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Billie Swamp Safari

With airboat and swamp buggy rides as well as interpretation of native species, Billie Swamp Safari is a nature-based attraction providing immersion into the Big Cypress Swamp.

Big Cypress Seminole Reservation       ( 26.322398,-81.052849 )      

When the swamp buggy headed straight for the canal, it startled everyone in the high, bouncing vehicle, including me.

Airboats zip down these canals and I didn’t think our driver, Kat, could power that swamp monster through the muck and keep us afloat, but she did.

About the Park

Billie Swamp Safari provides an immersion into the Big Cypress Swamp, ancestral home of the Seminole Tribe since the 1800s.

Everything is focused on nature. The grounds include numerous animal displays with native wildlife.

There is a Herpetarium with Florida snakes and some of the biggest alligators you’ll ever see.

The Swamp Critters Show showcases more cuddly critters like armadillo, baby alligators, and snapping turtles.

The Swamp Buggy Tour winds along trails through the dense forest and floodplain swamps.

From the high perch it provides, expect to spot more than native species roaming the swamp.

We saw Asian water buffalo and ostriches along with the expected feral hogs, raccoons, alligators, and hundreds of wading birds.

Along the way, the tour guide fills you in on the flora and fauna of Big Cypress and the history of the Seminole.

Ours shared interesting tidbits tied to the landscape, such as the best places for Florida panthers to take a perch.

Bumping and bouncing, the Swamp Buggy Tour is a counterpoint to the smooth Airboat Tours, which glide at high speed across open water.

The airboat guide makes stops in the swamp at key points, especially where its possible to get up close to an alligator.

For tamer fun, an easy nature trail follows a boardwalk through a cypress and pop ash swamp.

Visitors can stay overnight in an authentic chickee, the Seminole version of a grass hut, and sit around a campfire listening to storytellers.

It’s a very different and authentic experience, one that will leave you with an appreciation of the Seminole and the habitats of the Big Cypress Swamp.

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Corey Billie's Airboat Rides - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Billie Swamp Safari: An Adventure In The Everglades

Looking for off the beaten path in South Florida? Then how about an adventure in the Everglades? At Billie Swamp Safari you can explore nature trails, learn about local animals, and eat native Seminole cuisine. It’s the real Florida experience.

Billie Swamp Safari

Located less than 2 hours from both Miami and Fort Myers is Billie Swamp Safari, located inside the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation. We arrived around lunch time, after having spent a couple of hours at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum . We were greeted in the gift shop with a big smile by Amanda, who explained all of the different exhibits, shows, and rides that were available.

The really cool thing about Billie Swamp Safari is that it’s free to get in and you only pay for the specific activity you want. So if you’re not into snakes, you don’t have to pay for the Snake Show. Or if grandma thinks the Buggy Tour might be too bumpy for her, she can sit and wait in the Butterfly Garden.

Billie Swamp Safari Restaurant

Since we were pretty hungry (aren’t we always??) we actually started our adventure in the Swamp Water Cafe. We were greeted with another big smile (seriously, everyone was always smiling!) and given some delicious bread that tasted a little like funnel cakes… yum!

The menu itself was a pretty decent size, with a lot of typical American diner type food like burgers, sandwiches, and wings. But there were also some “Seminole favorites.” Since we wanted to experience real Florida, we chose the Sampler Platter which consisted of catfish, gator tail nuggets, frog legs, french fries, coleslaw, and cornbread.

Remember how we said we were pretty hungry? Well, we tried to finish it all. We really did. And even though it was all delicious (yes, even the frog legs) we were only able to finish about two-thirds of it.

Billie Swamp Safari Airboat Ride

After we were nice and full, we continued on to the many activities that Billiw Swamp Safari offers. Our ride on the “River of Grass” allowed us to really see how amazing this body of water is. Our guide slowed the airboat and pointed out animals as we encountered them, and answered all of the questions we had.

Billie Swamp Safari Swamp Critter Show

This show was done at Fort Critter. We were shown different animals and told about their eating habits, where they usually live, life spans, etc. We were even able to pet most of them!

Billie Swamp Safari Venomous Snake Show

During this show, several snakes were brought out and shown to us. We learned a little about them and their unique characteristics and even got to see them being fed!

Billie Swamp Safari Swamp Buggy Eco-Tour

This tour was SO much fun! Hold on tight because the road does get bumpy. We were going through water, between trees, and got to see a lot of native animals (like buffalo) and non-native animals (like ostriches). We even saw a wild bear! It all happened so fast that we didn’t get a picture. Our guide was absolutely giddy with excitement. He said in 13 years working there he’d only seen a bear one other time.

Billie Swamp Safari Chickee Huts

To complete our adventure, we spent the night in a native-style chickee. There was no electricity, no bathroom, no wifi. Just two small beds. But once again we were greeted with a smile, this one a bit greener.  And there was a small deck in the back of the chickee which overlooked the water, which we absolutely loved!

