Skip to Content

Florida boat tours: Nine authentic ways to enjoy the scenery

Visitors have been taking scenic boat tours of Florida waterways ever since there were visitors to Florida.

The state’s very first tourist attraction, Silver Springs in Ocala, began its famous glass-bottom boat tours almost 150 years ago.

The schooner Western Union on a sunset cruise sails past Fort Zachary Taylor.
One of my favorite Florida boat tours: A sunset cruise in Key West. Sailboats pass Fort Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West every night. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

Clearly, they were on to something; — there are few better ways to see the state’s beauty than on a Florida boat tour. With 1,800 miles of coastline and 12,000 miles of rivers and streams, you’ll never run out of places to cruise.

There are dozens of boat tours in Florida, but here are nine that stand out for their history or the special experience they offer. In many cases, these boat tours use vessels that look just like the originals.

How many of them have you taken?

Silver Springs: Oldest glass-bottom boat tour in Florida

Silver Springs 1940 postcard
Horse shoe palm that frames Silver Springs glass-bottom boat is still there. Among Florida boat tours, these glass-bottom boat tours are the oldes. 

People have been gazing into the clear water of Silver Springs through glass-bottom boats for almost 150 years, making the Ocala spring the oldest tourist attraction in Florida. It started in the 1870s when an entrepreneur fixed a piece of glass in the bottom of a rowboat. Tourists flocked here to see what was then the largest artesian spring in the world, and Silver Springs became a big money-making attraction.

By 2013, however, Silver Springs’ success as a tourist attraction had faded. The state took it over and opened the new Silver Springs State Park. Fortunately, the traditional glass-bottom boat tours continue.

While the spring no longer pumps enough water to be first in the world, it is still a stunning sight. You can still see the bottom through 20 or 30 feet of water the color of a swimming pool. Visitors often see wildlife — alligators, turtles, anhingas, herons plus large fish — in and around the clear water.

There’s an inexpensive 30-minute tour — $13 for adults and $12 for adults and kids 6 to 12 and it’s offered 365 days a year.

The Silver River and its spring are worth more than a half hour tour, however, so you should consider the 90-minute River Boat Tour, which is offered on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $25 adults; $20 seniors and children; 5 and under free.

The best way to the Silver River, though, is by kayak,  The Silver River is, without question, one of the prettiest rivers to kayak in Florida. (Here’s more on the Silver Springs kayak trail.)

Central Florida’s historic Florida boat tour in Winter Park

Long before Mickey Mouse came to Orlando, folks were enjoying “jungle cruises” in Orlando. The Winter Park Scenic Boat Tours started taking visitors through the lakes and canals of the Winter Park chain in 1938.

The boats only hold 18 people and they do not have canopies because the narrow canals that connect the Winter Park chain of lakes go under bridges that are only inches above your head.

This is your classic Florida tourist experience, complete with the corny guide telling the same groan-worthy jokes on every cruise. But it has been around for more than 80 years for a reason – spectacular scenery you’ll only see this way.  

Vintage postcard of Winter Park boat tour.
Florida boat tours: Vintage postcard of Winter Park boat tour.

Be sure to bring hats and sunscreen on this friendly, intimate one-hour tour. Tours leave hourly; $16 adults; $8 children.

The noisiest Florida boat tour: Everglades airboats

I have mixed feelings about airboats. When I’m out hiking or paddling, I resent the mosquito-buzz drone of the boats and, used wrong, they do environmental damage. But, like driving cars on Daytona Beach, airboats have been a part of visiting Florida for almost 100 years.

Vintage postcard of airboat ride (Photo: Florida Memory Project)
Vintage postcard of airboat ride, one of the most usual of the Florida boat tours. (Photo: Florida Memory Project)

Invented by Alexander Graham Bell, airboats first came to Florida in the 1920s. Airboat tours take you into roadless areas to see wildlife, but a big part of the experience is the wind, noise and thrilling speed. There are no airboat rides within Everglades National Park, but there are plenty of options throughout South and Central Florida.

Two long-time airboat operators:

  •  Cooperstown Airboats (in business since 1945) on the Tamiami Trail near the Shark Valley entrance to Everglades National Park. As of 2022, tours are $26 adults; $15 children 11 to 6.
  • AirBoat Rides at Midway (operating since the 1930s) east of Orlando in Christmas. As of 2022, tours are $40 adults (including tax.)

