Billie Swamp Safari is a Florida Seminole adventure

MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net "Liberty," the Florida panther, lives in a large habitat in the confines of the park. she was given to the park when she was young and could not survive in the wild. A wild male is often seen around her enclosure at night.

For the Florida visitor who wants to see the state as it was before it was developed into expensive high-rise apartment buildings and glitzy beach resorts, nothing compares to the adventure of the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation south of Lake Okeechobe, between Fort Myers and Fort Launderdale, and nothing screams "adventure" more than Billie Swamp Safari.

Located on a 2200 acre swamp that commemorates the courage and sacrifice of all the Seminoles who fought and died in Florida, the theme park is an eco-system that can only be explored by swamp buggy and air boat. Visitors are taken through tropical hardwood hammocks, where palm fronds slap them in the face, cypress domes, and hyacinth-covered swamps, full of alligators and water buffalo. Both exotic and native animals call the preserve home.

Despite the remote location, hundreds of visitors pour in each day by bus and car from Miami, where the beach life has begun to grow boring. A fleet of swamp buggies and air boats whip around the park every hour, while visitors attend the snake show and browse the free exhibits.

MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net This water buffalo is one of several who wanders freely within the 2200 acre Billie Swamp Safari preserve. The resident alligators show no interest in attacking such large prey.

This reporter spent five days on the compound, exploring the sights, talking to both park employees and visitors and eating at the Swamp Water Café, where Indian fry bread is used in many popular dishes.

A discussion with Seminole Tribe of Florida promotional coordinator Melissa Sherman, over a piece of kumquat pie in the cafe, reveals that Billie Swamp Safari is just one aspect of the Seminole Tribe's business ventures, which also include a large cattle and farming operation. The Seminole Tribe employs over 7,000 employees in the tourism business alone.

The Seminole Tribe recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, giving the tribe independence over how they handle their land and water issues.

Photo courtesy Florida Seminole Tourism Last year, the Billie Swamp Safari unexpectedly received a grizzly cub and a black bear cub who had been orphaned. In this photo, "Noogie" takes a bottle.

The Seminoles are recognized as "the Unconquered," since they are the only tribe that has never signed a peace treaty with the U.S.

"The Seminoles have great reverence for nature," Sherman says, when asked about the various animals at the Billie Swamp Safari. Over 1600 species of animals, native and exotic, occupy the 2200 acre swamp. This reporter even saw an ostrich wandering freely near the hardwood hammock.

No wonder the native Americans treasure the animals. Each of the eight Seminole clans is represented by an animal, with the Panther clan being the largest. The other entities are the bear, the snake, the otter, the deer, the bird, BigTown/frog, and the Wind.

Photo courtesy Florida Seminole Tourism Air boats and swamp buggies take tourists on an eco-tour of the 2200 acre Billie Swamp Safari, which is operated by the Seminole Tribe.

Next week: Two air boat captains tell their story, and a Kansas City couple spends several nights in one of the primitive chickee cabins beside the swamp!!