A Few Tips For Your Visit To Billie Swamp Safari:

• – Any time you’re spending time outside in Florida, you should have some insect repellent.
• – Keep an eye on the weather, you may need sunblock or an umbrella.
• – Wear good walking shoes. Some of the paths aren’t paved so if it’s rained it will be muddy.
• – If you spend the night in a chickee, remember to leave all food in your car. You don’t want to entice any critters into paying you a visit in the middle of the night. And bring a flashlight!
• – We recommend bringing a [easyazon_link identifier=”B079RC1MNV” locale=”US” tag=”buddythetrave-20″]portable battery/charger[/easyazon_link] for your phone. You’re in the middle of the Everglades so your phone will constantly be looking for a signal which will drain your phone quick. We ended up turning our phone off for awhile. You could also leave it on airplane mode, but there wasn’t always wifi.

Final Thoughts On Billie Swamp Safari

We really enjoyed our Everglades adventure at Billie Swamp Safari . We got to do and see so many cool things. What we also thought was great was that in between each activity, you were still left with time to roam around the grounds and check out their various animal and traditional Seminole village exhibits. It really is a great place for kids and adults to spend a day and experience the real Florida.

Have you been to the Florida Everglades? We’d love to read about it in the comments below! 🙂

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**A big thank you to Melissa and Florida Seminole Tourism  for hosting us. As always, however, all opinions are our own.**

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39 Comments

I’ve never been to Florida but the Everglades really fascinate me. To my shame, I only heard about them recently but every time I see the airboats I think it would be a real fun thing to do! The hut looks lovely and even before I got to the end of your post I thought: mmmh, you might want to have insect repellent there, it looks it might be mosquito heaven! But it seems it would be worth it anyway and I love the idea of being phone free for a while!

Luckily the weather was perfect and there were hardly any bugs. But I know that isn’t always the case. I hope you’re able to visit the Everglades one day Marta! 🙂

What’s in the funnel cakes? And what do frogs’ legs taste like? Like chicken but with lots of bones I imagine?

Funnel cakes are usually found at fairs and carnivals. Very yummy! And the frog legs did taste a little like chicken.

Ooooh this looks like such an adventure! I would. Love to try the gator nuggets too. I tried crocodile once and loved how lean the meat was!

I would imagine it’s pretty similar Erica 🙂

My son loved it when he went on the airboat ride in Florida, but I’m sorry he missed out on the Swamp critter and snake shows, as I’m sure that would have been right up his street too. This all sounds like a great experience.

Airboat rides are so fun! For any age 😉

Got to do this in 2010 and stayed at Flamingo in the Everglades National Park! Definitely an awesome experience, except for the bugs and the lack of wifi. So you really have to be prepared…for both!

Very true Carol! 🙂

The Everglades remain one of my favourite places we visited when we travelled in North America in 2006. Its such an amazing habitat for all sorts of wildlife. Sounds like Billie Swamp Safari attracts people for all sorts of activities.

Oh definitely! There’s so much to see and do, it really is pretty cool.

Busy day! I’ve never been to the everglades, but I’ve been to one in Cuba that is very similar. It even has the American alligators.

Frog legs? oh god 🙂

Oh! That’s so cool. 🙂

The sample platter of Seminole food favorites look delicious. I have never tried frogs legs, but it looks like a chicken wing, the gator tail nuggets I don’t mind and I have already eaten cat fish. I would love to do all you mentioned in this tour. I have never ridden an airboat, always wanted to do it and I would truly enjoy the Venomous Snake Show. I would be a little worried about biting insects though. So like you suggested I will walk with a lot of insect repellant.

I think you’d enjoy it all, especially the airboat ride! I hope you’re able to experience it one day 🙂

I love the look of those huts. What a great experience to sleep in one. And I like the fact you were completely disconnected there; we almost never get to experience that level of unwind nowadays.

I know right? It was a nice change 🙂

Love the Everglades so much – one of my fav national parks in the States. Our airboat adventure was the highlight of my time in Florida. I would definitely take in all three shows here!

That’s awesome Meg!

The Swamp Buggy Tour looks like fun and a great spot for a family holiday. Were the animals well looked after?

They were! And you could tell all of the handlers really loved the animals that they looked after. There was a lot of respect for all of the animals there.

Wow the airboat ride looks like a lot of fun. Also — bread that tastes like funnel cake. Um – sign me up please!

Thanks for sharing 🙂

Haha! It was delicious! 😉

That’s super fun. I went to the Everglades years ago and did an airboat tour, which is the best way to see the Everglades. So many gators!

I know!! They’re so much fun!

Love the little Chickee hut. What a great way to be in nature and disconnect. The food options are quite special -gator tails, frog legs, etc. Nice touch of the Everglades. Sounds like you really had a great time. A fun experience, though I’m sure I would have skipped the snake show!! That would give me nightmares!! Thanks for sharing the Billie Swamp safari experience!