St. Augustine historic boat tour

Historic photo of St. Augustine Scenic Cruise
One of the most historic Florida boat tours: The St. Augustine Scenic Cruise, shown here in a historic photo. (Photo: Florida Memory Project)

A hundred years ago, Henry Flagler was bringing Florida’s first tourists to St. Augustine on his train and hosting them at his grand Ponce De Leon Hotel, which is now Flagler College. To amuse his guests, Flagler arranged for some locals, Captain Frank Usina and his wife, to offer oyster roasts. Pretty soon, Usina was transporting visitors by boat around St. Augustine’s waters.

A century later, his descendants are still doing that. The hour-and-15-minute scenic cruise, operated by the fourth generation of the Usina family, sails under St. Augustine’s much photographed Bridge of Lions and in front of the Castillo De San Marcos, past salt marshes with wading birds and out to the lighthouse. Sightings of dolphins are common. 

As of 2023, prices are $22.50 adults; $10.75 children 4-12.

Fort Lauderdale’s classic Florida boat tour, the Jungle Queen

The Jungle Queen Riverboat has been plying the waterways of Fort Lauderdale for more than 50 years – and I think some of their jokes are that old too.

When I worked at the Sun Sentinel’s old offices on the New River in the 1980s, I would leave work as the evening Jungle Queen tour came by at the same time every day. Over the loud speaker I would hear the same words, which went something like this: “Here in Venice of America, some people go to work by boat, some people go to school by boat and, do you see that building on your left? Some people go to jail by boat. That, ladies and gentleman, is the Broward County Jail, right on prime waterfront property.”  I would mouth the unchanging words along with the tour guide as I walked to my car.

The Jungle Queen has been cruising Fort Lauderdale for more than 50 years. (Photo courtesy Yachting Magazine.)
Florida boat tours: The Jungle Queen has been cruising Fort Lauderdale for more than 50 years. (Photo courtesy Yachting Magazine.)

Still, I love the Jungle Queen, precisely because it is old and corny. I tell guests to skip the cruises with meals and take the sightseeing tour, where you’ll get a little local history and some great views of my town.

As of 2023, tickets range from $31 for adults for the sightseeing cruise to $70 for adults for barbecue dinner with entertainment on the Jungle Queen’s island.

With recent visitors to us in Fort Lauderdale, we took the Carrie B, which has been around for fewer years but tours much of the same route. We liked how to Carrie B went through Port Everglades and out into the ocean for a brief view.

The Florida boat tour that is a Key West tradition: sunset boat tours

As early the 1960s, hippies in Key West had turned  watching the daily sunset into a celebration on Mallory Square. Sunset cruises weren’t far behind.

The Key West Historic Seaport has more than a dozen sunset cruises available. You’ll want to search reviews on TripAdvisor to see which one matches your style and pocketbook. Some are priced for splurges or special occasions; others have a higher volume/lower price model.

A few examples:

  • The yacht called the Party Cat promotes itself as the least expensive sunset cruise. Beer and soft drinks are included plus music and dancing.
  • The pirate-themed Jolly II Rover schooner has jaunty red sails and is BYOB. It’s a two-hour tour.
  • The Key West Cocktail Cruise offers a cruise with cocktails, champagne or craft beer and wine at differing price points.
  • Argo Navis  a newer addition to Key West, is a luxury catamaran with a smaller capacity. 
  • Schooner America 2.0 is a tall ship that serves champagne, wine, beer and hors d’oeurves for $104 per person.

Tarpon Springs: Florida boat tours to see island, dolphins

The Greeks came to Tarpon Springs to dive for sponges, but by the 1920s, some sponging boats began taking visitors out for tours. The sponges are long gone, but the Greek heritage and boat tours live on.

One of the best things to do from the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks is take a boat tour, and it offers several delights.

Boat to Anclote Key, a state park off Tarpon Springs
Florida boat tours: The Tarpon Springs tour stops at Anclote Key on a sandbar island.

First you see the Anclote River and hear a little Tarpon Springs history. Then you head into Gulf waters and spot dolphins.

A few miles out, on some tours you stop on Anclote Key, a pristine white-sand barrier island reachable only by boat. Anclote Key is a state park with an 1887 lighthouse. The tours give visitors a half hour to enjoy Anclote’s perfect sandy beaches — you’ll wish you could stay. Visiting the lighthouse is not part of the tour.

There are several types of cruises, with prices starting around $27.

Key Largo’s African Queen, the real deal

This boat tour is more about the boat than the tour. The African Queen boat, the actual steamboat used in the 1951 movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn, has been beautifully restored to take visitors on Key Largo cruises.

