. Kids got to see an alligator & soft shell turtle. I believe Bob was the captain. He did a great job! Definitely very knowledgeable.

Alon Ezer

Super friendly people and our guide Tim was hilarious. We enjoyed but unfortunately got to see only 1 alligator, and we expected a bit more. Decent pricing

Elizabeth Raymond

Boat driver was able to point out 2 alligators to us, the zoo was full of awesome animals. You are able to hold a baby alligator. The food trucks close early just be warned.

Nikki Laguesse

Absolutely beautiful place! Very informative tour and shows. Very fun!

Tiny L

This was a great experience and affordable for the kids we got to see alligator and my kids got to hold a baby alligator. Nothing better then hands on learning.

Mercy Cosio

Interesting adventure!!!! Great place to take out of town visitors to show them a little bit of Florida!!!

Joseph Latham

Nice place but pay attention to your bus times. Ours left earlier than we were told. They were calling pink not red! Summer did get us on another bus pretty quick. She's a good kid.

Nate Howard

What an adventure. Great guides, great food. Saw an alligator within 5 minutes of leaving the docks.

Ghazala Lynn

I love the airboat ride at the sawgrass recreation park. It is guided by highly trained and informative captains. During the tour, the captain explains and tells many interesting facts about the ecosystem and the animals living there. The open boat allows you to get very close to live alligators. This adventure is 30 minutes long and passengers are asked to keep their arms and feet inside the boat. There is also small animals exhibits such as reptiles: snakes, alligators, and turtles and a variety of wild animals. Not to forget that there is a souvenir shop, food trucks, and picnic tables. It is a fun place for the whole family to enjoy in nature.

EJ Seymore

Awesome experience! Captain Tim provided a wonderful airboat ride and introduction to the Everglades. And Troy was so patient with the kids while they held the baby alligator. Thank you for a great day!!!

Neptunez Gal

My family loved it. Our guide Capt Bob was informative and funny. I highly recommend this boat tour of the Everglades.

A C

Tour guide was cool. Ride was awesome. Gator was literally next to me!

Indran Sivaraman

Good place. inside zoo, if they put shades will be better, now days very hot temperature.

Justin Newell

Airboat ride itself was non productive..didn't see many gators. It was fun nonetheless though. Enjoyed being out in the Glades. Our Captain was amazing. Very knowledgeable and fun. As an animal guy, loved the wildlife exhibits. Worthy the trip out.

Elham Torabi

It was a great experience! Captain Disco was friendly and knowledgeable. We had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend it

CHANDRA STEAD

The airboat tour was informative if short. (A little less than 30min) We didn't see any gators due to it being overcast and super windy. The animal exhibits were small but up close. We had fun holding baby gators. They are so soft! We didn't try the food trucks but they do have some on site. There are bathrooms available and the gift shop is nice with lots of good souvenirs. We were there a little under 2hrs start to finish.

Tammy Browning

Spent 3 hours here with my 6 and 7 year old grandkids and the time flew by. We loved it! They were amazed to see an alligator off the side of the airboat and they got to hold a baby alligator. Staff was wonderful.

Judd Starr

My 8 year old daughter loves coming here and since I'm only 1 mile away, I take her often. However, in my opinion, it's extremely expensive for what a person receives. It's directly off of a highway with electrical lines visible from the property. It's definitely not a beautiful location. The boat rides are good and the tour guides are informative and friendly. However the "zoo" is in a small, dirty area. It's not very impressive. If this place was $10 per person, that would seem about right. Their admission of $23 is just too much for what you get in my opinion. I've had many guests stay with me from out of town who don't bother going once they hear the price if admission. I don't really feel compelled to encourage them to spend the money because I'd feel guilty.

Brittany James

The staff was fun and inviting. The tour guide was super fun and knowledgeable! However, the zoo was a bit skimpy on animal variety. The animals Singapore to be in makeshift habitats!

Vibha Rao

This is an excellent short excursion into the eastern end of the Everglades from Fort Lauderdale and we visited this area after leaving the cruise terminal on the way to the airport. We saw quite a few alligators and the guides commentary was good. We went to the reptile rescue centre then and saw other endangered species and we had the chance to handle a baby alligator. There was a very nice cafe there doing good tacos and gator burger and the keepers were very knowledgeable

Michael Nelson

A great encounter with nature and just a fun time for the whole family. There is no guarantee that you will see a gator in the wild but there are some in the enclosures for you to see. I would definitely recommend going for anyone considering it.

