Myakka River State Park
add photosAIR BOAT AND TRAM FARES AND SCHEDULES
Winter Tour Schedule: Dec 16th - May 31st
Boat tours: 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:00 PM & 2:30 PM
Tram Tours 1:00 PM & 2:30 PM
Summer Tour Schedule: June 1st - Dec 15th
Boat tours: 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM, & 1:00 PM
Tram Tours not available
Adults: $12.00 per person; Children 6 - 12, $6.00. Children 5 and under, free if held in lap. Special discount: Take a boat or tram tour and get a ticket for a $6 discount on your next ride.
3 Reviews for Myakka River State Park
3
10 families found this helpful
"Beautiful nature"
We visited the Myakka River State Park in March 2011 with my in-laws and our 21 month old daughter. We arrived at the park around 11 am and went straight to the boat docks to get tickets for the 11:30 air boat tour. The tour was enjoyable, we chose this one because it was a slower air boat so we wouldn't have to worry about the baby getting knocked around, she fell asleep within 10 minutes so it didn't matter much anyway :) On the tour we saw lots of gators, birds and other wildlife - would be great for a little bit older kids who are into animals. We just liked the boat ride and being out on the river (which felt more like a lake). The tour guide was typical cheeseball, but it is what it is and most people liked his jokes.
We had lunch in the gift shop near the boat docks which was much better than expected for a state park, and the cafe was very nice as well.
Our next, and final, stop was at the canopy walk. It was an easy hike through the woods to a tower leading to a suspension bridge across to a second, taller, tower. We had our daughter in the baby carrier so the stairs up to the bridge were not a big deal, but I don't think it is a good idea for younger walkers, it was a lot of stairs to climb. We also decided not to make the additional climb on the opposite tower up to the lookout platform because we were carrying the baby - it required a significant amount of additional flights of stairs. It was beautiful though and worth the trip. I'll add some pictures.
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1 family found this helpful
"Beautiful nature"
We visited the Myakka River State Park in March 2011 with my in-laws and our 21 month old daughter. We arrived at the park around 11 am and went straight to the boat docks to get tickets for the 11:30 air boat tour. The tour was enjoyable, we chose this one because it was a slower air boat so we wouldn't have to worry about the baby getting knocked around, she fell asleep within 10 minutes so it didn't matter much anyway :) On the tour we saw lots of gators, birds and other wildlife - would be great for a little bit older kids who are into animals. We just liked the boat ride and being out on the river.
We had lunch in the gift shop near the boat docks which was much better than expected for a state park, and the cafe was much nicer than I would have thought.
Next we did the boardwalk hike near the boat parking and that was a pretty easy walk - we put our daughter in her stroller and had to contend with a few overgrown roots along the way but it was mostly fine. When you get out to the platform there are some educational displays that older children would like, gator sounds and things like that. Beyond the platform there is a trail to walk out on to get right at the bank of the river. We were within 40 yards of a gator, and could have gotten closer, so watch the kiddos here!
Our last stop was at the canopy walk. It was an easy hike through the woods to a tower leading to a suspension bridge across to a second, taller, tower. We had our daughter in the baby carrier so the stairs up to the bridge were not a big deal, but I don't think it is a good thing for younger walkers, it was a lot of stairs. We also decided not to make the additional climb on the opposite tower up to the lookout platform because we were carrying the baby - it required significantly more flights of stairs. It was beautiful though and worth the trip. I'll add some pictures.
'11
1 family found this helpful
"Get in touch with nature"
This park has miles of trails where you can hike, bike, or ride your own horse. There are both air-boat tours or water tram tours where you can check out the rustic areas of the park. Unfortunately, we went during the summer and apparently at the wrong time, as neither boat ride was open. However, I do plan to take the family back to the park within the next few weeks and as soon as I do, I will edit my review to include more info on the boat tour. However, we did get to walk the trails and do the canopy walkway, which was pretty awesome. The canopy walkway is only about a 5 minute walk from the parking lot, which was convenient as it started raining as soon as we climbed down and we had to make a run for it. Nevertheless, it's a cool feature.
Also, there is lots of wildlife in the park. The day we went, the park was pretty deserted, so the animals were out and about. We saw feral pigs, deer, hawks, turtles, etc. Camping is available at the park for a small nightly fee. All in all, it was a nice, rustic park with lots to offer for nature-loving families like ourselves. I highly recommend it for an inexpensive half day activity.
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