Today, the Kennon family, direct descendents of the Coopers, run the Coopertown ORIGINAL Airboat Tours. The Coopertown Airboat fleet. consists of 12 airboats in operation, the largest airboat has a seating capacity of 24 people.

More than 60 years later, the same exciting airboat tour is given with experienced, well-trained and informative everglades airboat guides. For some, it is a completely new and different experience. For the tourist who come back year after year and the local people who bring their friends and family along, it is always fun and educational.

Originally a Seminole Indian Village occupied by Jimmy Osceola and the other  Seminole Indians, Coopertown was founded by John Cooper and has remained with the Cooper family since. Originally from White Oak, Missouri where they came from a large farming family, the three Cooper brothers came to the Tamiami Trail from Melbourne, Florida, looking for better frog hunting in the Everglades.

By 1945, John Cooper had a small frogging boat along the East-West Canal (the Tamiami Trail).During that time, passing motorists noticed it and would ask for a ride in the interesting looking airboat. John obliged. At first it was a few people, but as more and more curious people stopped, John built a small passenger airboat to accommodate them. As the traffic down the Tamiami Trail grew, so did Coopertown.

Jesse Kennon