Airboat Rides Melbourne
Airboat Rides Melbourne
4.9
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
We believe that when you go for an airboat tour that you should experience a real airboat adventure! Your safety is our primary concern but our goal is for you and your family to have an exciting airboat experience while skimming across the St Johns River and swamps and to share as much information with you as possible about the alligators, wildlife, birdlife, fish and plant life that abounds on the marsh. Capt Mike has been in the area for for over fifty years & grew up hunting & fishing on the St Johns River! We offer basic airboat rides lasting 30-40 minutes but we are known for our educational eco tours lasting 60 or 90 minutes. We also do early tours & evening tours by appointment April thru October. We do our tours strictly by reservation so you don't have to stand in line or wait for enough people to show up to fill the boat! We do have a four person minimum but we can usually pair you up with others. Capt Mike is a member of Bass Pro Shops Pro Staff & has done fishing shows with Bill Dance Outdoors, Jimmy Houston Outdoors, Johnny Morris,Tony Stewart & others along with magazine articles in Outdoor Life, Guy Harvey, Florida Travel, Spacecoast Living, Florida Today & the Miami Herald newspapers.
Melbourne, Florida
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Airboat Rides Melbourne
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.9
401 reviews
Excellent
366
Very good
26
Average
2
Poor
2
Terrible
5
Annie G
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Friends
Our group of 10 (7 adults and 3 teenagers) were all cruising together. Our first port of call was Cape Canaveral and we were looking for a fun excursion, but the airboat tour offered by the cruise line was VERY expensive. Captain Mike was phenomenal! He accommodated our schedule since we were bound by the ships timing. Captain Mike was upfront and honest with us from the get go! Given our afternoon time slot, he was clear we would probably not see much wildlife due to the heat. However, we were interested in a fun ride! Captain Mike is extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife and watersheds in Florida. He answered all of our questions and gave us a memorable experience. I would highly recommend Airboat Rides Melbourne!
Written July 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
5tries
Ames, IA151 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
Excellent one hour ride! Captain Dexter did a great job of balancing zipping around the area with slowing down to look for wildlife. We saw numerous gators, turtles and many birds. He was very knowledgeable about the area and was able to answer any questions we asked. Nice big boat, very friendly and professional.
Written February 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karol Mindy H
Richmond, VA1 contribution
May 2022
We had a FANTASTIC airboat tour with Captain Mike! Our group of six had ages from the twenties to eighties. Another group of four was in our boat and and we all loved it. Captain Mike was considerate to tell us about the area while waiting on a late couple who didn’t give the right phone number. He even ran across the parking lot to check if they were waiting elsewhere!
Captain Mike was fun, considerate and knowledgeable. He grew up on that water and has a deep knowledge and love of the animals and plant life. His boat, equipment and the dock were in great shape. There was plenty of parking. He took great care of us, especially my 85 year old parents. You can tell he really loves the area and showing it to the people he takes on tour.
Captain Mike was fun, considerate and knowledgeable. He grew up on that water and has a deep knowledge and love of the animals and plant life. His boat, equipment and the dock were in great shape. There was plenty of parking. He took great care of us, especially my 85 year old parents. You can tell he really loves the area and showing it to the people he takes on tour.
Written May 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jill H
5 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
We took the 90 minute 6 people ecotour and it was fantastic. Captain Mike was very knowledgeable about the lake, wildlife and history of the area. We saw lots of wildlife, including alligators. Would recommend this airboat company to anyone. Was awesome!
Written February 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tiffany R
2 contributions
Jul 2021
Our family recently enjoyed an airboat ride with Captain Mike in Melbourne, Florida. We all had a fantastic time and were surprised about how much information we learned about the wildlife and local area! Captain Mike was amazingly accommodating with our last minute reservation, ensuring we had a comfortable ride in a private boat, which is a level of customer service rarely found in today's world. The time, passion and energy that he poured into our experience was so evident and greatly appreciated by our whole family! Our youngest daughter is still telling everyone she meets that she got to hold an alligator egg! We have recommended to many and will be back again!
Written August 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian
1 contribution
Jul 2021 • Couples
Captain mike did a a great job. He is entertaining knowledgeable and knows the area incredibly well. We took an 8:00 AM tour which I would recommend as the wildlife was very active. We managed to see multiple gators and quite a few species of bird. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an airboat experience.
