We've only lived in this area for about five years, but we've quickly fallen in love with the…read morehistory, character, and old-world Florida that still exists here. As Merritt Island residents, it's amazing to think that the historic St. Johns River is right in our backyard, yet we had never experienced it from an airboat until now. After reading A Land Remembered and learning about the Florida cattle drives and "Cracker" way of life--the people who lived off the land, traveled these rivers, and helped shape the Florida we know today--this experience felt like a glimpse back into that era. The St. Johns River is truly part of the story of Florida, and seeing this unspoiled landscape preserved from development was something special. It's a reminder of what makes this state unique, and I'm grateful that places like this have been protected for future generations. When our family came to visit and wanted to experience an airboat ride, we finally made it happen with Instagator Airboat Rides, and we couldn't have picked a better experience. Captain Mike was like family from the moment we arrived. He was courteous, friendly, punctual, and shared so much knowledge about the river, wildlife, and history of the area. His boat was extremely comfortable, we always felt safe, and it was clear that Captain Mike is a careful and experienced captain who truly loves what he does. The entire trip felt less like a tour and more like spending the day on the water with an old friend who was sharing a special place with us. Such a beautiful and diverse selection of plants and wildlife was abundant including gators, birds, turtles, wild hogs, cattle... we even had a calf race along the riverbank pacing our boat playfully chasing. Such a beautiful experience and a lifelong memory. We had an incredible time, learned so much, and gained an even deeper appreciation for the natural beauty and history that surrounds us. We're already talking about going back out again soon. If you want a genuine Florida experience that connects you with the history and wild beauty of this incredible state, Instagator Airboat Rides is a must!

Today was our 4th trip with Captain Mike. Always perfect and…read morehis Diamond Back airboat is the Mercedes of airboats Noise cancelling headphones and equally perfect Hear and talk every conversation He knows everything in the Sainit John's river of where the gators are, tropical birds and beautiful. We did the 9:30 tour for an hour.we have done the two hour tour before Best price and not a cattle car/airboat like others. Be one time. For out of towners, sunscreen We will only book with him

Fishing on the Orlando Princess was a relaxing and enjoyable experience…read more The boat was a pretty good size and there was a good amount of space to cast a line without being on top of another fisher. The crew were kind and they gave good advice on fishing and knowledge on the fishes we caught. They offered snacks and sandwiches for lunch, and had unlimited beer on tap (bud light, but free beer is still nice!)

I went on my first deep sea fishing trip on the Orlando Princess last year! We chose the half day…read moreoption which included lunch (the burgers were yummy!!!), unlimited soda, your rod and bait! We seriously had such a fun time. The deck hands were so helpful and worked FAST to untangle lines and help with the fish AND SHARKS you catch. We can't wait to go again and maybe do the full day. We got a great deal off of Groupon so I highly recommend keeping an eye out there.

This place has new owners and has made a ton of upgrades. They have an outside deck now which I…read morehugely prefer to the inside. They have food now, cooked outside in a food trailer. Plus business has picked up and they draw a bit of a crowd now. Very biker friendly as well. We chatted with the owner who is also the head chef. He was very cool and we hope the business will continue to build for him.

Odd but I love the restrooms! Full size real toilets sinks and room to go. All three I visited in…read morethe different areas , levels. We attended a beautiful wedding aboard and it was fantastic. Really impressed with the crew and the ship. Would love to go back. Five stars.

Staff/ crew friendly & welcoming. They reassured my son who was nervous at first. The bottom level…read moreis inside w/ big windows. Top level is covered w/ a better view. Seating available. Cruise was timely. Rate to cruise was reasonable. There's a bar, snacks offered also. Boat was pretty clean, restroom as well. Enjoyable experience.

