I’m going to get the important part out of the way: everyone should go on a swamp boat tour!
Our “almost two full days” in New Orleans turned into a very late arrival and one full day thanks to slide issues on the RV. Luckily our Plantation and Swamp Boat tours weren’t affected.
We boarded a bus in the morning and set out for the Oak Alley Plantation followed by a Swamp Boat Tour with Cajun Pride Swamp Tours.
Captain Danny was our guide; what a character in all the good ways.
There were a few rules but the main one was this: don’t hang your hands or arms outside the boat because you may lose them. Suddenly all I wanted to do was point things out to Mark which mean putting my arm out of the boat. One stern look from Captain Danny and all pointing urges vanished.
We saw the first gator before leaving the dock and it was a steady stream throughout the ride. Also included at no charge were racoons and wild hogs.
Many of the gators were HUGE! Captain Danny told us the ones we were seeing weren’t even the biggest ones. He mentioned one that was 12-feet long and over 1,000 pounds. I can’t even imagine one that big slithering in the water towards me.
It wasn’t a hot day; we were in flannel while most of the gators lounged in the sun. They laid there until we got closer when many slid into the water ready for their treat.
Treat? Yep, marshmallows. Apparently, it’s their “good gator” treat. We took turns throwing marshmallows and I understood why there was a “no hands out of the boat” rule.
The racoons were hysterical. They seemed to be waving us down as we made our way towards them and scampered over to get the treats Captain Danny tossed from the boat. Racoons rarely got close to the waters’ edge, Captain Danny explained. Pure survival instinct to not be gator food.
Every bend in the bayou gifted us more gators. Some lurking low in the water while others laid so still in the sun, they actually looked fake until they opened their massive mouths. All were waiting for their treat as many of them slithered into the water for their treat. It was wild, almost ominous, seeing so many swimming towards us.
I’d love to say my former athlete marshmallow throw was wildly applauded by everyone in the boat. Instead, I got a funny scolding from Captain Danny after the treat ricocheted off the roof and into someone’s lap. Mark’s toss was perfect and quickly eaten.
Up next was a tiny cemetery. It’s a prop on the tour that pays homage to the town of Frenier that was destroyed in a 1915 hurricane.
The wild hogs were as entertaining as the racoons, just a lot louder.
There were two nears the waters’ edge when we quietly motored their way. Captain Danny let out a big sooo-eeee and the rest came running. Their treat was the same dog food mixture the racoons got. He threw several cupfuls and the snorting hogs kept coming through the trees, bushes and grass. It was wild to watch. Their color blends in which made good pictures tough. Captain Danny slowly rotated the boat so everyone got a good look at the feast.
Captain Danny shared a lot about the area and told stories along the way. He pointed out different birds and turtles throughout the tour that make the swamp their home.
Our last adventure of the day was in a tiny box near the helm. A tiny alligator!
Lucky us, we were seated close to the helm and had a great view of this cute little guy. Captain Danny explained that this was a juvenile gator and we had to be careful when we held him. For the gator’s safety and ours, we needed to hold him well within the edge of the boat so an outside gator didn’t try to get him. Yowza. We also had to keep him well inside the boat because his mouth was taped shut and he would die if he we dropped him in the water.
He was shockingly strong for his size and very calm. Captain Danny explained that when he got too big for handling, he would be donated to a local education center. We were one of the first to hold him. I looked in the water as he was getting passed around and noticed gators closer to us and told myself they gathered for marshmallows and not the little gator in the boat. Yep, 100% certain.
There was an alligator park right by Knott’s Berry Farm when I was a kid that we frequented. It’s long gone, replaced by a Claim Jumpers restaurant. I loved that place. This swamp boat tour tops it. I’m fully onboard to coming back every time we are in New Orleans.