Emily Unicorn

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and funny at the same time. He educated us on the efforts the local government is making to clean up the glades and I thought that was very interesting. And!! This place is a rescue so your donations and money go toward a good cause to help the gators. Would come back.

J Lag

We had such a blast here!!! We got to see an awesome gator, a good sized gar, and a few softshell turtles! Disco was our guide and he was great. He was very kind and fun. He was also very knowledgeable and taught us a lot about the area, including the wildlife! We will definitely be back!!! Did I mention that Disco was awesome? Thank you!

Chanda Bell

Great tour of the Everglades. Our tour guide Shawn was great and very informative. The animal exhibit was cool

tntpentane

Good instructors, but the park itself is quite small. About 10 small enclosures with local wildlife and two large enclosures, one with gators and another with big cats. Small gift shop inside with gator teeth and claws!

Dominique Johnson

Great place with knowledgeable and caring people looking over the grounds. Clean, and we got to get almost face to face with Gators and turtles. 10/10

Vladimir Frederic

it was great, but the captain wasnt really entertain, he sounds like, he couldn't wait to go back to the shore

erin brownfield

Our captain, Tim was awesome! We had an amazing boat ride. Highly recommend!

anna smith

1st time in Fla and airboat. They we real informative . Would go again it's beautiful.

Linda E

Great fun on airboat. We only saw one gator, but it was mating season and the males were aggressive, so we're probably lucky we didn't see any of those. Animal refuge there was nice.

Josh Wall

Didn't see any gators out in the wild but they let me hold a baby gator. Plus the airboat ride is pretty cool if you haven't been.

TIFFANY ALIA

What an exhilarating experience. I'd never been on an airboat and this was the coolest. The owners of the place are so kind and extremely knowledgeable. They have rescue animals on the property and we saw a peacock and 2 vultures. There are two food trucks with tiki huts to eat under (get the gator tacos, yum). The property is clean, the gift shop is bright and up to date; overall this place rocks. Fun for kids and adults. When you go you get a lot more than just seeing alligators.

Nancy Pyles

We did the airboat tour got to see 2 alligators up close and personal along with lots of bottle nose turtles. Well worth the money. Suggest going early because we did it around 11:30 and it was scorching hot and the alligators stay under when it gets too hot.

Linda P

We saw 2 alligators, a couple large turtles. Boat ride was fun and our guide was extremely knowledgable.

Christopher Byrholt

Shawn our captain was great - he gave us a chance to take beutiful pictures. Besides that he had alot off knowledge and shared it with the group we sat with. Troy was a guide that showed us what great animals alligators are. Would do it again anytime

Mir Hossain

Did not find it that exciting. There is nothing apart from airboat ride. Did not see any crocodile, probably because of loud sound from airboat engine. Animal exhibit area has a few mini size crocodiles. We were eight in our group and no one liked it...

Håkon Kvalø Langtvedt

Part one with the Airboat ride is Great. The boats are really loud! We did not watch shows on part two. But did see the animals, and felt that the cages should have been somewhat larger.

Vijay

It is definitely worth place to visit Freund and family, in natural environment. Very good information shared by pilot of Airboat. We lucky to three crocodiles in Lake.

Andrew W

This place was epic! What more could you want... Family run, ethical and saving the beautiful Everglades with every penny you spend. Please please visit, have fun and help them save the wonderful and magnificent Everglades. The airboat drivers are experts and will always find gators. The Gators are super used to humans which makes for some epic photos. A true bucket list event at a reasonable price

Richard Newell

This place is a MUST see/experience while in Broward County. The park is easy to find, clean facilities and the wait time was minimal. My family enjoyed the air boat ride from start to finish. He got to see a couple gators and lots of fishes and birds. The captain of the boat was extremely knowledgeable of the Everglades and it's species. Just so you know, Florida residents gets an annual pass for a year after your initial purchase. Ensure you go back to the office for the super deal. Did I mention the animals in the exhibit?? Perfect get away with the kids and the entire family.

Iain Findlay

Great airboat ride with Dr Disco - v knowledgable and took the time to talk about all of the wildlife we came across. 30 minutes became 40ish and that's enough. The rescue ctr was good if simple, good talk about alligators. Two and a bit hours in total, whole family enjoyed it.

Mateo Fahys

Very nice park and nice air boat ride with an experienced captain who took the time to see 3-4 alligators !! In addition to the photo of the baby alligator at the top!

