Coopertown Evergaldes Airboat Tours & Restaurant

What Coopertown Evergaldes Airboat Tours & Restaurant does

Coopertown Everglades Airboat Tours & Restaurant is a privately held, family-owned eco-tourism and hospitality business founded in 1945 by John Cooper along the Tamiami Trail (US 41) in Miami, Florida, and currently operated by the Kennon family as direct descendants of the founders. The company runs a fleet of seven airboats offering a flagship 40-minute shared tour covering approximately nine miles of Everglades National Park, alongside 1-hour, 1.5-hour, and 2-hour private tours plus seasonal sunset tours (November through February), picnic lunches, and corporate outings. Pricing is unit-based at $39 per adult and $21.40 per child (ages 7-11), with an additional $8 Everglades National Park entrance fee for ages 16+, sold directly online via PayPal or at the on-site ticket booth with no third-party resellers. The site also includes the Coopertown Restaurant serving regional cuisine (frog legs, gator tail, catfish), an alligator exhibit, and a gift shop. A secondary revenue stream provides location, crew, and equipment-transport services to TV, film, documentary, commercial, and magazine productions; named credits include Disney, National Geographic, Discovery, Animal Planet, CSI Miami, Vogue, and GQ. The business carries five direct employees (per firmographic record) and is rated #1 by the Miami Herald for 78 consecutive years.

Name

Coopertown Evergaldes Airboat Tours & Restaurant

Legal name

Coopertown Everglades Airboat Tour and Restaurant

Website

https://coopertownairboats.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Coopertown Everglades Airboat Tours & Restaurant is a family-owned Everglades eco-tourism operator in Miami, Florida, offering shared and private airboat tours, an on-site regional restaurant, gift shop, alligator exhibit, and film/TV production location services to tourists and media clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Eco-Tourism & Adventure Tourism

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (4872)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine Wildlife & Birding Cruises (dolphins, seals, seabirds) (THAAAIAD)

Keywords

• Airboat tours
• Everglades tourism
• Wildlife excursions
• Florida cuisine
• Eco adventure tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Airboat Tour Tickets: Ticket sales for original airboat tours ($39 adults, $21.40 children ages 7-11) and private tours (1, 1.5, and 2 hour options). Additional $8 National Park entrance fee for ages 16+. No reservation required for original 40-minute rides.
2. Restaurant Services: On-site restaurant serving 'down home' Florida cuisine including frog legs, gator tail, catfish, and other local delicacies. Serves airboat tour passengers and walk-in visitors.
3. Gift Shop: On-site gift shop selling souvenirs and merchandise to tourists and visitors.
4. Film & Production Services: Location and crew services for TV, film, documentary, commercial, and magazine photo shoots. Services include transportation of production crews and equipment to filming destinations in the Florida Everglades.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Coopertown Everglades Airboat Tours & Restaurant operates guided airboat tours of the Florida Everglades National Park, including a 40-minute shared tour (~9 miles) and 1 to 2-hour private tours (15–30 miles), using a seven-vessel airboat fleet. Supporting offerings include an on-site Florida-style restaurant (frog legs, gator tail, catfish), a gift shop, an alligator exhibit, and location/crew services for film, TV, documentary, commercial, and magazine photo productions.

Product overview

Coopertown Everglades Airboat Tours & Restaurant operates as a traditional tour and hospitality business offering airboat tours of Florida's Everglades National Park. The core product portfolio consists of Original Coopertown Airboat Tours (shared 40-minute tours), Private Tours (1 to 2-hour personalized experiences), and TV & Film Productions support services. Supporting offerings include an on-site Restaurant serving regional cuisine (frog legs, gator tail, catfish), a Gift Shop, and an Alligator Exhibit. The business is operated by the Kennon family, direct descendants of the original Coopers, and maintains a fleet of seven airboats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Original Coopertown Airboat Tours A 40-minute shared airboat tour covering approximately 9 miles of the Florida Everglades, featuring guided exploration through saw grass, Hardwood Hammocks, and Everglades National Park with wildlife viewing (alligators, birds, turtles). Designed for tourists and walk-in visitors; no reservation required.
• Private Tours Personalized airboat tours available in 1-hour, 1.5-hour, and 2-hour durations covering 15 to 30 miles of Everglades National Park. Includes specialty options such as Sunset Tours (November through February), Picnic Lunches, and Corporate Outings, for families, friend groups, and corporate clients.
• Coopertown Restaurant On-site restaurant serving 'down home' Floridian cuisine including frog legs, gator tail, catfish, and other regional delicacies, served in a country-style setting to airboat tour passengers and walk-in visitors.
• Gift Shop On-site gift shop offering souvenirs and Everglades-themed merchandise for tourists and visitors.
• TV & Film Productions & Magazine Shoots Location services for film, television, documentary, commercial, and magazine photo productions in the Florida Everglades, including equipment transport and experienced crew support.
• Alligator Exhibit Educational alligator exhibit featuring a 14-foot alligator, providing visitors close-up views of these prehistoric creatures with interpretive information about alligator behavior and conservation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 78 consecutive years of #1 rating by Miami Herald

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Jungle Erv's Airboat Tours: Family-run Florida Everglades airboat tour operator. Closely comparable in operating model (family-owned, multi-generational) and product (guided airboat rides through Florida wetlands).
• Gator Park: Everglades-area operator of airboat tours and alligator exhibits in Homestead, FL. Comparable offering of guided airboat rides plus wildlife exhibits targeting the same South Florida tourist market.
• Everglades Safari Park: Direct competitor offering airboat tours, wildlife exhibits, and tram tours in the Everglades near Miami. Same core product (guided Everglades airboat rides) targeting the same tourist segment.
• Wild Florida Airboat Rides: Florida-based airboat tour operator with a larger, more theme-park-style attraction footprint. Direct product overlap (airboat tours) with broader scale and additional wildlife park offerings.
• Everglades Holiday Park: Direct competitor operating airboat tours and alligator shows in the Everglades, serving Fort Lauderdale/Miami tourists. Closely comparable product mix: airboat tours, animal exhibits, and onsite amenities.
• Sawgrass Recreation Park: Everglades-area airboat and boat tour operator offering airboat rides, swamp buggy tours, and wildlife exhibits. Overlaps with Coopertown's mix of airboat tours and nature education.
• Wooten's Everglades Airboat Tours: Long-standing Everglades airboat tour operator offering guided airboat rides, swamp buggy tours, and onsite dining. Direct peer in product, geography, and tourist segment.
• Captain Jack's Airboat Tours: Florida airboat tour operator running guided rides through Florida wetlands. Same core product (airboat tours) targeting tourists seeking an Everglades-style experience.
• Buffalo Tiger Airboat Tours: Everglades-area airboat tour operator led by a Seminole family. Comparable guided airboat experience focused on the same Everglades ecosystem and tourist customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Viator: Large online tour/experience marketplace that distributes and resells tours including Everglades airboat experiences. Relevant as a broad incumbent in the tour distribution channel that Coopertown could either partner with or compete against for direct online bookings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/178031862217892
• Instagraminstagram.com/coopertownairboatrides
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coopertown-airboat-rides-&-restaurant

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coopertown Evergaldes Airboat Tours & Restaurant