A Boat Tour into the Past
If you are looking for a relaxing water-based adventure, then you’ll enjoy the Rusty Anchor boat tour in Mount Dora, Florida. It provides a brief glimpse of what Florida once looked like and will give you an opportunity to see an amazing variety of wildlife up close. Captain Dan’s ongoing commentary is entertaining and provides details about the area’s history. In addition, after years as a guide on Lake Dora, he’ll point out and tell you about every species of animal that walks, swims, crawls or flies.
On an August afternoon, we departed the docks west of North McDonald Street at the bottom of West 4th Avenue in Mount Dora. It was a warm summer day and it felt great to glide across the lake on the Rusty Anchor. As the boat skirted the shoreline, Captain Dan told passengers about how the town and lake got its name plus many other interesting facts.
The lake was beautiful and its shoreline was dotted with residential homes and large tracts of unspoiled natural areas. Just past the city of Tavares, the boat began to slow and we entered the Dora Canal. It was constructed in the 1830s and was built to connect Lake Dora with Lake Eustis.
The canal is a mile long and was widened in the late 1800s to accommodate a steamboat that plied the waters in Lake County and beyond. The first portion of the canal has a sea wall on either side and is lined with manufactured home communities that have been there for decades. However, just past the developed area is exactly what Florida looked like eons before. It was like stepping back to an era when the flora and fauna were abundant and unspoiled.
Upon entering the untouched portion of the canal, everyone on the tour began talking in hushed voices as if we had just entered a cathedral. It felt as if we were in Mother Nature’s cathedral and needed to treat it with respect and reverence. From the dark water to the tops of the soaring cypress trees, everyone on the tour was in awe of the variety of nature before us.
As we passed through the canal, Captain Dan told us the names of the birds that stood in the water, flew overhead or were perched in trees. He also told us about the plant life in the surrounding swamps and showed us a recently hatched nest of baby alligators (this is possible only during certain times of the year). In addition, there were countless turtles sunning themselves on the half-submerged trees that had fallen into the canal over the years.
Once through the canal, we were in Lake Eustis. At that point, Captain Dan turned the boat around and retraced our route through the same beautiful scenery. When we entered the serenity of Mother Nature’s cathedral, everyone again began to whisper. Once we were back in the developed part of the canal and headed across the lake, the volume increased; however, no one forgot the privilege we had all been given – a chance to see Florida as it used to be.
Once moored at the docks in Mount Dora, everyone said their good-byes and told Captain Dan and his First Mate we looked forward to a return visit. For the most up-to-date prices and tour schedule, call 352-383-3933. Whether you are visiting from overseas, another state or just an hour’s drive away, a Rusty Anchor boat tour will provide memories that will last a lifetime.
