We went on a 9 a.m. hour long airboat ride, captained by Jeff, our very personable and knowledgeable guide. He was able to get us up close to an endangered snail kite, and close enough to photograph two bald eagles. The usual wading birds were present, and in spite of a bit of cloud cover, we were able to get close looks at Florida's dinosaur, the American alligator in a non-captive environment. This visit was a 65th birthday gift to my husband, whose pleasure was evident by the big smile with his face in the wind. We also walked through the animal park where we were very pleased to see how well taken care of the resident animals are. We enjoyed interacting with many of the birds, and found out that quite a few came to them as unwanted pets. I'm so glad they have rescued them, as birds can be very difficult to place in appropriate homes. The highlight of the animal park for us, was the female sloth and her weeks old baby clinging to her belly. She was more than willing to make herself and the baby viewable to anyone nearby. The keepers were happy to answer questions from visitors, and it appeared to us that they have a genuine interest in the well-being of their charges, and in educating visitors. We will definitely do this again.