River Boat Tour

The River Boat Tour along the Wakulla River is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Tallahassee area!

This world-class wildlife viewing event takes visitors on a two mile loop downstream and back among majestic bald cypress trees, elegant wading birds and toothy alligators. Manatees are often sighted, but their presence is not dependable. The ranger-led tour not only highlights the wildlife, but often includes stories of human interactions with the spring. They sometimes feature the lives of indigenous peoples, movies filmed during the Edward Ball years, and/or the more recent adventures of explorations within the caves that bring water to the spring.

The River Boat Tours run 365 days a year weather permitting (Temperatures must be above 40 degrees and tours are not conducted during thunderstorms.) The boats are 30 feet long and have a roof. There are also wheelchair accessible boats available upon request. A manual wheelchair is also available for use upon request at the Waterfront Visitors Center.

Booking Info
• Currently, reservations are required. Same-day reservations may be made up to 1 hour before departure at the Lodge front desk; however, with the popularity of the trip, space may not be available.
• Boat Capacities are set at 32 people. Only 16 tickets will be sold for each boat in advance of any date, and the remaining 16 are available the day of walk-in, in person, 1st come 1st serve. If you cannot get the quantity of tickets online please know that only 16 tickets will remain day of
• Two of our vessels are ADA-friendly. Requests for ADA vessels must be made at the time of booking.

During the summer months, the park often reaches capacity quickly. We recommend arriving at least one hour before your scheduled boat tour, as traffic and entrance lines can be longer than usual.

Large Groups
For large groups of up to 20 guests, please call our front desk at (850) 421-2000 if you will be in a group of 21 to 32 guests we will direct you to our contract department. Larger groups can charter whole boat tours at special times.