NR Howard

The best Everglades tours in all of Florida . I've been to them all, tried all the parks and boats .... I still go back to the Sawgrass folks over and over. If families are in town, bring them here. If you have little ones, buy the adventure pass (great deal) and take them here. Put on some sunscreen and enjoy the ride

Anna Cookie

Great activity for one and all if you are in the area! Don't forget to get a photo with the baby alligator in the wildlife exhibits! We definitley want to come back again soon!

david gabrysiak

Went on a fan boat ride! The ride was great. The tour guide did an amazing job! And alligators!!! They have a nice little zoo where the kids get to hold baby alligators. What a fun day! I highly recommend!

DJ NotAClue

Tour was great!! The half hour tour really does go fast. Fortunately we saw a few Gators. Our tour guide was friendly and informative. The attached animal exhibits were great also. We particularly enjoyed the large cats. Well worth the visit!

Cassy Marx

Went here for a airboat tour of the Everglades. Our tour guide had a lot of knowledge of the area and was able to go to areas were we would be able to see alligators. There is public restrooms available, a gift shop and food truck on site for food. They have a lot of alligator dishes. There is also a small zoo on site with alligators, different birds, and other animals they have rescued. You can even hold a baby alligator. I recommend a stop here if you have time.

virgil hawkins

It was an enjoyable time. Would do it again. Would prefer more time running and less talking. Even tho the people were very knowledgeable and interesting. Just wanted to experience the glades more than hear about it.

Nissa Mortellaro

Capt. Bob is the man you want for your tour. Very knowledgeable about the everglades....save them!

Jeanne Menkhaus

It was such a hot day but everyone there was so nice! From the airboat operator to the baby gator handler and even the poor guy in the food truck. It was seriously SO hot but we had a great time!

Jorge Villanueva Jr

Great time! Drink plenty of water! Food truck was great too!

Sanjit das

First of all had a wonderful experience in Airboat ride through the swamps of Everglades, glimpse of few Alligators, along with other wild inhabitants as well. Fulfilled one of my wish to get hold of a baby Alligator in the recreation park, met a gorgeous Peacock out there who was trying to catch the limelight by spreading his beautiful wings. Apart from these, the place itself is very scenic and photographers will definitely like to click every corner of the park. Shop-alcoholic person will also find their spot to visit and spend some time and money too. You can expect some unique kind of souvenir there. It's a park where you will have a fun-filled plus thrilling day out. Sometimes it is good to pay a visit to this sort of recreation park where you will make yourself more than happy.

john hill

I have fished this area for years . There's some good bass fishing when the water is low. They have a good food Trailer my to favorite items the fish tacos and the gator bites.

Lindy Palmberg

We've been here twice and we won't go back. It's really expensive for a 30-minute boat ride and both times we only saw one alligator. I'm pretty sure there's got to be better places. Also one of the captains was a bit rude which was off setting.

Ximena Espinosa

Exhibition of wild life getting smaller !! We need to help more.! Nice place to have the kids entertain!!

William Harper

The air boat ride was fun got to see alligator and soft shell turtle. Boat captain knowledgeable of wild life and the Everglades eco system.

Larry Gruetzmacher

Nice people. Took us out and got up close to 2 Gators.

Heidi Reiter

Captain Paul was a great tour guide. Air boat ride was awesome but I will admit gators coming right up to the boat was scary!

Raf Vervoort

Fantastic! Chuck was a great guide, also the kids loved him. He went full speed in the end, but always with respect for the wildlife. Amazing experience!

Martin Franqui

Great place. Airboat ride is lots of fun. Decent food trucks

j goklink

Was cool to ride an air boat. If you're expecting more you'll be disappointed. Price was right.

Kryssie Maran

Had so much fun here! Way better than holiday park. This place has alot more to look at and very informative.

JOSE PINEDA

The onky thing I didn't like was that some of the cage animals needed more space other than that it was good

Melissa North Gruenbaum

Nice 30 minute ride into the Everglades on a group airboat. Been many times (pay once as a resident and go back as many times as you want for a year). They offer night rides and private tours. They also have an area where if you can usually hold a baby gator and take a photo with it. Captains are nice hard working folks. Haven’t been for a while but they used to have a great truck with unique food.

Jamaal Erskine

It was interesting to say the least. The female gators are soooo protective of their eggs. Brett has nerves of steel! It was also cool to hold the baby gator.

Mitch Hammonds

This was alot of fun was a bit apprehensive about it but definitely a blast for ages 6 to 53 we all had a great time. Thanks Captain Grit for finding the gators today. Make sure to bring your sunscreen and shades though.

