Guided Louisiana swamps and bayou trips provide this area’s families with incredible wildlife, exciting history and natural beauty of the South. With gigantic cypress trees adorned with Spanish moss and alligators sunning themselves, Louisiana swamp tours are an exciting venture for children and adult visitors alike.
Whether your family is in the mood for a fun filled educational adventure or an adrenaline fueled boat tour of Louisiana swamp, they have everything that your family could wish for. In this blog post let’s take a closer look at some of the best Louisiana swamp tours for families we’ve selected to be both fun and safe for all members of the family.
Why Choose a Louisiana Swamp Tour?
Louisiana’s coastal marshes are an important component of the state’s cultural and natural history. With the opportunity to take these swamp tours, families can educate themselves about the functions of swamps with regards to flood control, habitat for local wildlife, essential to the fishing industry in the state of Louisiana. Also, most of the guided tours are also major attractions that explain the colorful culture and heritage of the Cajun and Creole people who have lived in this region for ages. Here, this is not only a joyful ride but also an educational process where kids and adults can learn informative synergy between nature, history, and traditions.
1. Cajun Pride Swamp Tours – Manchac Swamp
Location: LaPlace, Louisiana
Tour Type: Guided Boat Tours
Family Features: Alligators, informational commentary, mini fauna
Cajun Pride Swamp Tours is the leading company in swamp tours in Louisiana. It is only 25 miles away from New Orleans and will be a great educational family trip for ones with children. One thing I see people don’t like in tourism is that most landscapes are commercialised, that’s why this tour offers a private wildlife refuge.
Their professional tour guides, who are mostly locals of Louisiana and speak Cajun, provide historical and cultural information along with pointing out alligators, turtles, raccoons, and exotic birds. Children particularly enjoy seeing these creatures; the guides carry crocodiles to let the children touch them, or sometimes they bring baby alligators or other small animals. The boats are large and cozy, so they should provide good comfort for families with small children.
2. Airboat Adventures – Jean Lafitte Swamp
Location: Lafitte, Louisiana
Tour Type: Airboat Ride
Family Features: Excitement, speed, touring with wild animals
For families with children who are slightly older, teenagers, or teens, an airboat tour is exciting. Located approximately thirty minutes outside of New Orleans proper, Airboat Adventures explores Louisiana’s swamp and marsh lands located in Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. Even though the boat’s speed is high, they slow down when people are introduced to the various animals in that region such as gators, birds and fish.
Children who love speed and adventures would love it and thus it is a good choice for tourists wishing to spice up their trip. They offer a variety of boat sizes, and you can ride the small airboats for a more close up experience or you can ride in the large ones that can accommodate up to 30 people. They also provide family tours to make sure the children are in the tour as well since most of them explore.
3. Honey Island Swamp Tours – Pearl River
Location: Slidell, Louisiana
Tour Type: Pontoon Boat Tour
Family Features: School, nontoxic, calm environment
Honey Island Swamp Tours is great for families seeking an even more laid back and wildlife experience. Tourism company is situated on Pearl River and it includes cruises up to the Honey Island Swamp, one of the preserved wetlands of the USA. Another interesting feature of this tour is its educational value, aiming to preserve the area for children who should be aware of the primary necessity to protect ecosystems.
Pontoon boat ride offers non hurried leisurely rides and is perfect for families with little kids or people who are not into aggressive water trips. The guides provide interesting factoids about the vegetation, animals, and general background in reference to the swamp. Chock full of alligators, wild boars and bald eagles, families get a rubbernecking view of the natural endowment of the swamp.
4. Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours – Slidell, Louisiana
Location: Slidell, Louisiana
Tour Type: Small-group boat tours
Family Features: Few people, spoken commentary, and observation of animals at a short distance
If your family wants more contact with the swamp atmosphere but doesn’t want to travel with shoulder strangers, Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours provides homosexual group tours into the wild. With this tour located near Slidell, approximately 45 minutes outside New Orleans, those elements have made this tour as famous as the site’s eye for environmental conservation.
What makes this tour family-friendly is the fact that there is a small group at a time, and the guides thoroughly explain how everything works and shares interesting stories. Children will especially appreciate being able to see animals up close and to be able to quiz the hosts. The boats themselves are relatively small, and that lends to a more intimate and engaged experience. The parents’ conscience is satisfied by the rational utilization of resources by the company, while educational aspects of the tours let the kids understand the importance of nature.
5. Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours – Barataria Preserve
Location: Marrero, Louisiana
Tour Type: Covered Pontoon Boat Tour
Family Features: Some are historical stories, installed shaded sitting area; friendly for kids
The Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours provide one of the most family friendly swamp tours around New Orleans located in the Barataria Preserve. This tour company offers a canopy that protects families from the strong sun rays while they are on the swamp in covered pontoon boats. It is especially perfect for families who do not want to travel across scorching heat, while at the same time wanting an adventurous trip.
The guides are especially gifted in including Cajun myths and lingo with accurate historical information, making it especially enjoyable for children as well as the grown-ups. In addition to spotting alligators, turtles, and herons, Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours offers families a chance to learn about the pirate connection to the Looziana swamp – Jean Lafitte!
6. Gators & Ghosts – New Orleans Combo Tour
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Tour Type: Swamp & City Ghost Tour is another type of combination zeek tour.
Family Features: Combination of nature and history, fun more for older children
For those families who want some adventure combined with both swamps and spooks, Gators & Ghosts are proud to present our combo tour that gives families both a chance to see the beauty of Louisiana’s swamp regions as well as the mystical feeling of New Orleans’ history. This package tour offers a swamp hike where families can view alligators, turtles and egrets and then a guided walking ghost tour through the French Quarter in New Orleans.
This combination of nature and city history makes it especially favorable to families with older kids as the tour with ghosts dramatically enriches the experience. Both parents and teens will be intrigued by the spiritual legends of New Orleans they will hear after company in the calm swamps.
Things to Keep in Mind for a Family Swamp Tour
When choosing the right swamp tour for your family, it’s important to consider the following factors:
Safety: Choose the tours with life jackets, safety equipment for children and making sure that they follow safety standard policies of the state.
Age Appropriateness: A few tours are not as good for kids in terms of duration or even the pace at which the tour attraction is managed. It’s wise to check the age restrictions before crossing any limitations.
Weather: Louisiana’s climate is changing so better put on some steady and suitable clothing. Enclosed boat trips are especially suitable for when visitors do not wish to tan or be rained on.
Tour Length: Families with young children, therefore, prefer tours that last between 1 and 1.5 hours at most.
Cost: Some tour operators have a children’s fare and it is always cheaper; some may include a family or group rate.
Final Thoughts
Swamp tours are an exciting and informative sight seeing activity for families to enjoy as they tour through the Louisiana swamp in the United States. Whether in an airboat riding through the swamp, driving around in a vehicle listening to a Cajun historian, or perhaps observing the wildlife in their own environment, the tours offered guarantee and unique experience. Whether it be fun and fast, or serene and surrounded by wildlife, each adventure is perfect for a family outing.
When doing the necessary research to find out which family friendly swamp tours are the best for the family, you are ensuring the fact that the time you spend on your adventure is fun and educational for the family thus making it a memorable experience for all.