KISSIMMEE, Fla. — It was a warm and breezy morning in Kissimmee when the "Finding Florida" crew explored alligator territory.
But to get around, we needed an airboat instead of a regular vehicle.
With the roar of the engine and the wind in our faces, it was a loud but fast way to track down some of Florida's most famous and feared residents.
"We love it here. We love the swamp," tour guide Toby Wetzel said.
Airboats are specially designed to glide across shallow water and swampy terrain, making them perfect for navigating through thick sawgrass and hidden sloughs.
You never know what you are going to encounter in the swamp, like this 3-foot baby alligator named Carl.
He's the perfect example of what people can see on a smaller scale.
Wetzel is a seasoned captain who doubles as a swamp storyteller.
"I've been a nuisance trapper for about seven years, and before that, I was an agent, so I've been doing quite a while messing with gators," Wetzel said. "The largest gator I was ever involved with catching was twelve and a half feet off this lake," Wetzel said.
Florida is home to over a million gators. According to Wetzel, the swampy stretch of central Florida that we visited has enough gators that you feel like you're on a real-life reptile runway. You have a good chance to spot one during your visit.
We asked Wetzel why people who are afraid of alligators are still excited to come on the tour and explore the swamp.
"I think some of it is conquering your fear. We get people here that claim they can't swim, that they're scared to get on the boat, then they get on the boat and have a great time," Wetzel said. "People don't realize how nice and smooth and beautiful the swamp truly is."
A tour on an airboat is part jungle cruise, part Jurassic Park, but totally Florida and full of gator tales.
Mysterious, majestic and often misunderstood: the swamps of Florida hold more than just wildlife but history.
"This is what Florida is supposed to be like or was like years and years ago," Wetzel said.