K H

Wow!!! It was exciting!! The captain delivered on the gators. We were able to see more than we can recount. He was very informative as well. At the base were snacks, drinks and trinkets too. There were pick nick shelters and restrooms available (it is quite a drive out there). Our whole family enjoyed it!

Matt Robinson

Great airboat ride with friendly staff and airboat captains! Modest live animal exhibit containing rescue animals and a focus on conservation. No flashy alligator wrestling, but no guilt trip either. The staff we spoke to had great care for the animals and just wanted to share knowledge.

Pamela Hubbell

Gov l good boat ride, the rest is nothing special.

Sebastian Echeverria

Really good hospitality. I took clients from Poland for a true look at Florida. Though we only saw one alligator, the airboat driver was very informative and my clients loved the experience.

phil bandbuck

This is a great place, and my favorite airboat ride in the area! The drivers are very knowledgeable, and the rides are fast and fun! They also have a very nice collection of other animals and reptiles.

Joser

Great tour and had an amazing time learning from these dedicated staff they have there.

Nicole Rorie

I had so much fun holding Mr. Pickles the baby alligator. They also have another sanctuary for exotic animals that have been rescued with endangered Florida Panthers and Fennic foxes.

Emi DiStefano

This was an amazing day here! Definitely exceeded expectations. It was a relaxing boat ride, feeling the breeze, and driver Shawn was good. The tour group size was good, not too crowded. The animal exhibit afterwards was a lot of fun. And we got a chance to hold a baby alligator! Highly recommend this activity for tourists.

first day dreamer14

It was great. We saw alligators and turtles.

Kelly Craig

Airboat ride was fun. Great thing to do on a hot day. Nice souvenir shop.

Tejal Sheth

Wish the experience would have been little better with a better swamp location

M M

It was nice atmosphere but with the traffic I highly doubt we were gonna see any alligators and I was right. The tour guide already told us at the beginning we might not see anything ...there is a little area where you can see alligators fenced off so there is that.

Lisa Groover

Disco was our boat captain, he was EXCELLENT! He was conscientious about his passengers and their safety. He's also very knowledgeable about the area. Airboat was awesome. The gift shop is clean and has a lot to offer. Everyone was friendly. Loved it.

J Lit

Awesome place! So grateful we live 10 minutes away so we can enjoy this year round. The volunteers truly love what they do and that makes the atmosphere even better!!

Theresa Eyre

It's small, but the staff was great and the air boat ride was wonderful and informative. We saw animals in their natural habitat as well as the ones they have on display that are rescues. It's very nice!

PerryKari G

This was a really fun experience that both our boys enjoyed..ages 16 and 20. The airboat is a unique way of travelling the water. We had to wait a bit as it staryed tonrain and the wont go out when it is raining. I recommend going in the early a.m when it os less likely to rain. It was also interesting learning about the alligators that roam the water there. Only wish was that it lasted longer. A great overall experience. Our guide was excellent...unfortunately I never caught her name.

Robert Abbott

Fun air boat ride. We were on a larger boat with about 20 people so the guide didn't do anything crazy and we only saw one gator out in the grass. The other one was sort of the gator in residence who lives just east of the docks. Still cool to see gators in the wild. Guide did a great job talking about the wildlife and environment as well.

Johnny Doey

Driver was nice and informative. Saw an alligator and enjoyed the ride. Also enjoyed seeing the animals on exhibit but they could use bigger cages!

Erik Fakes

It was ok. We saw one gator and a bird. I would find a outfitter who is deeper in the Everglades if I was to go again. People were nice. Just not much wildlife where they are located.

Gwen Wines

What an experience! We arrived early in the morning as suggested by someone I spoke with when I ordered our tickets. We were the first group to go out. Captain Mike was our guide. He was funny, knowledgeable, and friendly. On our ride we saw many birds and a few alligators. Everyone we came in contact with was friendly. The staff that worked in the animal exhibit area were very knowledgeable and friendly. This place is family friendly, they provide ear protection and life jackets for young children. Don't forget to try the alligator bites, they were delicious. SIDE NOTE: Their is no designated ADA parking, if their was we couldn't find it. They have a ADA bathroom but it had a huge step which was difficult to step up, the ramp from the parking lot was very difficult to walk on, it's very bumpy and uneven. The ticket and store wasn't easy to access, no ramp.

George Hartel

Great time today with the whole family on a private tour with Captain Paul! Saw alligators, sea turtle, Osprey, lots of fish and of course we had a blast of a fast ride thru the shallow waters and canals. Thanks for a memorable day.