No problem Rosemary! Glad you enjoyed the post! 🙂

This looks soo fun! I can’t believe you got to see wild turkeys. How did the gator tail taste? I know you said it was delicious – but how was the texture?

I know people always say this… but it tasted a lot like chicken! I thought the texture was very similar.

I’ve never seen an alligator snapping turtle before! It’s adorable. I’d love to spend a couple of nights at the Chickee Huts, close to nature and away from the internet for a while.

Oh yeah, it’s a great place to relax and unplug for awhile! 🙂

I’m kind of tempted to try frog legs! I’ll try anything if it’s fried 😉 Great post, thanks for sharing!

Haha! I’m the same way Lauren! Anything fried tastes yummy! 😉

I love food from the deep south, there’s nothing else quite like it. Not sure if I would enjoy a swamp adventure like this myself but it looks like you had a good time 😀

It’s a different cuisine, that’s for sure!

This is honestly the first time that I have heard of this place and you bet that I’ve jotted it down on my travel list 😉 Just… wow. That’s one amazing safari! Surely a wonderful experience, Buddy!

That’s awesome to hear Aileen!

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Florida Seminole Tourism

6 Things You Need to Know Before Taking an Everglades Airboat Tour

If speeding over a river of grass looking for gators, eagles, and other amazing nature sounds like fun, then you are in need of a Florida Everglades airboat adventure.

it’s one of the main reasons people from all over the globe visit Florida and the Florida Everglades .

Our visitors never seem to tire of coming out to the heart of the Florida Everglades for an airboat ride through the swamps that cover 2,200 acres that is Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. The Florida Seminole Tribe has called Big Cypress home for nearly 3,000 years. Remarkably, not much has changed. But, if you have never been on an airboat, there is a few things you ought to know:

• It’s Real – An airboat ride is like an amusement park thrill ride, only it’s real. The animals you see on an airboat live in their natural environment. You’re playing in their backyard!
• You’re Safe – Billie Swamp Safari airboat guides have years of experience (many are Seminole themselves). The ride on an airboat may seem like a white-knuckle experience, but our guides practice safety first.
• It’s a Little Loud – The engine on an airboat can be loud, but that’s why we provide ear protection equipment on all our airboats. Put the earplugs in and enjoy the ride!
• It’s Beyond Cool – Hopefully, you’ll see more than you could ever imagined! But remember, these are wild animals and we don’t pay them to act a part. it depends on the time of year, and time of day. The Everglades can be unpredictable.  Mornings are usually best, when animals are most active!
• Can My Kids Ride on an Airboat? – Children must be at least 4 years of age and accompanied by an adult. Safety for everyone is our first concern.
• Have Questions? – Ask away! Our airboat guides have been on the Florida Everglades for most of their lives. They know where the best wildlife spots are, and they are very knowledgeable about the creatures you will likely encounter along the way.

So, what are you waiting for? Come to the Florida Everglades today and experience the wild! We have exciting fun for the whole family. We suggest our award-winning Swamp Buggy Eco-Tour next before taking in a live critter show. For more information go to Billie Swamp Safari or call us at 1800-GO-Safari. Please note our staff loves your pets too, but they are not permitted in the park. Please do us a favor, and leave them at home. Any pet found in a car will be removed (for their safety) at the owners expense. Bring us a picture instead. We love show offs!

About Florida Seminole Tourism (FST)

The Seminole Tribe of Florida is a federally recognized Indian Tribe. FST is a top Florida Everglades adventure, learning and camping destination. We share the excitement and wonder of the Florida Everglades to visitors from around the globe. Our award-winning Everglades attractions including  Billie Swamp Safari,   Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum , and  Big Cypress RV Resort & Campground.

3 Interesting Facts About the Florida Everglades

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The Assumption Belfry and Ivan the Great Bell Tower

View from a corner of Assumption Cathedral on the architectural ensemble of the Assumption Belfry (at the left) and Ivan the Great Bell Tower (at the right) built in the Moscow Kremlin in 16th century. The tower’s name implies that it had once housed St. John’s Church, and that it used to be the tallest building in Moscow (height with cross is about 80 m). For many decades the bell tower was also the main watchtower in the Kremlin, and later also a fire tower. Petrok Maliy, the Italian architect who built the Kitai-Gorod wall in Moscow, started the construction of the church of the Resurrection, later renamed Church of the Nativity, next to the Ivan the Great Tower in 1532. Decades later was converted to a four-tier belfry for large bells, known today as the Assumption Belfry after its main 64-ton bell placed in the middle of the fourth tier. The Assumption bell tolled only on great holidays and to announce events of exceptional significance.

Photo #043 taken on June 29, 2016 during a tour of Moscow Kremlin with my dear client from Lebanon, Jacques Saade.

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