This was our first time to take the Babcock Ranch Eco tour and it won't be our last. We went in late March, which is the FL dry season. Our knowledgeable guide Brad told us if you go in the late summer (wet season), 2' or so of water is flowing through it. So, what you see in the two seasons is different. They also have a nice gift shop, small museum and a restaurant. We saw all sorts of birds and animals. Even though they aren't necessarily exotic or rare, you are seeing them in their habitat. The ranch property really represents FL, more so than some other types of tours. And, it is for all ages and reasonably priced. Our visiting late teenage aged grandsons and friend enjoyed the tour every bit as much as we did. Highly recommend! read more

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My kids (8 & 5) absolutely adored this. The tour guide was so patient with kids and very knowledgeable. I came away with some cool facts, a ton of great pictures and video and two very happy kids. I highly recommended this tour! read more

Excellent open bus tour hosted by Mike. We are so lucky that the elder Mr. Babcock donated so much land, and the younger one sold more to Florida, so many beasts have a huge safe area to live it, without fear of development destroying their habitat. Learned several intersting things: * Non native wild boards breed large litters every 13 months * Cracker cows survived the heat back in the day when tastier cows did not, but the meat is nasty * If you are in the water with a gator do not swim away in a panic, the splashing attacts them, sink slowly, they only feed at the surface * Cracker cows greatly enjoy corn, and if allowed, one will distract the driver while the other sneaks in the door to steal the entire sack. read more

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This tour was much , much more than I had anticipated. Something I think everyone new to the area should experience, anddefinitely something to take friends and family visiting to see. Rhonda was extremely knowledgeable and brought the wildlife running to the bus at each stop. Her surprise in the box upfront was awesome. Without reservation a "must see". read more

We've been here at least twice and each time, absolutely awesome. The guides are knowledgeable and you learn a lot of FL history from them, as well as about the environment. The animals are so fun to see. My kids, who are 9 and 6 LOVE it. 5/5 stars for sure! read more

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Of all the eco tours we've done in Southwest Florida, this was hands down one of the best! The tour takes you cruising through the vast Babcock Ranch in a "swamp buggy" (aka old school bus with open air sides), showcasing multiple ecosystems with an incredible variety of wildlife--guaranteed sightings. Our guide, Camry, was fantastic and made the experience even better with engaging information about the ranch's history, how it's maintained today, and the wildlife we encountered along the way. The tour was both educational and enjoyable, and you can tell how much care goes into preserving this special place. Highly recommend this eco tour to anyone visiting the area! read more

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So now I know the difference between poison and venom. And when an alligator chases me -- if I don't have a heart attack -- I know to run straight ahead, which surprisingly is out of their range of vision. If you think the key is to serpentine, you'll wish you didn't when he's chomping on your leg. The moderator was chock full of information, but was it his overly-loud mic? Was it his regional accent? I missed about half of what he said. Nonetheless, four stars. The tour is worth doing. 90 minutes is a stretch, as it was clear our guide was killing time. But I didn't care. Like everyone who posted, we saw wildlife. To me the highlights were the feral hogs and the little raccoons hiding in a tree. As it's gator mating season, we saw plenty. (Quick! What do you do if they're out to get you??) There's a "museum." Actually, a room with stuff. A cafe. A gift shop. And ample parking. Unlike other places, chances are good that you can book a tour practically last minute. read more

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Great time enjoying the ecology work they do here. Fantastic guide, great scenery and wildlife. read more

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Had a wonderful time at the Babcock Ranch. Would strongly suggest the swamp buggy eco-tour. Was able to see lots of cows, turkeys, gators and cyprus trees. This tour was also informative as the knowledgeable tour guide, Roger, shared the history of the Babcock family and explained the native species that exist on the property. Additionally, the Gator Shack has some very yummy gator bites!!! read more

Babcock Ranch Eco Tours - Gator Bites - Tours Near Me - Punta Gorda, Florida

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Ive been coming here for many years and I love it every time. It's one of my favorite experiences and I highly recommend doing this! Very informative and so much to see! read more

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I took my granddaughter there and it was great! We loved the open bus ride through the ranch! They had wild hogs, cows, lots of birds and gators. Very reasonable price for all you and see and do. I highly recommend! read more

Absolutely loved this experience! We came for the hour and a half eco-tour and were not disappointed. We saw TONS of wildlife. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Our guide was super knowledgeable. We look forward to coming back in the wet season! read more

We did the swamp buggy tour. There were six of us first off. Let me start off with the ground is beautiful. Nice gift shop. Great historical museum all kinds of different displays. Unfortunately the restaurant was closed. We had the best driver and overall experience with our swamp buggy tour. She was an expert on everything we had animals come up to the buggy she fed some of them we saw deer pigs, alligators, all kinds of birds. It was just a wonderful experience. I would like to take our kids there read more

Babcock Ranch Eco Tours - The swamp buggy tour bus - Tours Near Me - Punta Gorda, Florida

