The address for Boggy Creek Airboat rides West, is 2001E Southport road, Kissimmee, Florida 34746. Telephone number 407-344-9550.

Directions are, take Highway 192 East to Poinciana Blvd. Poinciana Blvd is located between markers 10 and 11.Make a right on Poinciana Blvd. Go 19 miles South until it meets a dead end. Poinciana Blvd. Will change its name to Southport road.

When you arrive at Boggy Creek Airboat Rides, you discover territory that has remained unaltered by man, in the wilderness of the Central Florida Everglades. Experienced Captains pilot the boats and take you into the breathtaking beauty and natural wonders, including wetlands, cypress trees, and wildlife. We saw many alligators of various shapes and sizes. We saw turtles and a variety of birds all in their natural environment. Earmuffs deadened the noise of the huge engine and fan but this did not stop our pure enjoyment of a truly wonderful 45 minutes. I felt safe at all times in this exciting and educational airboat ride filled with surprises and fascination. We hit speeds of up to 45 mph, and then watch wildlife when we stopped.

This is something I would definitely consider going on again because you never know what you are going to see .I hear they do a one-hour Night Airboat Tour! I am not sure about this, but it may suit you.

Unlike the sprawling metropolitan area of Orlando and vast Tourist/Resort Areas surrounding it…this is a compact, walkable village offering unique boutiques, elegant dining, beautiful Art Museums, delightful walks especially through the village park where squirrels abound and most enjoyable of all - a fun but informative, wonderfully relaxing boat excursion through the many lakes surrounding this delightful village.

On board you will have the opportunity to view and admire many ‘multi-million dollar’ lake homes and hear entertaining stories relating to them as well as learning about the history and nature of the area. The 1 hour boat tour also provides a wonderful opportunity to get a great lake-side view of one of America’s leading Colleges, the prestigious ‘Rollins College’ of Arts and Sciences.

To get to Winter Park, take the I-4 East to exit 87 (Fairbanks Avenue). Then travel approx. 2 miles and turn left on Park Avenue, the main artery of the village. If you can find a parking spot along Park avenue near the intersection with East Morse Blvd., this will be a good base for walking. Or park on East Morse Blvd. if intending to take the Scenic Boat Tour.

For information, brochures and an introduction to the village you can call in at Winter Park’s  ’Welcome Center’ (open 9-5, Mo-Fri). Here you will also find Public restrooms. It is located at 151 West Lyman Avenue, Winter Park. There are also public restrooms located by the Scenic Boat Tour Office.

Strolling along Park Avenue, you will discover many interesting shops, Art Galleries and a good variety of chic, continental-style restaurants and coffee shops. We enjoy grabbing a gourmet ice-cream from Haagen-Daz and eating it whilst sitting in the adjacent village park, watching the many squirrels chasing each other from tree to tree!

For a dose of Culture, visit one of the local area Art Museums, such as:-

Cornell Fine Arts Museum - (www.rollins.edu/cfam) - Showcasing the oldest collection of Art in Florida.

Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art - (www.morsemuseum.org) - The Worlds most comprehensive collection of the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany, including Art Glass, Jewellery, Pottery and Paintings.

Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens - (www.polasek.org) - Visit the Estate including the home and galleries of this internationally known Sculptor.

For Scenic Boat Tour information, visit www.scenicboattours.com

For additional information and maps, visit www.parkave-winterpark.com

Have a Great Day!

I have been to Busch Gardens now on three occasions in two years visiting Florida and I can honestly say I think it is the best theme park experience. I have never found this theme park very busy even though I have been there in the peak months. There is so much to do there and the park is quite large with a variety of fun rides you seem to forget about the animals, never mind the various ways of getting around the park. The cable cars are a great way to get from one side to the other and so is the train!

My eight year old son Jack has a favourite ride at Busch Gardens He can’t wait to get on it as soon as we enter the park. You may have guessed it, yes the Gwazi! I must say at first sight it does look a little rickety. I don’t think I have ever seen so much wood in anything anywhere in the world.

I started off with Gwazi, which are 2 coasters in one ride. I thought this was a great rollercoaster. You know, I wondered why Busch Gardens built these old fashioned wooden coasters. You’d think with all the advances in roller coaster technology, wooden coasters would be a thing of the past. Then I rode Gwazi and I figured out why they built it. With steel coasters, even though your doing some crazy twists and turns, you never really feel like you’re about to fall out of your seat. With wooden coasters, you don’t feel so secure. I don’t know if its all the clanking or what, but when I was racing along the track on the Tiger side, it felt like if that cart took one more turn too quick I would end up on the ground somewhere. So, when I got that sensation, it prompted me to put my hands up so I could feel it even more. This is why I loved Gwazi.