LUIS HERRERA

Loved it. Great way to get a little taste of the Everglades. Definitely something off my bucket list!

Bonnie Shapiro

We had an awesome time! The captain we had was very knowledgeable and funny! After the ride we saw the small zoo they have and the staff was very professional, my daughter got to hold a baby alligator! It was great! They also have a small area with black panthers, bobcats and other big cats... A full morning of fun and learning !

Leonardo Romero

Went to the animal exhibit. The tour guide for the alligators was super good with my kid, he asked a boat load of questions and he just kept answering them in a kind and patient manner. On the mammal side they were feeding the animals and again the guide was very good about saying hello and answering questions. They are doing a good job to make sure that the guides are friendly, informed, and treat the guests well. Nice work! Great memories of this place. When it was time for the gator petting he was in no rush and gave each person time. The place was not over crowded and they had a good number of animals to look at. It took about an hour to tour around the exhibit so it's not huge, but ingot my money's worth.

Anthony Brewer

Neat park. I love all the local wildlife you can see from gators, turtles, gars, ect ect. The airboats are awesome. Fair prices and the on site restaurant is awesome!

A. H.

I would definitely recommend this place, its fun for all ages! My grandfather (who is in his is 80's) and I were equally entertained and especially loved the boat ride! We had called to make arrangements beforehand and each time calling had the pleasure of speaking with a knowledgeable, helpful and friendly person, which made it easy to plan a fun excursion. Email communication was also just as good with quick helpful responses. Nicole was extremely helpful in making the day special by treating us like family and understanding all of our special needs, including prompt check in (we stayed in touch via email with arrival time) and a wheelchair for my grandfather. We are locals and have never been on this type of boat before, I plan to bring all those visitors who land here and ask us what to do, THIS is the place to go! The food was excellent too, with pricing like that of a local restaurant (I loved the gator bites) Why drive to Orlando to sit on a simulated ride that last 30 seconds, when you can stay local and enjoy a real ride the last 30 minutes!

Ron Willover

Luis and with his big cats and fenic fox is always a great education show. The skunk is a nice addition

John Tullis

This was a fun experience that involved seeing an alligator up close. I wanted to pet it but used my better judgement. Having never been to the Everglades, I expected the air boat tour to feel more like I've seen on the Discovery channel but it was fairly flat and not a lot of above water vegetation. There is also a little exotic animal exhibit which was really cool. There is something about holding a baby alligator that is so cool! We saw plenty of other wildlife as well. Overall it was a good experience, maybe just a little more money than it was worth.

Chris Austin

Great people, saw some alligators and turtles, captain Bob was good fun and knowledgeable.

Callum Jeffcoate

Great day out on the airboats in the Everglades. Yeah fortunately as it was mating season when we visited, we didn’t manage to find any alligators, but it was still a great way to see such an iconic part of Florida’s landscape. The captain that took us out was extremely friendly and knowledgeable, taking us to different areas and explaining the history of the Everglades, as well as the current political situation and efforts to maintain and protect the environment from development and other threats. After the boat trip, there is a small conservation area with rescued animals, alligators and somewhere to grab something to eat. Overall really nice day out and would recommend to anyone who is in the south Florida area

Araba d

Excellent experience, we love it

Bruchie R

Nice service but we didn't get to see any alligators during the boat ride. At least they have some in the exhibit. But service was great!!!!

Mark Williams

Totally great experience. Great staff. And amazing value for the price paid!

Harry Lowers

Didn't see any alligators in the wild but the boat ride was great! The lady operating the boat was very courteous and informative. Well worth the time and money.

Oommen Jacob

everglades air ride is good...the wild life area is small...however they have couple of big cats i never seen before

Thor - Hartvik Aspheim

We had to break middle in the trip because of the weather, but they organiced us so We got a New trip. We could also get our money back. Quite good experiense of everything.

Jason P

Very reasonably priced admission that includes a fun airboat ride. We took our 4 kids and enjoyed it immensely! I absolutely recommend it!

Aaron Wright

Air boat ride is maybe 30 minutes and is the highlight of the visit. Coordination with the cruise line to transport is a serious joke that will have you worried

Nadja Bissinger

Beautiful areal and friendly staff! Very easy and straightforward to do if you want to go on an Everglades tour!

Maria Goyeneche

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Gave lots of information and the air boat ride was great. Excellent outing for tourist or locals!

Cynthia Stillwell

We LOVE this place! Our family visits and takes family and friends whenever we visit Florida! Airboat rides are fun, great gift shop, and the animals are treated good!