Airboat Tours Near Palm Beach Shores, FL
Airboat tours Palm Beach Shores resort and marina guests plan for a day off the ocean: leave the inlet and Peanut Island behind, drive south and west, and ride a private boat into the freshwater Everglades with a native captain.
“Text or call me and I’ll get you out on the water — I can’t wait to see you out in the swamp!”— Captain Billy, owner & native Everglades guideThe nearest private airboat tours Palm Beach Shores visitors can book run with Aces Airboat Tours from launches on the northern edge of the Everglades, usually The Landing on Loxahatchee Road. From the tip of Singer Island it is a real drive, so plan half a day. Your group gets the boat and captain to itself.
East to West Across South Florida
Florida's easternmost point is in Palm Beach Shores, according to the town's profile, and the Everglades lies on the far western side of the suburbs. An airboat day from here is a trip across the width of the developed coast, and it takes some driving. We say that up front so you can plan it well.
Most resort guests treat it as a half-day outing. Head out Blue Heron Boulevard to I-95, travel south toward the Broward line and turn west to the marsh. The getting-here section below lists the measured miles and minutes from the town to each of our launches.
Timing makes the biggest difference. Leave after the morning rush, ride mid-morning and you are back at the pool by mid-afternoon. Couples often prefer the evening: an afternoon at the beach, then a sunset airboat tour with the sky turning gold over the sawgrass.
Why make the trip when the inlet is right outside your door? Because the ocean and the River of Grass are two completely different worlds. One is reef, current and blue water. The other is freshwater marsh to the horizon, alligators on the banks and a silence you only hear when the engine stops.
Sport Fishing Crews and Snorkelers Off the Water
Palm Beach Shores draws resort guests, divers, snorkelers and sport fishermen, people who already spend their days on boats. An airboat gives that crowd something new: a boat with no keel, no draft and no channel to follow, pushed by an aircraft-style propeller across water a few inches deep.
Sport fishing crews from Sailfish Marina will want to ask about our Everglades fishing tours, which run into freshwater canals and marsh that bank anglers never reach. It is a very different fight from offshore trolling, and a fun change on a day when the ocean is too rough to run.
Snorkelers who have explored Peanut Island Park or the reef at Phil Foster Park will enjoy the slow, engine-off stops on the marsh. Instead of reef fish, you watch anhingas dry their wings and herons stalk the shallows. Our Everglades nature tours build in more of those quiet stops.
Thrill seekers can go the other way. An airboat sliding tour spins and slides across wet sawgrass in a way no inlet boat ever could.
Every tour is a private boat, so your crew sets the agenda, and every seat is a front-row seat.
Why Airboat Tours Palm Beach Shores Guests Book Go Private
Resort guests choose Aces because the boat belongs to their group, not to a crowd. Big parks load twenty-plus strangers onto one boat with a microphone. Our fleet is built small instead: four 2-passenger airboats, two 8-passenger boats and one 15-passenger boat for larger parties. See them all on our boats page.
That size matters on airboat tours, Palm Beach Shores couples tell us, because a 2-passenger boat feels like a private charter in the middle of the Everglades. Families get the 8-passenger boat to themselves, and wedding parties or reunions staying at the Palm Beach Shores Resort and Vacation Villas can fill the big boat or run several side by side.
The people behind the business matter too. Aces is family-owned. Captain Billy has spent more than sixty years in and around the Everglades, built his airboats by hand and still answers the phone himself. Captain Bill brings more than thirty years as a naturalist captain.
Planning a celebration? Our bachelor party airboat tours and group options turn a beach weekend into a story the whole party tells.
How Far Is the Airboat Launch From Palm Beach Shores?
From Palm Beach Shores, the closest Aces launch is The Landing in Parkland. The usual route: Blue Heron Blvd to I-95, south to Glades Rd, west to US-441/SR-7, south to Loxahatchee Rd, then west.
- The Landing, Parkland: about 49 miles, roughly 75-85 minutes by car outside rush hour.
- Sawgrass Expressway at Atlantic Blvd: about 56 miles, roughly 75-85 minutes by car outside rush hour.
We also run trips from our Stub Canal launch on request; ask Captain Billy which ramp suits your group.