Jack went on this ride again and again until he was eased off with the promise of an ice cream. I did two out of his five goes and he just kept going it was great to see his smiling face and his sheer joy when he ran to get on it again.

Regular Exhibits:

Kidstown

Interactive learning experience set in a miniature town, aimed at children under 7, includes child-size

Space Shuttle.

NatureWorks

Different Florida habitats have been recreated, with native plants and animals, where you can encounter live alligators, fish and turtles.

DinoDigs

Encounter the pre-historic world of the dinosaurs and examine fossilized eggs.

TechWorks

Experience the strength of hurricane force winds, and see the earth from an astronaut’s view point.  See a demonstration of the Scanning Electron Microscope which magnifies up to 100,000 times more than the ability of the human eye (Demos only on certain days).

Xperience Factory

Live science shows:  The Case Of The Mysterious Miss Squito & Cool Science

BodyZone

Learn how your body consumes food, how to put a skeleton together and how your brain works.

Special Exhibits:

Titanic – the experience          16 Dec 07 – Dec 08                  

Full scale recreations of Titanic’s most famous rooms, including the Grand Staircase.

Robots                                     12 Jan – 11 May08

Characters from the movie, Robots, are the guides as the history & potential of robots is explored.

Team Up                                  12 Jan – 27 Apr 08

Learn how geometry, physics, force and friction play a part in your favourite sports.

Zing                                         12 Jan – 27 Apr 08                  

Hands-on exhibit featuring sound, magnetism, motion, balance, energy transfer and machines.

Giant Worlds                            15 Feb – 9 May 08                   

Explore Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune.  Experience the beginnings of the solar system.

Special Performances:

High School Musical                1 – 24 Feb 08

Based on the Disney Channel movie, a live stage show featuring local actors.  Sat & Sun Matinee 2pm.  Thurs, Fri, Sat 7.30pm.  Ticket purchase required.

OrlandoScienceCenter
777 East Princeton Street        
Orlando, Florida32803-1291               

Open:   Sunday – Thursday 10.00am – 6.00pm,   Friday – Saturday  10.00am – 9.00pm                                   

Closed: Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day.  ( Late Opening New Years Day)

Observatory Hours
Friday     6.00pm – 9.00pm, Saturday 6.00pm – 9.00pm

Planetarium show: Orlando By Night:       available on the first Friday & Saturday of every month

Cinedome

The world’s largest lwerks domed theatre, with 28,000 watts of digital sound.

Phone 407 514 2000 to check film times and schedules.

Café Hours

Sunday – Thursday 10.00am – 5.00pm, Friday – Saturday 10.00am – 8.00pm

Driving Directions:

From N Poinciana BLVD turn left onto Vineland Road (SR-535N). 

Continue on SR-535 for 2.3mi.

Take ramp onto I-4 E to Orlando – go 17mi.

Take exit #85/Princeton Street (SR-438) – go 0.4 mi. 

Orlando Science Centre is on the left.

Admission Prices (includes admission to Titanic exhibit)

Adult                $23.00

Youth               $18.00 (age 3-11)

Senior              $21.00 (55 & over)

Student            $21.00 (with ID)

Under 2            Free

For more information:           www.osc.org

The building is on stilts so we went upstairs and found the museum which is Ted Smallwood’s store which has been preserved in the same condition as when his daughter closed the store in 1982.  The curator was extremely helpful and told us all about Ted Smallwood, his family and Edgar Watson, whose story was told by Peter Matthiessen in his novel Killing Mister Watson.

In 1906 Ted became Postmaster for Chokoloskee and opened his general store.  As it was such an isolated area it was also used as a trading post from far and wide for such items as furs, hides, and fresh goods.  Ted remained as Postmaster until he retired in 1941 when his daughter took over the position.  His daughter ran the store until 1982 and it is reported that 90% of the original goods were still in the store.  Today the shelves are still lined with the goods that were for sale during these times.  We were told most of the apothecary items contained alcohol which was certainly borne out by the smell of several of the bottles which are still full.  It is an excellent history lesson of what it was like to live during those difficult times and it was not until 1956 that the causeway connected the island to the mainland.  There are also sections where the different tools and household items that were used and available to purchase are show. The area where his daughter lived has also been preserved, again exactly as if she had ‘popped’ out and will return later. 

If you look out the back window you can see where Edgar Watson was killed. His tale is also told in the museum.  He was a planter who is reputed to have killed lots of his hands on completion of their work at his plantation when they went to him and asked to be paid.