Beyond the Mouse: A Real Traveler’s Guide to Florida

Posted on August 4, 2026August 3, 2026 by Dusty Roads | No Comments

A woman wearing oversized white cartoon gloves, sunglasses, a white shirt, and a dark jacket stands on a grassy roadside with her arms raised in front of the Walt Disney World entrance sign that reads “Where Dreams Come True.” Colorful flags and a castle graphic top the sign, capturing a playful and celebratory moment at the park entrance.

Don’t try this yourself. It’s illegal!

The Happiest Place on Earth… and the Sweatiest

Rats and Mice on barrels Let’s talk about that tourist trap known as the Happiest Place on Earth — Disney World. I’m not anti‑Disney or anti‑mouse. Mice can be adorable, and who’s cuter than Mickey and Minnie? But Florida is hot, and if you take your vacation in the summer, you can add humidity thick enough to swim through.

And then there are the lines. Disney tried to make things better with FastPass, but I’m not convinced it helped much. Don’t get me wrong — Disney is an amazing place. I once dragged my friend and her kids there because I thought it would be magical. Spoiler: it wasn’t. The kids whined, the adults wilted, and it turned into one of the most exhausting vacations I’ve ever taken.

Ironically, the big hit of that trip wasn’t Disney at all — it was the Serpentarium. Cheaper, cooler, and the kids loved every minute.

My Disney Resume (and Why Animal Kingdom Wins)

I’ve been to Disney World more times than I can count. My favorite part? Animal Kingdom, for obvious reasons. You get to rumble around in an old safari truck and see genuinely amazing animals. It’s the closest thing Disney has to real adventure.

I’ve also been to Disneyland in California — the original. But honestly? It’s a shadow of the Florida version. If you’re a roller‑coaster person, maybe it’s worth it. But the price tag… let’s just say you shouldn’t need a second mortgage to ride Space Mountain.

The Real Florida: Wild, Wet, and Full of Gators

So what’s truly fun in Florida? For me, it’s the Everglades.

Alligators are everywhere — so common you practically have to watch where you step when you get out of your car. And if you want cute? There’s nothing quite like a mama gator with her babies riding on her back. Alligators are surprisingly good mothers. They guard their nests, stay close to their hatchlings, and the babies even chirp to call their moms.

Shark Valley: Wildlife, Science, and Shade

If you enter the Everglades at Shark Valley, you can take a tram tour led by a biologist who points out everything from alligators to Wood Storks to the occasional deer. They explain the terrain, the ecosystem, and the challenges the Everglades face today. And best of all — it beats walking in the heat.

Holiday Park and the Gator Boys

Another fun stop is Holiday Park, once home to the Gator Boys TV show on Animal Planet (2012–2014). They still host alligator shows, and you can hop on an airboat right from there.

Airboats: Florida’s Version of a Thrill Ride

Airboat rides are one of the best ways to experience the Everglades. They’re fast, breezy, loud, and ridiculously fun. The operators slow down to point out wildlife, especially gators. Honestly, it’s almost as much fun as a log ride at Disney — maybe even better.

Final Verdict

Visiting the Mouse is fine. It’s fun, it’s iconic, and everyone should experience it at least once. But me? I’d go back to the Everglades any time. That’s where Florida really comes alive.

Mickey Mouse

Gator Wrestling Anyone?

Posted on January 29, 2016January 29, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Once we returned from air boat ride we followed the signs to the gator wrestling pit. This was in a different place from the old pit where I saw J Mark do his performance.

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The new pit had a cover so if the rain started only the wrestler would get wet. The audience would stay nice and dry. There were tip boxes placed along the fence.

We had a lady wrestler that I’d never seen before. I don’t think she was ever on the Gator Boys show but I could be wrong. I may have missed an episode or two.

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She did the usual tricks, nothing new. After the show you could have your picture taken with a baby alligator.

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I have to admit to feeling a bit let down. My last visit has so much emotion attached to it because J Mark passed away after I’d seen his show. As a result this visit left me feeling kind of flat. I would have liked to see one of the show’s principal’s make an appearance. But that was not to be on this day.

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The air boat ride was good, especially with the iguana at the end but I’ve been spoiled by going out on the smaller 6 person air boats. Now the big Holiday Park boats don’t have the same thrill as before.

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All I can say is they do good work, rescuing alligators and deserve support. I’m sure I’ll continue to keep them on my South Florida activity list.

Return to Everglades Holiday Park

Posted on January 27, 2016January 27, 2016 by Dusty Roads | 4 Comments

The rain finally let up on Tuesday….sort of. It was still gray and overcast but I was scheduled for the Everglades tour. A big double Decker bus worked it’s way down Ocean Drive and stopped right in front of the Crescent Resort. My ride had arrived.

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I climbed to the open air top deck but the ride was only to the ticket office. When it was my turn I was directed to a smaller van operated by “Luis”. When we finally headed out he had a full load. It was a good thing we were in the van too . The skies opened up and it began to pour!

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Just before we reached Everglades Holiday Park the rain stopped. It was still very overcast but at least it wasn’t raining. Even if it started to rain again, the airboats at Holiday Park as covered.

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Our pictures were taken as we stood inline and then it was time to board.

Holiday Park

I passed the time waiting getting a kick out of the local grackle. They were into everything!

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After a brief safely talk we were on our way.

The first thing I spotted was an Anhinga, the “snake bird” of the Everglades. They call it that because of its long neck.

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Next up were the cormorants perched on the warning sign.

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With no sun, alligators were in short supply. We only saw one.

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But we had fun with a family of Purple Gallinule.

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These funny birds walk on top of the vegetation.

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We had a whole family join us including a pretty young chick.

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On the way back to the dock we spotted a huge iguana perched in the trees.

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He was a beautiful specimen on the one hand, but kind of depressing on the other as this is an invasive species. Along with pythons they are wreaking havoc on the native animals of the Everglades.