
Captain Mitch’s airboat outpost as seen from the water. Photo by Frank Steiger
The House family has called the Everglades home since the late 1800s, a point of pride for Mitch. In 1945 Mitch’s great grandfather, Barrel Head House, created one of the first commercial airboats, crudely constructed out of sheets of plywood and a sawed off jet propeller. The airboat, though primitive, ushered in a new era of commerce for the Everglades and the House family.

Everglades native Mitch House of Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours stands in front of his fleet of airboats. Photos by Frank Steiger
Mitch’s roots run deep with both the Glades and it’s most lucrative business: tourism. For the past 25 years Mitch has owned and operated Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours, a popular destination about 30 minutes east of Marco Island. The tour company sits in a stilt wooden building on top of the water, directly off of Tamiami Trail East. Underneath the office lives an eight-foot gator and to the left is the dock, where a fleet of airboats rest. It is picturesque, authentic and quaint—the epitome of the Everglades.


“It’s been 57 years since we’ve had water this high,” Mitch said.
To prepare for the storm Mitch and his crew tied the airboats to trees out in the marshes, filled them with water and sunk them—a strategy his family has employed for years. Though it may seem somewhat counterintuitive, it works pretty well.
“My grandparents have been sinking them for years,” Mitch said. “If the wind can’t grab it, guess what? It can’t go nowhere.”
Thankfully, his airboats survived Irma. His business, however, did receive some mild damage. His sign fell during the storm as well as his tiki hut. It took a few weeks for power to return, holding up business further. But last week, after hours of cleanup and repairs in the hot Florida sun, Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours officially reopened for business.

An employee fixes Mitch’s sign, which was damaged during Hurricane Irma.
For Mitch, and the many others like him, his livelihood is dependent on the tourism industry. It’s extremely important for businesses to reopen and the influx of tourists to return. A point Mitch wanted to get across was that though devastation did occur, the Everglades survived.

Read more about Capt. Mitch and the history of the Everglades in an upcoming issue.
Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours is located at 31000 Tamiami Trail E., Naples. They’re open seven days a week from 8:30 AM-5 PM. For more information visit www.captainmitchs.com or call 239-695-3377.




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