What Makes a Sunset Airboat Tour Different from a Day Tour?
The country changes character in about twenty minutes and you get to sit still and watch it happen.
This couple had the boat to themselves. We ran out, found a bank with the sun lined up behind the palms, and shut it down. What you are looking at is the last of the light coming across a flooded prairie with nothing between us and the horizon except grass and a few sabal palms standing in the water.
That flat horizon is the reason it works here. There is no treeline, no rooftops, nothing to cut the sky off early. You get the whole thing from the first color to the last of it.
Wildlife shifts too. Gators that spent the afternoon on the bank slide back in, wading birds come through heading to roost, and the sound of the marsh changes over. Our sunset airboat tours catch that turn every evening.
Why Do the Lifted Seats Matter at Sunset?
The lifted seats sit up above the hull, so you are looking over the grass rather than through it.
That matters more than it sounds like it should. Marsh grass out here stands four and five feet in places, and from a low seat a lot of the view is the back of a reed bed. From up top you see across the prairie to the horizon, which is the entire point of being here at this hour.
It is the same reason the lifted seats help with wildlife. You are looking down into the water instead of level with it, and gators that would be invisible from a low deck show up clean.
Two people, one boat, seats up top, engine off. We usually sit there until the color is gone and then run back in the dark.
Every one of our private airboat tours runs this way, so the seats up top are yours rather than whoever boarded first.
The Prairie at Sunset, Moving
Photos flatten this out. Here is what the same evening looked like with the water still going by.
Is a Sunset Airboat Tour Worth It for a Date or an Anniversary?
It is most of what we book sunset trips for. Anniversaries, proposals, last night of a vacation, people who wanted to do one thing in Florida that was not a line.
The sky above came off the same property on a different evening, and it is not enhanced. Central Florida gets those long streaked ceilings when there is high cloud sitting over the prairie, and there is no way to schedule it. Some evenings the sun just drops and that is that. Others do this.
Either way you are out there with one other person and a captain, which is not something you can say about most things people do around Orlando at seven in the evening.
If you are driving in from the coast, it is a straight run. Guests coming off the ships book our Port Canaveral airboat tours for the evening slot all the time.
What You Get on a Sunset Tour
Sunset tours run 90 minutes and the boat is 100% private. Up to six people, and the timing moves through the year with the sun.
Lifted Seating
The elevated seats put you above the grass line so you see across the prairie instead of into it, and down into the water rather than level with it.
Hearing Protection
Every guest gets a proper headset, not foam plugs. You hear the captain clearly and the engine noise stays where it belongs.
Timed to the Sun
Departure moves with the season, so a July sunset tour leaves considerably later than a January one. We set your time when you book.
Bug Spray Helps
Evening on a marsh is evening on a marsh. Bring repellent and something with sleeves and you will not think about it again.
Pricing for 90 Minute Airboat Eco Tour
* Call for pricing on the night and lunch/dinner tours.
Book Your TourWho Is Taking You Out There?
Captain Seth Whitaker holds a Master Captain license from the U.S. Coast Guard. That is the highest level of professional mariner certification, and it takes thousands of hours of documented sea time, written exams, and regular renewals to hold onto.
He has been running the channels and marshes of the St. Johns River for over 15 years. This is not a side job. He grew up here, raised his family here, and knows which slough holds water in a dry spring and where the eagles nested last year.
All Switchgrass Outfitters boats are inspected and meet U.S. Coast Guard safety regulations, including fire extinguishers, life vests in every size, communication equipment, and maintenance logs.
You are not getting a seasonal hire reading off a script. You are getting somebody who lives on this river.
Real Reviews from Real Guests
"I'm going to tell you, this is the airboat guide you want. We had Seth, he was great. Showed us around and we saw well over 100 gators... A++++"
Erik B., Oviedo
(Google Review)
"Captain Seth has extensive knowledge of the area as he not only grew up there, but he is also raising his family and uses the land for sustainability... I highly recommend if you're in Christmas, Florida."
KeiLani B., Titusville
(Google Review)
"Just amazing, first time and it was the greatest experience ever. Seth was a fantastic guide... You won't regret it!"
Jessica S., Orlando
(Google Review)
Switchgrass Outfitters holds 314 five-star reviews across Google and TripAdvisor. We've earned TripAdvisor's Traveler's Choice Award, which places us in the top 10% of attractions worldwide based on traveler ratings.
Read More Reviews on GoogleFrequently Asked Questions
What time does the sunset airboat tour leave?
It moves with the season, since the point is to be on the water when the light goes. A July departure is considerably later than a January one. We set your exact time when you book.
What are the lifted seats on the airboat?
Elevated seating that sits above the hull line. Marsh grass out here runs four or five feet tall, so sitting up top means you see across the prairie to the horizon and down into the water rather than level with it.
Is the sunset tour private?
Yes. Every tour we run is 100% private, up to six guests. On the sunset slot that usually means a couple, a captain, and nobody else on the water within sight.
How much is a sunset airboat tour?
$85 per person for the 90 minute tour. The evening slot books up faster than the daytime runs, particularly on weekends and through the winter season.
Service Area: Nearby Cities We Serve
Switchgrass Outfitters is located in Christmas, Florida, and serves guests from across Central Florida. We are the premier choice for Port Canaveral airboat tours, offering a quick and straightforward drive from the cruise terminals. We're an easy drive from:
- Chuluota (9 miles)
- Bithlo (10 miles)
- Mims (15 miles)
- Geneva (16 miles)
- Titusville (17 miles)
- Oviedo (18 miles)
- Port Saint John (18 miles)
- Sharpes (19 miles)
- Cocoa (20 miles)
We're also convenient for visitors staying in Orlando, Sanford, and Altamonte Springs.
Book the Evening Slot
Sunset tours are $85 per person, run 90 minutes, and carry up to six people with nobody else aboard. The evening slot fills before the daytime runs do, especially on weekends and through the winter season.
We launch from 28500 E Colonial Dr in Christmas, FL, about 30 minutes east of downtown Orlando and roughly 45 minutes from the Disney area. Book online or call and you will hear back within 24 hours.