Times are measured from central Palm Beach Shores and grow at rush hour and on event weekends. Captain Billy confirms the exact meeting spot, parking and what to bring when you text or call 561-660-2419. All three launches open onto the same wild, gator-rich northern Everglades, so pick whichever is easiest for your day. See every launch on our pickup locations page.
A Slice of Old Florida, Then a Bigger One
Palm Beach Shores occupies the southern tip of Singer Island, across the Palm Beach Inlet from the Town of Palm Beach. Its many restored mid-century homes give it the character of "a slice of old Florida," and visitors who stroll Ocean Avenue and Inlet Way feel that right away.
The Everglades offers old Florida on a far larger scale. Before canals and suburbs, a huge share of South Florida was slow-moving water and sawgrass flowing south toward Florida Bay. The part you ride with Aces, in the Water Conservation Areas west of the coast, is a managed remnant of that River of Grass, overseen by the South Florida Water Management District.
Out there, you cross open marsh, long canals beside the levees and tree islands that rise from the grass like green rafts. Lily-pad pools open up between them, and on calm days the water mirrors the clouds.
Ask your captain how the water moves through the system and how restoration projects aim to send more of it south the natural way. If your stay ends with a cruise from the Port of Palm Beach, ride the day before you sail and tell Captain Billy your ship times so the schedule stays relaxed.
Text or Call Captain Billy Today!
“Text or call me and I’ll get you out on the water — I can’t wait to see you out in the swamp!”— Captain Billy, owner & native Everglades guide
Gators and Birds of the Northern Marsh
Alligators are the star of the marsh. We see wild American alligators on the vast majority of airboat tours Palm Beach Shores families take with us, from big adults sunning on the banks to small ones tucked among the lily pads. They are wild, so we never promise. The FWC's alligator profile is a quick read before the ride.
Bird life is rich and varied. Great blue herons, great and snowy egrets, white ibis, anhingas and ospreys are regulars, and roseate spoonbills appear when conditions line up. Turtles bask along the canal banks.
Gators are active all year. The dry season, roughly November through April, brings cooler air and wildlife gathered in the deeper channels. Summer brings tall green sawgrass and afternoon storms that pass quickly, so mornings and evenings are the best times to ride. For the full rundown, see our Everglades wildlife guide.
Night owls can try a Red Eye Gator night tour, when a spotlight turns gator eyes into glowing orange dots across the water.
Booking From the Tip of Singer Island
Booking is a text or a call to Captain Billy at 561-660-2419. Tell him your date, your group size and whether you want wildlife, speed or both. He suggests a boat, confirms the launch and sends directions. Every tour is a private boat, so ask him directly for your rate.
- Text or call with your date, a backup date and your group size.
- Captain Billy confirms the boat, the launch and the meeting time.
- Drive or take a rideshare from your resort, arriving a few minutes early.
- Meet your captain and head onto the marsh.
Bring sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat that stays on and shoes that will not slip off. We hand out hearing protection on every ride. Our what to wear guide covers the rest.
Read what past guests say on our reviews page, where Aces holds a 4.9-star Google rating. Exploring more of the area? See Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach and the full Palm Beach County list. The airboat tours Palm Beach Shores guests remember start with one text.
Popular Airboat Tours Near Palm Beach Shores
Everglades Airboat Tours
The signature private ride through wild sawgrass, tree islands and gator water.
Explore Tour
Sunset Tours
Ride out as the sky lights up over the open marsh.
Explore Tour
Red Eye Gator Night Tours
Scan the marsh by spotlight for glowing alligator eyes.
Explore Tour
Sunrise Tours
Cool air, glassy water and the most active wildlife of the day.
Explore Tour
Fast Airboat Tours
Full-throttle sawgrass runs, spins and slides with a pro at the stick.
Explore Tour
Private Tours
Your group, your captain, your boat. No strangers aboard.
Explore Tour3 Convenient South Florida Pickup Points
Choose the launch closest to you — every ride heads into the same wild, gator-filled Everglades sawgrass.
Stub Canal
Off the Sawgrass Expressway area — easy access from Broward County.
Book From HereSawgrass Expressway at Atlantic Blvd
Convenient ramp right off the Sawgrass Expressway at Atlantic Boulevard.
