We recently had the opportunity to take a tour of the Indian River aboard Good Natured River Tours. The day was sunny and warm with just a few clouds and the water was calm. All pluses in my book. It truly was perfect day to be on the water. If you are looking for a fun day trip, put this one on your list. Good Natured River Tours is located approximately 1 hour southeast of Orlando.
Good Natured River Tours launches from from Grills Riverside in Melbourne at 10:30am and 1:30pm daily. The river nature tour is 2 hours in length. According to their website, there are tons of photo opportunities as they frequently encounter myriads of wildlife such as Dolphins, Manatees, Herons, Egrets, Ospreys, Spoonbills, Pelicans, Cormorants and more.
With my camera in hand we left the dock.
As we made our way down the river, we encountered a Swing Bridge along the way.
You can notice the bridge swinging open in this picture.
We saw this beautiful waterfront mansion as we made our way down the river.
This is the remains of the Merritt Island Dragon, also known as “Annie”. The dragon was built in 1971 by Florida artist Louis VanDercar and property owner Aynn Christal. In August 2002, the sculpture was badly damaged, and partially collapsed into the water during a storm; vandalism was blamed for contributing to the statue’s destruction.
This is what Annie looked like in her hay day. On special occasions, the dragon would breathe fire. I would have loved to have seen her then.
Finally, the moment I had been waiting for….DOLPHINS! They were so beautiful and there were so many of these amazing creatures. The Captain said there are about 700 dolphins in the Indian River alone.
We had a grand time cruising with Good Natured River Tours. We hope to get back soon for one of their sunset cruises.
Pricing for the nature cruise is as follows: Adult – $29.00 Senior (65+) – $25.00 Child (3-12) – $ 20.00(Always check their website as pricing is subject to change.)
We were able to save a little bit of money on our cruise as we purchased our tickets from Groupon. It’s always a good idea to check for specials from this type of vendor.
~ Gretta
We used a Groupon, saving us some money.