Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
This past spring I had a chance, courtesy of the Charlotte Harbor Visitor’s Bureau, to visit the Crescent B Ranch in Punta Gorda. Located on this incredible 90,000 acre wilderness preserve and working ranch is Babcock Wilderness Adventures.
They operate a swamp buggy eco-tour that takes visitors all over the ranch in a converted school bus. I really enjoyed getting out of town an into the quiet wilds of Florida where you rarely hear any noise but the wind in the trees and a few bird calls.
Boarding the swamp buggy for a wilderness ride with Babcock Wilderness Adventures in Punta Gorda, Florida.
From Highway 17 in Punta Gorda, just south of the Peace River, I took the ramrod straight CR 74 east for half an hour to CR 31 (seemingly in the middle of nowhere) and turned south for 15 minutes to the Crescent B Ranch. A long unpaved road took me back onto the ranch where I saw a wild turkey foraging along the side of the road.
A Florida wild turkey on the Crescent B Ranch.
Babcock Wilderness tours occupies a small footprint on the huge preserve and has a gift shop (try their palmetto honey), a small museum, restrooms, and a small rustic restaurant called the Gator Shack.
The Gator Shack restaurant serves Gator Bites, sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers and other lunch items. Open seasonally.
The swamp buggy tours run 90 minutes and take visitors through a variety of Florida environments including pine flatwoods, cypress swamp, and oak hammock. You’ll see Florida cracker cattle, feral hogs, lots of ‘gators, birds of all kinds, deer, and if you’re lucky like I was, you’ll get a glimpse of a wild bobcat.
Cracker cattle seem to be all skin and bones. They come running for a handout of cracked corn. The Crescent B is a working ranch.
The tour guide was excellent and obviously loved her job. At one point the bus stopped and we all took a walk on a boardwalk through a cypress swamp. There was a surprise waiting for us at the end of the trail, but I won’t tell you what it was. You’ll have to go and find out for yourself!
The guide brought a small alligator onto the bus and everyone got to hold it for a photo op (a few people declined).
BeachHunter with baby 'gator.
A red shouldered hawk sits on a fence at the Crescent B Ranch.
A small museum displays useful items from the old days.
A white tailed deer grazes within sight of the swamp buggy tour.
On the way back into town I saw a pair of river otters cross C.R. 31 and disappear into a roadside ditch.
This is a great trip for the whole family. I recommend taking the early morning trip since that’s usually when the wildlife is most active.
I don’t like tacky tourist stuff, so I really loved this tour because it was the real deal. They really take you out in the woods and show you the wild critters in their natural habitat. It’s not a zoo.
You’ll need to make reservations in advance by calling 1-800-500-5583. Visit www.babcockwilderness.com for more information about their wilderness eco-tours.
FTC Disclosure of Material Connections: This trip was arranged by Charlotte Harbor & the Gulf Islands Visitors Bureau and was provided to me at no charge.