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Our last adventure of 2024 was a great one! We saw cows, all sorts of birds, feral pigs, turkeys, deer, raccoons, and of course, lots of gators! The weather was perfect, and Joy, our guide, was excellent. She was very knowledgeable, told good stories and was funny. 90 minutes zipped by! Highly recommend this tour, we will be back. read more

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so fun and educational for adults and elders!!! really loved the tour guide and the history provided. read more

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Excellent tour by our guide Brad. He was super knowledgeable about the area's wildlife. Brad made the tour a lot of fun while really teaching us about the area. read more

LOVE LOVE LOVE! FOREVER RECOMMEND! As a SWFL native, I am all about our wildlife and eco system. I am a diehard gator lover and this tour had me emotional! I teared up over animal we spotted and of course lost my marbles meeting Darth Gator! Rhonda was our tour guide and she was absolutely amazing :) I was a sweaty mess at 11am so remember your fans, water bottles, sunscreen, and bug spray! I will definitely be back read more

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I booked this based off the 70 5 star reviews. First, I will say, if you don't want to eat at the on site restaurant, EAT BEFORE. Do not wait until you are on the exit of the ranch because there is NOTHING there. We weren't sure what we wanted to do but when we realized there weren't any surrounding restaurants, we ate at the on site Gator Shack. The food was good and reasonably priced. Our kids got grilled cheese and macaroni, and my wife and I got a burger and a veggie burger. My burger tasted like it was freshly ground and one of the best burgers I've had. The veggie burger was frozen but it was a good quality one. They have inside and outside seating. The tour was 90 minutes long. We saw pigs, cows, tons of alligators, birds, and a raccoon. We drove through some of the trees and old village. My kids did enjoy the animals and their babies. I think the tour should be cut down to an hour. You could tell when the guide was stalling to make it to the 90 minute mark. We stopped too many times unnecessarily just to talk about random things. It wasn't a bad tour but I wish it was shorter. Besides the gift shop, there isn't a whole lot to do after you've eaten and done the tour. read more

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The swamp buggy tour is a great choice if you want to experience the diversity of our Florida ecosystems. We enjoyed this outing immensely. Our guide Rhonda was energetic and knowledgeable. We learned so much about the wildlife and were able to see many animals up close, including wild boar, turkey, deer, cracker cows, sandhill cranes, and as many gators as you'd care to see. If you're in the area, it is definitely worth a stop. Be sure to check the weather. They do not go out when there's lightning. read more

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Babcock Ranch and Eco tour is a really cool nature experience. The tour is approx 90 min long thru the preserve on a large open-air bus swamp buggy. We saw lots of wild pigs, tons of alligators, deer, turkey. Our guide, Roger, was outstanding! Super knowledgeable and pleasant. Mid-way thru trip he pulled out tiny gator. My boys loved it! We ended trip at the Gator Shack. The food was REAL good! I absolutely loved babcock ranch and the tour. I will be back!! read more

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Guide and tour were great ! We learned the history of this fabled ranch as well as all that nature has to offer on the Babcock Ranch. if you want to see animals and local ecosystems, this is a super place. read more

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We visited from Minnesota and truly enjoyed our experience at Babcock Eco Tours. We saw hogs, alligators, raccoons, many birds, turkeys, cows, and horses. Our tour guide Brad was very informative and was also entertaining. Would do this again and would recommend it to others!! read more

My family had the best time. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the environment in the edible plants in the forest. The animals were just awesome so exciting to see. I will come back again and again because I'm sure it is different every time you come that's nature. read more

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A great ride through an eco preserve with lots of animals and information! I learned many new things. A wonderful experience for a small fee!! read more

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This was a fantastic tour is by an extremely knowledgeable tour guide. Rhonda was very engaged with the whole group and her knowledge of the ranch and animals was AMAZING! If you are in Fort Myers, Punta Gorda area make sure you visit! read more

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This tour was awesome. My kids (ages 6 and 8) were engaged the entire time and are still talking about it days later. We learned a lot and got to see a bunch of cool animals, including several alligators. Rhonda was very informative and answered questions whenever any of us had them. Our favorite part was when she brought out the little alligator at the end! read more

Babcock Ranch Eco Tours - Tours Near Me - Punta Gorda, Florida

A beautiful day to take the Babcock Ranch Eco Tour in Punta Gorda. My daughter purchased tickets online for the 2:30 bus ride. There were 6 of us including my two grandkids that are 2 and 5. There are a bunch of things to see before you go on the tour. A gift shop, a restaurant that's open from 11-2 and some wildlife. The bus itself has open air windows so you can see outside. Our tour was pretty empty, so we could move from one side to the other when the driver stopped and see everything! He threw out some food and the Pigs and the Piglets came running. The Cracker Cows would have climbed aboard if they could lol! There were wild turkeys, and a baby alligator for us to touch. Different terrains like an open prairie, swamps, and marshes prove to be very interesting and you can see the different animals that live there. Lots and lots of alligators and even hatchlings made this tour so interesting. We love supporting our local community! read more