**INITIAL REVIEW**…read more The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Tour (which I will shorthand simply to the Lighthouse Tour) has been one of those "backyard adventures" I've been wanting to go on for the longest time. Eventually, I was able to partake in said adventure with my friends, Nate and Chops. Afterwards, I have to say that even for a probably "one-and-done" for a tour, it is definitely worth every penny spent. This tour was everything I wanted and loved, and it delivered. First and foremost, the actual business building for the Lighthouse Tour is nothing you have to worry about. According to all the tours, you will meet up at the Sands Space Museum and take a charter van to multiple locales on the tour. Before we get to the actual tour I partook in, it should be noted there are numerous tour options such as the museums alone, the lighthouse alone, or the full experience. Prices range from $35 (lighthouse only) to $65 (full tour). I went with the latter which includes numerous museums, historic launch sites, and the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. It should also be noted that the more you do, the longer the tour. The full tour is four hours long. Please take note the things you need to check before the tour such as wearing shoes if you plan to walk up the five floors of the lighthouse, small bags allowed with small closed-contained foods and drinks only. Finally, you need to fill out a clearance check as all the stops, with the exception of Sands Space Museum, is on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Military Base. With those in mind, the full tour - known as the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse and Space Flight Tour - is all the stops if possible. I say "if possible" because some stops may be closed for maintenance or upgrades. For us, The Sands Space Museum, where the tour stars, was closed for renovation. However, the museum is free and not on protected property so I can go back and check it out. We visited four different launch sites, three museums, and the Cape Canaveral lighthouse. I personally loved the lighthouse and Hanger "A" which housed some of the larger historic rockets and jets that have helped bring NASA and the U.S. military where it is now. I personally was surprised that the first drone was used as target practice. I can't really detail everything I saw or this would become one my longest reviews, longer than I usually do. Just know that, like I said earlier in the review, for a possible one-and-done, it is worth every penny. However, if you really want to make sure the tour is a one-and-done, pay for the full tour. You'll have enough time to visit everything within the four hours, and if anything is closed, they'll take you to the Canaveral National Seashore, which was amazing because it is literally almost "untouched" by tourism. I will give this tour four out of five stars. I am not going to say consistency will earn the fifth star because only a super fan will take this tour numerous times... or work for the tour company. I will say that the lacking star has to do with the price. It can be high overall especially if stops are closed for some reason.

Great experience an excellent adventure for all in the family. Make sure add to you agenda.read more

I was in town with my guy for a work trip and needed something fun to do while he was stuck in…read moremeetings, and I'm SO glad I found this. I'm a big paddleboard person, so I figured kayaking couldn't be that different... and honestly, it was such a good call. I signed up for the morning paddle and Ian was our guide super friendly, easy to talk to, and actually knew a ton about the area without making it feel like a lecture. I was really hoping to see a manatee (still a little salty about that lol), but we did see a bunch of beautiful birds, tons of stingrays, and even a random little dolphin which totally made my day. The weather was perfect, the water was calm, and the whole experience was just really relaxing and fun. 10/10 would recommend if you're into paddling, kayaking, or just want a chill little water adventure.

