Jones Brothers Air & Seaplane Adventures

Tavares calls itself America’s Seaplane City, and Jones Brothers Air & Seaplane Adventures is the reason that nickname sticks. The company operates right out of downtown Tavares on Lake Dora, at the city’s public seaplane base near Wooton Park, and has been putting visitors into the air over the Harris Chain of Lakes since 2010. In a town where the docks, the murals, and the annual fly in all point back to aviation, this is the operator that actually gets you off the water.

The fleet includes Cessna 172, 185, and 206 aircraft on floats along with Searey amphibious planes, and the company says it has flown more than 20,000 pilots and visitors over the years. Tour options range from a quick fifteen minute Lake Dora Splash and Dash, built as an easy introduction for first time flyers, up to a full hour over the St Johns River and its spring fed tributaries, where winter flights sometimes turn up manatees below. In between sits the Harris Chain and River Run, a Gator Tour and Attractions flight that the company describes as its most requested option because it combines wildlife spotting with distant views of Orlando’s theme parks, and a sunset flight timed to catch the light over the Ocala National Forest. Each tour requires a minimum of two passengers and has a per person weight limit of 300 pounds, and private charters are available for groups that want the plane to themselves.

Beyond sightseeing, Jones Brothers also runs flight training, including seaplane add on ratings for pilots who already hold a license and want to earn their single engine sea rating on Lake Dora, one of the more storied stretches of water in Florida seaplane circles. The company handles charters as well, and keeps a small gift shop on site for anyone who wants a souvenir of the flight. Bookings run through an online reservation system, so it is worth checking availability before making the drive, especially on weekends when tours tend to fill up.

What makes this operation worth seeking out is the vantage point itself. Most visitors to Lake County see the lakes from a dock or a boat ramp. A seaplane flight turns that view inside out, showing how the Harris Chain actually connects, how close Tavares sits to Mount Dora and Eustis, and how much of this part of Central Florida is still open water, wetland, and citrus grove rather than subdivision. Locals tend to recommend the shorter flights for first timers and the longer river route for anyone who already knows they like being in a small plane.

Jones Brothers is easy to find, tucked along East Ruby Street near the public boat ramp and the seaplane base signage that gives the area its identity, and the staff are used to walk up questions from people who just wandered down to the water and got curious. That accessibility, more than anything, is what has kept the business tied so closely to the city’s own branding for well over a decade.