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This is second visit in a month, I live in North Fort Myers and until a month ago never herd of it. If you have visitors don't miss this, the tour guide Joy was awesome very knowledgeable about the history and the wildlife you will see it is amazing. A 90 minute tour for 25.00 is the best deal in Florida. read more

This is a great tour for all ages! I would guess it's different every time. We took our children here 30+ years ago and today we brought their children! Hopefully in years to come they can bring their children. read more

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Fun tour with lots of information about the area. We came with my parents to try it out and we were very happy with the tour. We saw wildlife aplenty and the tour guide was pleasant and knowledgable. It's a quaint little setting and then you get in their "swamp buggy" which is a retired school bus with the windows removed and painted in camo colors. I would say it's something to do once and I'm glad we went. The only thing that made it less than 5 stars was that their cafe is only open 3 hours a day. Eat before you come since you might not be able to grab a bite while here. read more

Our tour guide, Ken, was great! My 72 year old father, 16 year old son, and I all had a great time. The information Ken shared with us was entertaining and fun to learn. If you like learning and wildlife, I would recommend checking this out. Plus, their t-shirts in the gift shop are great! read more

This is a must see! The history of Babcock Ranch runs deep and can only be described as fascinating!

We had such a good time on this tour. Our tour guide, Camry, was super knowledgeable and friendly. And talk about a keen eye... ??? She spotted wildlife that we couldn't see, even when it was pointed out to us!!! The wild boar were fun to watch, as they ran to get food... the steer were actually trying to get into the swamp bus...riding thru the swamp water was an experience. We saw alligators galore. Such a fun experience. We'd highly recommend this tour. read more

The Babcock Ranch eco-tour is something I would highly recommend if you're in this part of Florida The tour cost about 25 bucks each but they do offer a discount for military for seniors and for children but it's about 25 bucks apiece Our Tour guide and bus driver name was Lynn and he was amazing and did a fantastic job very knowledgeable about the various ecosystems we visited that day as well as the wild animals and not so wild animals that you'll see on the Babcock Ranch I would say the tour is one part history five parts science class and 10 parts fun that doesn't add up at all because it's not what you're going to expect You see a ton of native vegetation and he takes time to explain the importance of each one in the bio system The destructive nature of hormones is really something as well as the rate that they reproduce he mentions that they trap and remove them and I'm pretty sure they're ending up on the menu someplace At the gator shack restaurant read more

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What an awesome tour!!!! I traveled down from Philadelphia to visit my parents and decided to take the tour on an overcast day. What a treat!!! Rhonda was our tour guide and she was incredible!! read more

Great value for a 1.5 hour tour! The guide is very knowledgeable and tells you all about the history of the farm, the animals, and the ecosystems of South West Florida. This appeals to young and old. There's no shortage of alligators, birds, cows, and swine. Come a bit early to register. There's a cafe on the property and unfortunately we didn't eat at it because the food looked absolutely amazing. Homemade pies, bbq, and local favorites. Stay for lunch! read more

We have gone several times now over several years and each time is just awesome. Brad our tour guide is a long time Florida resident and super knowledgeable. His passion for "wild Florida" was contagious with everyone on the bus. It's a beautiful area to get immersed into. read more

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My boyfriend and I went to Babcock Ranch Eco Tour through 4 ecosystems while visiting family in Florida. What a very, very cool 90 minute bus tour. We learned about their many solar panel fields that supply the cities power as well as their own. We also learned about a lot of different wildlife in the area and saw many different animals: black vultures, snow egrets, cattle egrets, baby and full alligators, blue herons, breathing walking catfish (gator food), deer, friendly cattle (they called: "crackers"...there's a story behind their nickname), hogs, boars, turkeys, cranes, turtles, etc... It was also cool that the tour guide had a baby alligator on board in a container that we didn't know about, but then when she brought it out and talked about it, we got to touch it and also it posed for pictures. The tour guide and bus that we were on drove through a creek/swamp and then we learned about the locally growing bald Cypress trees with "knees" which are like stalagmites in the water and only grow around Cypress trees that grow in water. Very neat!! We also learned that the Babcock Ranch has 5 real cowboys that herd the cattle on the ranch still today. What an AMAZING experience!! I can't wait to take my daughter and others that we travel with to Fort Myers to this hidden gem of Florida! read more

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Highly recommend the buggy tour! 1.5 hours long but highly worth it. The tour guide driver was very informative and safe. Would do it again!

Came in with zero expectations but came away in awe! Ellen was a great tour guide; funny and informative. So cool to learn about the history of this great place. Plus all the alligators, wild pigs, turkeys, cows and other animals was so cool to see. Had lunch at the Gator Shack restaurant afterward and the food was really good. Can't wait to go back. read more

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