2026 7 1: Okay, so we didn't see any dolphins or manatees, but I still give this trip a 5/5 stars!…read more We booked a 7:30pm to 9:30pm bio and mangrove tour. The funnest part was going through the mangrove tunnels! That was a barrel of laughs as we moved through "Tarzan style", that is, grabbing the branches and pulling yourself and your kayak through! My son was in the back of the kayak doing the work, while I was taking pics or videotaping, so I had to be careful of the rogue branch to the head! But it wasn't a problem, and I enjoyed myself immensely. When it got dark, we each put our nets (given to us to borrow) in the water, and the bottom of my net was glowing! It was a bio jellyfish or something, clear, and the size of a golf ball! While my son paddled, I would just hold the handle, with the net in the water, and I would catch 2 or 3 or 4 glowing, squishy balls! Wow, that was cool! It was a full moon, but we still got to experience some of the bio, with our net and our paddles pushing through the water. There were mosquitos, but Cocoa Kayaking supplies you with a lot of repellent to put on at the start, along with a life jacket. When you arrive, there's this building with a restaurant/bar inside, that's the only bathrooms there are, but Cocoa Kayaking will meet you not in a building, but way across the parking lot toward the water, you'll see a big truck and trailer with lots of kayaks on it. Our guide was super cool, very friendly, and always a bunch of interesting stories to tell, he was one of the best parts of the trip! And in general, I really just love to kayak, and the waters were calm, and the weather was perfect, so everything went great and I would def do it again! Oh, don't worry if you can't swim, a bunch of the trip, if you fell out, the water would only go to your knees. But you can't tell while you are kayaking, it feels like it could be 10 feet deep throughout most of the trip. But it wasn't. We also saw a stingray our guide picked up for us. So neat!! Oh, they also give you bags to put your stuff in the boat with you, so your stuff doesn't get wet. We brought water bottles but didn't stop to drink them, tho it was 80 degrees out. Never even thought of it. Don't forget your deet! (I was the only one who got bit - there were 5 of us--after putting on their stuff and my deet spray, and it was only 1 mosquito, with 2 + hours on the water. But it was on my knee, after I rolled up my jeans past my knees and never put any spray or lotion there.) Also, you can pay a little extra to have the guide to yourself (up to 10 people), or you can pay a little less, but they might add some strangers to your trip, also, up to 10 people. In our group there were us 5, another couple, and a single guy. Plenty of room for everyone, except for those in the back might not have heard everything the guide was saying, which was interesting and funny.

Great ride, distance was as advertised. Leader (Dave) asked if pace was OK. Pickup was seamless, on…read moretime. Turned out, we were the only two on the ride, which was nice. Bikes supplied were a good fit, in good condition and very pleasant to ride. Overall, A+ and would definitely recommend the Chain of Lakes tour for the average bike rider (I haven't been on my bike for 6 months and had no trouble at all).

We stayed in unit 710 for the last week, and while our vacation was enjoyable there were a few…read moremajor hiccups. First the elevator situation is incredibly frustrating, so much so that it made me not want to go down to the beach. I am able to walk down stairs pretty well, but am not able to walk up the stairs. We were on the 7th floor and there was only 1 somewhat functional elevator in service on property. The second elevator had a sign on it stating they were hoping to have it working by the end of March, but a resident that we spoke to said the sign had said February at one point. The functioning elevator was tiny, unreliable, and constantly stopped on the 3rd floor. Many times we waited between 5-10 minutes just for the opportunity to board. Also, the functioning elevator was not able to be used from the second and fourth floor, which I'm sure is illegal from an ADA standpoint. Second, the water was shut off 2 days in a row during our stay. The first day it was off between 10am-2pm which was no big deal. The second day was an unpleasant surprise and we were told it would be off between 8am and 2pm. Third, if you want to use the pool you better go early! People come out around 8am and claim all the chairs and tables in the pool area, so unless you beat them down there you won't have anywhere to sit. Overall our unit was nice but was in desperate need of upgrading in the common areas.

We are often on the space coast for work and combine it into a vacation to take advantage of the…read morebeach and the proximity to Orlando attractions. For the last 15 years we have been coming here and have stayed in probably 10 of the units. Each is individually owned so there is quite a variability in decoration, furnishings and electronics but they all have been very serviceable. The condos are 2 or 3 bedrooms and are a very decent size. It is right on the beach, with your own balcony with ocean view. The property has a very nice pool as well, shuffle board and putting green. There are the usual snowbird vacationers but still quite nice for the kids. We saw a great firework show from our balcony last night put on by the city. The management here is responsive and helpful. Each unit has a fully stocked kitchen (minus food!), access to washer and dryer (though ours had a set in the unit) and two full size bathrooms. The units are not luxurious but a good value. Some could use with updating or doing away with the ubiquitous beach theme decorations but overall they are comfortable, clean and convenient.