The African Queen on Islamorada
None of the other Florida boat tours have a vessel as historic as the African Queen, the original boat from director John Huston’s classic 1951 film by the same name. (Photos by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Cruises are pricey but intimate — $60 for adults in 2023, so this one is best for true fans yearning to sit exactly where Hepburn and Bogart did. The boat is licensed to take just six passengers at a time and the canal cruise is about 90 minutes long.

  • The African Queen
  • U.S. Hwy 1 at mile marker 100, Holiday Inn Docks
  • Key Largo, FL
  • 305-451-8080

Wakulla Springs and “The Black Lagoon”

One of the largest springs in the world and the deepest in Florida, Wakulla Springs near Tallahassee has a rich history. There are mastodon bones in the bottom of the river, archeological sites along its shores and it was also the setting for several early Tarzan movies starring Johnny Weissmuller, as well as “The Creature from the Black Lagoon.”

Florida boat tours: The historic boat ride at Wakullah Springs. (Photo courtesy Florida Park Service.)
Florida boat tours: The historic boat ride at Wakullah Springs. (Photo courtesy Florida Park Service.)

Boat tours started here in the late 1800s. The guide on today’s boat tour in Edward Ball Wakulla Spring State Park tells you stories of the mysterious spring (its source has never been located) while pointing out wildlife, which is plentiful. Ancient bald cypress trees line the picturesque river.

The boat tour is a two-mile loop that takes 45 minutes to an hour and at $8 for adults in 2022, it’s the best bargain you’ll find for Florida boat tours.  The water rarely achieves the aquamarine clarity it once had, but when it does — usually in late winter or early spring – Wakulla Spring brings out its glass bottom boat for special tours.


All articles on FloridaRambler.com are original, produced exclusively for our readers and protected by U.S. Copyright law. Any use or re-publication without written permission is against the law.

This page contains affiliate links from which Florida Rambler may earn a sall commission when a purchase is made. This revenue supports our mission to produce quality stories about Florida at no cost to you.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sue Kern

Friday 30th of August 2019

One of my favorite cruises is on the Dora Canal in near Mount Dora. This beautiful one mile stretch is a nesting area for wading birds, hawks and many other breeds. In the spring all the baby birds are squawking and the activity is amazing. There are many alligators too. You can get a boat at the Mount Dora Hotel, and there is at least one other competing tour company. If you're particularly intrepid, you can launch a canoe in Lake Eustis or Lake Dora and paddle, but there is a lot of boat traffic.

Bonnie Gross

Saturday 31st of August 2019

Great suggestions, Sue. I had read about the Dora Canal in the past but haven't been on it. It's nice to have new travel experiences to add to future trips!

Paul

Saturday 24th of August 2019

The oldest and only remaining early circa boat from Silver Springs is the 'Princess Donna' from 1934. She's also the oldest USCG inspected commercial boat running tours in the state of Florida. Located in Bokeelia, FL running nature tours on Jug Creek. oldfloridaboattour.com Check it out for a real piece of history.

Peter Rider

Wednesday 14th of August 2019

At Jiggs Landing, Ward Lake a great river tour up the Braden River to Linger Lodge and back is offered. Lots of birds, etc. They use an electric tour boat. Captain Brando gives a good guided tour.

Bonnie Gross

Wednesday 14th of August 2019

Peter: What a great suggestion. I'd love to do this outing this winter! I assume this the tour operator. I'm putting this on my to-do list. (also looks like a nice kayak paddle too!)

Dave Cannon

Tuesday 13th of August 2019

4 for me. Winter Park, Silver Springs, Wakulla Springs, and Argo Navis. The last one on the 4th of July. Sunset, dinner, and fireworks. The same good folks that sail the Schooner Hindu out of Key West in the cool months are behind the Argo Navis. My brother in law and his son.

Bonnie Gross

Wednesday 14th of August 2019

Thanks, Dave. The schooner Hindu is a beauty. I've admired it on the docks many times; even googled it before to learn more about it.

Lina

Tuesday 13th of August 2019

Very helpful. My spouse and I won't do airboat tours, however, because airboats are so incredibly noisy and so wrong in nature settings. Not sure that because they've been around for 100 years justifies supporting them now.

Bonnie Gross

Tuesday 13th of August 2019

Yes. I'm not pro-airboat either; this is really the only place on our site where we mention them. We have a popular Everglades guide and as a result, I have had readers contact me about airboats and I've expressed my views. At least one wrote back after her family's trip to tell me they really liked the airboat tour and had talked to the operator about steps they take to be environmentally conscious. Thanks for your comment and for visiting our site.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.