We had a lovely trip on the water on a beautiful sunny day with Captain Dave. The place was packed and crowded and we ended up starting our tour late because there was only one working bathroom with a long line. We did let the front desk know, but they were not very helpful. It also took us a while to find parking as the sites were not well marked. We went to see the white pelicans, and unfortunately there were only two on the island during our trip as our guide said that fisherman had recently scared them away. The area was beautiful and we learned a lot about mangroves and the local birds. Pro tip: get there early and try to pee somewhere else before you go to make the most out of your one and a half hour trip! They schedule the trips back to back so there's not a lot of room for error - as soon as we docked, the next group was waiting to jump right on the boat - we barely had time to give our captain his well deserved tip. *The three stars is not reflective of the boat trip itself, which was amazing and our captain was wonderful. It reflects the disorganization of the company in general. We originally had 1 PM reservations and were coming from Naples, almost an hour away. At 11:15 pm they asked if we could arrive by 12:30 pm - not clarifying this meant they wanted us to hop on the boat right at 12:30. We left Naples right away, but given the previously described parking and bathroom situation we ended up starting the trip about 10 minutes late, which was unfortunate and created issues at the end that took away from the overall experience. read more

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Great fun. We saw two dolphin pods, birds, and a crocodile. The small boat was the perfect experience for us. Thank you Corey! Tip: When you arrive, go into the museum and confirm your reservation. read more

Smallwood Store Boat Tour - Boat Tours Near Me - Chokoloskee, Florida

Did the Watson tour which was informative and fun. Corey the guide was excellent. We had so much fun we booked a night tour that same day. The night boat tour was unbelievable. Everyone should take the tour! read more

I loved our tour of the Ten Thousand Islands with captain Gary!!! He was such a nice guy, very informative and friendly and made us feel like the tour was all about us. He grew up in the area and knows just about everything there is to know! I highly recommend Smallwood and captain Gary! The Smallwood store and museum is also very interesting and a fun time to look around! read more

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We had Captain Gary as our boat captain for the sunset tour. This was one of the most amazing experiences we have ever had. Gary was engaging, funny, personable and knowledgeable about the ten thousand islands/Everglades area. The stories he told us about growing up in the area and his experiences gave the tour a personal and unique touch. If you go to the Everglades/Ten thousand islands, you NEED to book the tour with Gary. You will not be disappointed! Spending 2 hours with Gary on his boat tour was the most memorable part of our two days in the Everglades. Thank you Gary for this amazing experience! read more

Smallwood Store Boat Tour - Boat Tours Near Me - Chokoloskee, Florida

We had Captain Daniel as our guide. He was local and very much knew the area. Highly recommend this tour. You must be able to get in and out of a boat, and be ready for some bumps, waves, and splash. read more

It's worth asking for Corey or his dad for your tour guide! This store is 7th generation own and operated! Corey's stories are worth the price of admission without a boat ride. But do the tour! I've lived in Florida for sixty years and Corey showed us wildlife and fish in its native habitat. Flora and Fauna we would not have ever seen if we didn't go on his Everglades tour! One more reason I Love MY FL! My husband is a Florida fishing guide and even he was impressed with Corey and the history. Thanks Corey Wishing you and yourr family many more years to tell your stories and the history of the area, as you guys are an integral part of that history. Capt. Mike Maher and Wife read more

Smallwood Store Boat Tour - MY FL - Boat Tours Near Me - Chokoloskee, Florida

Stopped here today because of the hype about the nostalgic store. Was greeted at the top of the stairs entry to tell us it was $5.00 each for my wife and I to enter the so called museum. What we encountered upon entering was an unorganized swath of miscellaneous, un-themed junk. Probably were a few cool things had anyone bothered to give an explanation or history of what we were looking at. Spent a few minutes then claustrophobia over took us. While leaving, there was a young lady and her son coming up the stairs. The tattooed face punk kept waving me on, saying for me to "move along" so he could ring up a customer. I was like, I can't! There are people coming up the stairs. He told me again and I said "would you like me to mow over the family coming up the stairs"? He responded that I didn't have to be rude. Really!? I was the rude one!? Folks please don't waste your money on the biggest ball of twine money trap. read more

I am here on a school trip, and I am so happy this was on our itinerary! We arrived at the dock, and were greeted with multiple boats, and smiling captains. All of us split up into groups, and rode off in the distance. It was exhilarating. The captain was so catering, and made the experience even better. We stopped at small beaches and looked at impeccable wildlife. We even were lucky to see exquisite dolphins jumping in our wake. Smiles were plastered on our faces the whole time. As we arrived back up at the dock, our smiles instantly faded because the amazing experience was over. read more

Umm, my profile picture is me, tottering off this very boat at the landing at Watson's Place. Pretty chilling if you've read Peter Matthiessen's books. I can't imagine that there is a better boat tour anywhere in the area. The captain is terrific, and vastly knowledgeable, both about where to go to see the best, and to explain what he's gotten you to. The boat can fly: bring sunscreen and sunglasses and a windproof jacket. But with that, you will have a great time, and get a better feel for one of the strangest, wildest parts of these United States. read more

Great place to go if your wanting a little adventure! Our tour guide, Gary was amazing! He was laid back, funny and even managed to get some dolphins to swim behind our boat in the wake! I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting the area! read more

4 of us took a trip on the Smallwood Store private motorboat tour, and it was fantastic! Captain Gary was awesome! He asked us what we'd most like to see and then took us there. He took us through a Mangrove Canopy, to islands where osprey were nesting, to see Manatees, to a really lovely, serene island (all to ourselves) for shelling, and then on a hunt for dolphins...and did we ever see dolphins!!! A group of 3 dolphins were jumping, twirling and splashing us for almost 20 minutes!! We had the most wonderful time! Thanks so much Captain Gary! I'd highly recommend this boat tour. read more

Yep! This is the real thing. First, tour the smallwood store then take the long boat tour thru the 10,000 islands. To really enhance your visit research the history surrounding the Chokoloskee area. This is REAL Florida! It's fast disappearing so take haste! P.S. eat at Cafe Havana. read more

As soon as we got on the boat, Captain Gary established great rapport with us and asked us what kind of boat ride we were looking for. The result? A personalized fun time for all four of us. This was the highlight of our vacation. He told us some history of the area, some stories of his childhood and anecdotes of friends and neighbors between showing us natural habitats and wildlife. We saw osprey, bald eagle, white pelican, ibis, manatees, and he refused to dock until he made dolphins chase behind our boat! We took the early tour (9-11) which yielded lots of sightings. It was impressive that he took extra time with us, asking if he could keep us out longer. The best part was that he enjoyed it just as much as us. Once we disembarked, we saw him head out almost immediately with another group. He chose to stay out longer with us rather than get lunch. I mean, doesn't that say it all? Great experience. We all had a blast and learned a lot. read more