I decided to have a mini adventure in the town of Astor, FL. I have never been on a boat tour and…read moredecided to try this one out. I must say I was impressed. We were greeted by the captain, a very funny and knowledgeable man. Once we are seated he goes over the safety rules. The boat sails off and we go out an hour away. Throughout this ride the captain shares the history of the area, facts about wildlife and his funny jokes! As you can see by the pictures I uploaded it is definitely a sight to behold. We saw native birds, beautiful eagles, turtles and yes lots of alligators! After we arrived back we had dinner at Blackwater Inn again a magnificent ending to the day. I highly recommend this tour, makes for a great date or nice way to spend the day. Fee is worth it $25 per person.

I am always skeptical of cheesy touristy boat tours captained by some local fry cook. This was…read moreabsolutely one of the best tours of any kind I've been on. The price is 25.00 per person which isn't a bad price. The boat is clean and in good shape and even has a bathroom on board. The trip lasts 2 hours and is packed full of humor and facts about the st. Johns and Florida in general. I learned a whole bunch of things I never knew and I've lived in Florida for 35 years. We saw alligators, birds, manatees, and local flora and fauna. We saw several bald eagles and even went into an alligator nest with 20 / 30 babies scurrying around. The whole experience was wonderful. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone interested in two hours of humor and interesting facts about Florida.

Please someone verify. They do not appear to be in business anymore. We have called for days, and…read morethere is no sign of life at their location. They have boat ads on boattrader com . Something is wrong.

This place is great. Reason why, you ask?…read more It's about the people, knowledgeable, professional, courteous, and friendly. Complete service and repairs, from a missing nut to a new motor install. Well stocked ship's store, groceries, and fuel. Great location on the river. What more could you want?

We checked in on the 24th of April 2026. The cabin looked like it was falling apart on the outside…read more The inside was clean and okay. But the office is also a bar and it says it closed at 9:00pm . We were up probably until 3:00am because the bar was still open and a lot of noise. And also the boat slips are really small. It broke the light off the top of the booat. The people were friendly but las night and early this morning everyone there was intoxicated. We were afraid to say anything. Didn't get much sleep at all. And we have a 4 hour drive home.

From the owner: Bait/Tackle - Cabin/Boat rentals - Beer/Wine Bar Directly on…read morethe St. John's River in Astor Florida Cabins are fully furnished and sleep 2-6 people. Each unit has a kitchen and bath, flat screen TV with cable and internet. 100 yards to public boat ramp. Quiet, friendly atmosphere.

I've paddled the Emerald Cut a few times now. Initially I didn't like the idea of paying to launch…read moremy own paddleboard. However, it's only $10 now that I have my own life jacket (saving me additional cost of $5 to use one of theirs, as required). Well worth the low cost for some soul-enriching, communing with nature. I have never made a reservation. I normally arrive around 10:30, most recently on a Friday. Parked for free on Baptist Camp Rd. Just a bit of a walk from there with my inflated paddleboard, but I don't mind the extra exercise. You can unload your stuff closer, if preferable. There are port-a-potties available. You can count on there being a line in the check-in office. Various recreation supplies are available there for purchase. The process moves reasonably enough. A reservation will guarantee your entrance, however, and possibly aide quicker personal info collection. I always plan to do the Emerald Cut in roughly 3 hours round-trip, allowing myself several stops to enjoy the surroundings. You do run into (quite literally at times) novice paddlers along the way, which can be a bit tricky, yet not a real nuisance for me. In general, there's friendliness along the waterway. Slighty rowdy, party vibes in some spots, but also opportunities for solace and zen in various nooks. Encountering wildlife, fragrant elderberry, and other captivating flora along this stretch is always gratifying. It's a popular recreation destination for good reason.

This is one of the most beautiful places in Florida! Highly recommend visiting at least once. Being…read morelocal, I've visited a number of times. A few things knock the stars down: - The amount of rules/ regulations is a downside. There are more than any other river we've visited in Florida. It's nerve wracking to make sure you're following every new rule. - Launching and landing at the dock is stressful. It feels rushed and disorganized. - The bathroom situation is DIRE. They have a few porta potties but they're pretty gross. - I've found some of the staff intimidating/ borderline rude. There are a lot of newbies to kayaking/ paddleboarding so patience is a virtue at busy times! It's a hard paddle up stream and coming back it can be easy to lose control around the corners. There are a few spots to be cautious of other paddlers. With that said, it's really stunning. They keep the area very clean and there are a lot of spots to pull off to the side to enjoy the view. I've never done a guided tour, but I've heard they're really well done!

The folks at Deland Boat Center operate at 110% ! Honest, knowledgeable and eager to help. Thank…read moreyou for getting us back on the river soaking up the Florida sun, just in time for the Holiday crowd to arrive :) Barbara B

Paul and Irene and the crew are awesome. Unfortunately it means they're always busy. Not a bad…read moreproblem to have. Merc and mercruiser are their specialty.

We had a great time on the boat tour of Lake Dora and the Dora Canal. Captain John and 1st mate…read moreErin did a wonder job of narrating the tour and the things we saw. Would definitely recommend and look forward to doing this tour again in the future! Thank you!

What an amazing tour...so two, two hour tours are usually offered daily 10am and 2pm. The boats…read moreleave from Lakeside Inn, and there is plenty of parking in beautiful downtown Mount Dora. Premier Boats tours will give you a clean boat, even with a bathroom. You will learn about a few homes and take the majestic journey through the Dora Canal, seeing so much wildlife. You will see birds, turtles and if you are lucky an alligator. The boat is very comfortable and you will be talking about your tour for a long while. If you are lucky you will get Donna as your narrator! A must do and a great value!

Went today with my family from Texas on the Airboat ride. Josh our Boat Captain was great and very…read moreknowledgeable. Brittany help us with our reservation and was very professional. We were very happy we book our trip and glad we went in the early morning with the cooler temperature. Everyone had a fun time.

Absolutely incredible tour. So much fun and Josh is very informative and quite personable. I…read morehighly recommend the 90 minute tour. We saw a lot of gators as well as other wildlife. Fun airboat ride to boot.