Written July 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Myra W
4 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
The most amazing experience EVER! Capt. Mike was so knowledgeable about the water, the wildlife and the history of the area. We saw gators, manatees and more and having Capt. Mike navigate was great. Love the speed and the spray. Awesome experience and a must visit when coming to the area.
Written July 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Muneca426
Cadillac, MI18 contributions
Apr 2021 • Family
We decided last minute (the day of) to take our group on an air ride boat adventure while in Melbourne. I read and researched the different companies in the area. Captain Mike from Melbourne airboat rides had some of the best reviews on Trip Advisor; so I took a leap of faith and called to see if a tour was available later that day in hope it would not be all booked or if he even did them at that time. I spoke directly to Captain Mike about my last minute plea for a tour; to my surprise he was more than happy to accommodate our group of 5 women later that day. And we are so glad he did! Three of the people on our tour were our teenage daughters whom absolutely enjoyed the tour and were quite impressed with all of the “alligator” knowledge that came with it. Besides the girls getting wet and muddy we seen several gators, turtles, and birds in their natural habitat. Captain Mike has a passion for what he does and it’s infectious (in a good way). It’s like you were there with him reminiscing about his past adventures and encounters; literally reliving his stories and memories of him growing up there. Captain Mike is very knowledgeable, passionate, and thoroughly enjoys showing off his back yard to us “tourists”. I highly recommend you give him a call; even if it is last minute!!! Loved our tour and would definitely go with him again if ever back in Melbourne.
Written May 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Teresa C
1 contribution
Mar 2020 • Couples
On a recent trip to the Melbourne, Florida area, we decided to schedule an airboat tour which none of us in the group had ever been on before. A quick search of what was available in the area and backed by good reviews, we booked a tour with this company. It was easy to find where to meet which was in a park with bathrooms available. We boarded the boat and left for our tour. The ride was exhilarating as we sped across the lake to go up the river. We saw several birds and many flying overhead had just caught fish. We crossed a bridge made for airboats to get past the dam and go along the river. We saw several alligators and when we stopped to talk a little about the history of the area as well as the gators, birds and other species in the area, we were able to watch several gators swimming near the boat. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful area seeing many beautiful things. Captain Dexter was very knowledgeable as well as funny and engaging. I would highly recommend this company and their tours to anyone who may be interested!
Written March 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jockadog
Mechanicville, NY35 contributions
Mar 2022
We went out at 10am with Captain Mike Tipton. There were 5 people in our party and we were able to reserve a private airboat with Captain Mike. The 1-hour airboat ride took us into marsh areas where plenty of wildlife (alligators, wild boar, birds such as roseate spoonbills) were spotted. Captain Mike is very knowledgeable about the area having lived there for many years. He provided lots of interesting information about the ecology, wildlife, and land management. Overall, this is a great experience not to be missed if in the Cocoa Beach / Melbourne area. Highly recommended.
Written March 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
log6609
Dayton, Tennessee
Is this airboat tour anything like the everglades? If not, what is the closest tour like this from Melbourne.
Written March 8, 2017
I'm not sure what you mean by "like the Everglades". We do educational and informative eco-tours on the marshes & swamps of the St. Johns River by airboat. We have a similiar eco system to the Everglades but We don't have the big grass flats like you might see in the Everglades.
Written March 8, 2017
Are you open Christmas Eve day, how many do you hold on your boat. At most we would be 11, did your airboat tour last year. I live in Melbourne.
Written November 18, 2016
Yes, last tour at 2:00 o'clock. Up to 13 on one boat.
Written November 19, 2016
_present_journey2
Toronto, Canada
would you pick us up at our hotel The International Palms in Cocoa Beach
Written October 28, 2016
No, we don't have a pick up service. Perhaps try uber?
Written October 29, 2016
_present_journey2
Toronto, Canada
Would you pick up at our hotel We are staying at the International Palms in Cocoa beach
Written October 28, 2016
Coming in July and wondering a few things?
1. Do we need to book ahead of time?
2. I have a family of 8. 3 are children. Can your tour accommodate us all together?
3. What is the cost per person and how long is the tour?
Written April 13, 2015
Yes, you do need reservations. We can accommodate all of you on one boat. The one hour tours are $39 per person and children under 10 are $35.
Written April 13, 2015
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.