Okefenokee Swamp Park

A few weeks ago I was able to travel over to Waycross and see the Okefenokee Swamp for the first time. Being from and growing up here in South Georgia, I have always heard about it but never had the chance to go. The only contact I had to the Swamp before the trip was the smoke that covers Saint Simons when they have wildfires, which is more common than you would think. While the wildfires are good for the swamp and very beneficial, it's no fun for the rest of us who lives in the smoke for weeks on end.

Known as the "Land of the Trembling Earth," the swamp covers more than 600 square miles. It has an incredible history dating back to the Native Americans and the Okefenokee Swamp Park does a great job of retelling its history. 

The admission was under $20 a person and this included the boat tour. This tour was the main thing we wanted to do and because we went in the dead middle of the parks' offseason, there wasn't much else being offered.

The boat tour lasted about 45 minutes and took us through one of the thousands of small creeks that make up the Swamp. The boat was nothing more than a Carolina Skiff and the captain of the boat also served as the tour guide. He said he was a native of the swamp, his family dating back six generations, and had plenty of interesting stories to back this up. The tour covered the Swamp's history and also gave light to its ecosystem. The park is most famous for the alligators that call it home and quite a few could be seen. The captain also had a few baby alligators that we were able to touch and see up close. 

Following the tour, we took a small train ride which was nothing more than the boat tour on land. The tracks went out into parts of the Swamp and encompassed the park. There was also a guide on this tour and explained everything that we passed. The park had rebuilt scenes from the Swamps history that were very cheesy and obviously a reproduction. None the less, they were interesting to look at while the history was being told. 

There were also areas where they had displayed the animals that lived throughout the swamp. Mostly snakes, they also had an otter that was pretty cool to watch.

Overall, the trip to the park was a great time. Besides the almost cheesiness and outdatedness of the place, it was very interesting. We were told by our Captain that he also gives night tours that take you out through the swamp and allows you to see much more. Being that everything is nocturnal in the Swamp, this would be a much more interesting boat ride. This is a trip I hope to take this spring at some point.

If you get a chance, go see the park for yourself!