Book From HereThe Landing
Our north Broward launch on Loxahatchee Road near Parkland.
Book From HereWhat Our Guests Say
Real Google reviews from guests who rode the wild Everglades with Captain Billy and Captain Bill.
What an absolute amazing experience! Our captain is one of the most experienced men in the Everglades. We explored the wildlife including up to 30 alligators, several species of birds, frogs and fish. Well worth it, and you get a private party instead of being with strangers.
Called Captain Bill at 9 AM and asked if he could do a 10 AM run. He said yes and met me right on time. We saw two alligators, a pink spoonbill and numerous herons. If you want the real Everglades with someone who actually lives in them, book Captain Bill. Highly recommended.
Our captain was the best! We live in South Florida and bring guests all the time. By far the most fun. I loved the fast paths and the way we went side to side.
We had a terrific time with Airboating Bill and his mate for the day. They were very knowledgeable about the history of the area and all of the wildlife. We really enjoyed learning his family history and the ride was so much fun.
What an absolute amazing experience! Our captain is one of the most experienced men in the Everglades. We explored the wildlife including up to 30 alligators, several species of birds, frogs and fish. Well worth it, and you get a private party instead of being with strangers.
Called Captain Bill at 9 AM and asked if he could do a 10 AM run. He said yes and met me right on time. We saw two alligators, a pink spoonbill and numerous herons. If you want the real Everglades with someone who actually lives in them, book Captain Bill. Highly recommended.
Our captain was the best! We live in South Florida and bring guests all the time. By far the most fun. I loved the fast paths and the way we went side to side.
We had a terrific time with Airboating Bill and his mate for the day. They were very knowledgeable about the history of the area and all of the wildlife. We really enjoyed learning his family history and the ride was so much fun.
Palm Beach Shores Airboat Tour Questions
Are there airboat tours near Palm Beach Shores?
Not on Singer Island, where the water is the inlet, the lagoon and the ocean. The closest private airboat tours Palm Beach Shores visitors can book run from Aces launches on the northern edge of the Everglades. It is a real drive, best planned as a half-day outing.
Can I do an airboat tour on a cruise day from the Port of Palm Beach?
We suggest the day before you sail or the day you return. The drive to our launches is long enough that a ride on boarding morning is risky. Text Captain Billy at 561-660-2419 with your ship times and he will plan around them.
How much is a private airboat ride near Singer Island?
Every Aces tour is a private boat, so the rate depends on your group size, the boat and the length of the ride. Text or call Captain Billy at 561-660-2419 for your rate. You get the whole boat, not a shared seat.
Can you fish from an airboat in the Everglades?
Yes. Aces runs fishing trips into freshwater canals and marsh that bank anglers cannot reach, a fun change for sport fishermen when the ocean is rough. Ask Captain Billy about licenses, gear and the best season when you book.
Is an airboat tour good for couples?
Yes. A 2-passenger airboat gives a couple the marsh to themselves, and sunset rides are the favorite. Every seat is a front-row seat, so the view is never blocked. Many couples ride on an anniversary or a honeymoon stay.
What should I bring on an airboat tour?
Bring sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat that will not blow off, water and a zip bag for your phone. Wear closed-toe shoes or secure sandals and a light layer. We provide hearing protection, so you do not need your own.
How long is the drive from Palm Beach Shores to an Aces airboat launch?
From central Palm Beach Shores, The Landing in Parkland is about 49 miles away, roughly 75-85 minutes by car outside rush hour. Captain Billy confirms the exact meeting spot when you book by text or call at 561-660-2419.
Which Aces launch is closest to Palm Beach Shores?
For most Palm Beach Shores guests it is The Landing in Parkland. We also launch from our Stub Canal launch, our Sawgrass Expressway launch at Atlantic Boulevard, and every launch opens onto the same wild northern Everglades.
Airboat Tours Near Palm Beach Shores
Ready to Trade the Inlet for the Everglades?
Text or call Captain Billy with your date and group, and he will set up a private airboat ride worth the drive west from Palm Beach Shores.
“Text or call me and I’ll get you out on the water — I can’t wait to see you out in the swamp!”— Captain Billy, owner & native Everglades guide