My wife and I took the opportunity to stop at the privately owned Okefenokke Swamp Park, at the northern entrance to the swamp. This has an entrance fee of $12 for adults, with different fees for seniors and children.
There is a 1 1/2 mile railroad that runs around the theme park property, allowing access to several different vistas. There is a country store at which souvenirs may be bought. But, the main theme of the park seems to be the emphasis on the swamp life. A nature center gave us the chance to hear lectures about how the swamp was formed and the envirnmental impact of different stresses on the swamp, see alligators up close (I walked with 3 feet of a huge alligator - about 15 feet long), see a deer park and bear observatory.
There is a boardwalk that gives views of the swamp from a closer perspective, an area that has many more swamp animals in an enclosed area, and there are demonstrations of snake and alligator handling. We spent about four hours walking around and viewing what was offered. There is more information than you can get than you would by going to the Wildlife Area and viewing things on your own, but the area is more "staged", and does not have the natural feel. All in all, we enjoyed the diversion.