There are plenty of ways to experience the natural beauty of Central Florida. Once you have done the Orlando theme parks there are still things the area has to offer than many people overlook. Thanks to the Florida Everglades there are plenty of ways to enjoy the Florida outdoors. You can go hiking, fishing, kayaking, boating or even camping—the choice is up to you. But a great way to really get out into the Florida wild is via airboat. When you ride an airboat you get to experience a lovely breeze and a gentle journey over the waters of the Everglades as the airboat glides past the beautiful scenery nature provides.

Captain Jim Passmore has been offering guided airboat tours to visitors of the Central Florida area like no other. This friendly operation is family owned and treats every guest like a close friend. Consider yourself in safe hands when you board one of Captain Jim’s airboats. Each vehicle is licensed, insured and approved by the Coast Guard to ensure the safety of the occupants—meaning you, the guest. Water is provided by Captain Jim’s in case you get thirsty during the one hour adventures and life jackets are given to those that may need it. Outdoor adventures always require two things in Florida: sunscreen and bugspray. Captain Jim doesn’t give those out, so you have to bring your own, and if you get chilly bring a light jacket for the breezy ride.

There are three different tour options from Captain Jim, all of them offering various routes through the Everglades that change depending on water levels and animal conditions to give you the best experience and awesome camera opportunities. There’s no telling what kind of wildlife you’ll find on these tours. You can guarantee you will be seeing Florida’s unofficial mascot, the alligator, along with eagles, wild pigs, horses, marsh cows, otters, deer, bobcats and coyotes. You can take a tour during the day if you you want to relax at night, explore the beautiful Florida sunset on a sunset tour or go lights out and explore the Everglades on Captain Jim’s airboat at night with only headlamps to guide your way. Captain Jim’s Orlando Airboat Rides are great fun for anyone at any age.

There are many tours you can take at the Walt Disney World Resort, from behind the scenes-themed to character meet and greets. That is the great thing about the Walt Disney World Resort, you can always choose to be in the magic or find out how they make the magic from behind the scenes. While there are some places that are off limits in the Disney theme parks, the people at Disney still try to give guests as many behind the scenes experiences as they can. One of those great tours is “The Magic Behind Our Steam Train” tour.

It’s no secret Walt Disney loved trains. He was always building models and they were a huge influence when designing Disneyland and Disneyworld. Over at the brand new Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco you can see a model of one of Walt’s favorite trains, the most famous being the Lily Belle. But right here in the Magic Kingdom, this special tour will let you enter the park before everyone else does for a three hour tour that will have you meeting one-on-one with Disney’s train engineers. The Backstage Roundhouse will be the first stop on your tour. This is where the trains are stored. At the Magic Kingdom we have the Lily Belle, the Roy O. Disney, the Roger E. Broggie and the Walter E. Disney. All of the trains are antiques, “meticulously” restored by Disney’s Imagineers.

After you learn all about the trains’ inner-workings from your engineer and tour guide, you will then get a chance to ride around the Magic Kingdom as you continue to learn about Walt Disney’s love of trains and how they influenced the Disney parks. This tour is outside, so make sure you plan well according to weather. It’s a great choice for the upcoming cooler months. You have to be 10 or older in order to participate and you have to purchase an admission to the park before taking the tour, so get your discount Disney ticket beforehand! If you’re a train enthusiast this is the perfect tour for you.

Want to ride a Segway but can not afford the price tag? EPCOT theme park has announced a fantastic tour that will give you backstage access to the World Showcase and other great EPCOT pavilions. There are various tour times throughout the morning, so your tour time will depend on the reservation you make. Remember, the price of the tour is not included in your theme park admission, so make sure you purchase your discount EPCOT tickets with OrlandoFunTickets.com to save some cash before booking the tour.

Every “Around the World on a Segway” tour begins with a 45 minute training session. This session is meant to teach riders the operation of the Segway vehicle as well as the necessary safety measures needed to keep riders from getting hurt. The training is provided by EPCOT cast members who ride along with your group to make sure everyone stays safe and to provide great insight and tidbits on the EPCOT theme park throughout the experience.

After your training session, you will leave Future World and head off to the World Showcase on your Segway. Your journey will take you through all of the pavilions: France, Italy, Mexico, Germany, Japan, China, Morocco, Norway, Canada, USA and the UK. Your Disney cast member tour guide will let you know about the parks history as you watch other cast members prepare the World Showcase for the day. Since the World Showcase doesn’t open until 10 am, the earlier you take your tour the better. These early hours will give you clear views of all of the pavilions without the hordes of tourists snapping pictures or waiting in line for rides. You will get to see, in detail, the amount of work put into the facades of the buildings and learn how Disney keeps authenticity in mind when replicating these foreign landmarks.

The Segway tours run for two hours, four times a day at EPCOT. The minimum age for the tour is 16 years old, and if you are under 18 a parent or legal guardian must sign the waiver for you. Also, because of the vehicle, there is a weight limit of under 250 lbs. You are standing on the Segway for long periods of time as you motor around EPCOT, so make sure you are in good health before signing up for the tour. This is a great addition to the EPCOT theme park and sure to be a hit with guests to the Walt Disney World Resort.