When we were in Florida for our cruise on Celebrity Ascent, we found ourselves with some free time on our last day. Our cruise disembarked at 9 a.m., and our flight didn’t leave until 3 p.m., so I decided we should do something fun. I found out the Everglades were only about 20 minutes from the Fort Lauderdale (FLL) airport, so I decided to book an airboat tour. After researching a few different options, I settled on Sawgrass Recreation Park and was able to make a reservation for 10 a.m.

We arrived around 9:30 a.m., got checked in and had a little time to wander around the gift shop. Promptly at 10 a.m., our guide pulled up to the dock with an airboat seating six guests, plus the guide. I held on tight as we left the dock, and he picked up speed as we entered the river. But within a minute or two, he shouted, “GATOR!” and shut off the engine. Sure enough, we could see the head of the gator straight in front of us. The small black head stood out in the middle of the calm water. Our guide turned the engine back on to get us a bit closer, but as we approached, the gator ducked under the water, never to be seen by us again.

Our guide took us through some tall grasses, and, before long, shouted “GATOR!” once again. This time, I really had to squint to see the gator, as he was well-camouflaged against his surroundings. Our guide had such a good eye for spotting these amazing creatures! We must have seen seven or eight alligators on our trip. He was pleased and said there’s no guarantee guests will even see one alligator, but we were lucky.

Gator

Gator

Gator

He was knowledgeable and passionate about these ancient reptiles. Some fun facts about American alligators:

• They were once endangered, but thanks to conservation measures, they have made a remarkable comeback.
• American alligators are not green like in cartoons, they are actually black with pale underbellies. When they are dry, they appear dark gray.
• They are mostly carnivorous, eating fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, but they will also eat fruit if the opportunity arises.
• They have between 75–80 teeth in their jaws at any given time, and as their teeth wear down they are replaced. An alligator can go through more than 2,000 teeth in its lifetime.
• Alligators are great moms; they can protect their babies for up to a year.

He also pointed out some water birds and an iguana hiding in the bushes. I could only spot his tail, and, again, I was amazed at how our guide even saw him!

After our tour was over, we walked around the reptile sanctuary with more than 50 reptiles that have been adopted and rescued, including tortoises and iguanas. It was a nice sanctuary, but I must say it was much more fun to see alligators in their natural habitat.

Sawgrass zoo critters

Sawgrass snake captivity

Iguana hiding

— Tracey Cullen, art director