Are you planning your summer fun bucket list? Or just looking for fresh ideas for the family to have new experiences on the weekend? New adventures await your family at McGee's Louisiana Swamp & Airboat Tours.
This past weekend my family had the privilege of taking an airboat swamp tour out of McGee's swamp tours and every single one of us had a great time. We took the kids, ages 8,11, and 12, my brother, and my husband, and me. Each airboat accommodates 8 individuals so in addition there were two more adults we met on the swamp. My husband and children have grown up here and although we have been in the swamp (Atchafalaya) many times we had never ridden an airboat or had an "official" tour. One of the best parts of being on an airboat is the ease of use. Meaning they do not easily get stuck in the swamp. We ran over lily pads, tree branches, and other various debris and I hardly even felt it. Therefore we were able to go off into corners of the swamp you would otherwise not dare travel. Airboats are extremely loud but to combat that we were each given ear muffs.
Our guide, Captain Berard, was extremely knowledgeable about the area, the cypress trees, the American gator, local birds, and the climate changes. He was able to teach us numerous facts about each category and after the lesson, he would quiz the kids. When they answered correctly he gave them a little plastic gator. This small act put BIG smiles on their faces.
The greatest highlight of the tour was feeding Broadus, the 11 feet American gator who seems to have become friends with Captain Berard. Our first stop to find gators did not pan out so we went further back into the lily pads and called for Broadus who appeared in no time. At first, he was turned from the boat but once the captain threw a pork steak his way he turned around and came our way. To be honest, he was a little too close to the boat (just my opinion) and could have easily jumped in if he wanted but I'm sure his full stomach gave him no need to do such a thing. When the captain fed him again his mouth was wide open to all of us and we could see his teeth - which go up to 80 in quantity according to Captain Berard. I am pretty sure I will never again be that close to such a large alligator. I will share the video on our Facebook page this week so make sure you are following us by clicking here.
Are you ready to book your new adventure? Click here to visit McGee's Swamp Tours and reserve your date and time online! And don't forget to follow us on Facebook by clicking here, our most current specials and news can be found on this page. See you soon!
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