Gatorland...

A few weekends ago, I visited Gatorland. Here's my experience. Enjoy!

Gatorland is a surprisingly large rescue attraction with bobcats, goats, capybaras, snakes, turtles, birds, foxes, panthers, monitors, insects, crocodiles, and of course tons of gators. They also have various shows, a sweetshop, splash pad, restaurant, zipline, train ride, observation tower, and swamp ride.

Right as you walk in, there are sunning alligators galore. As you make your way past the entrance, you have two options, to do the back half of the park (several walking paths that are less crowded, the observation tower, train, ziplining, etc.) or the front half (the food, shows, gift shop, petting zoo, Jawlene, etc.) We chose the back half first, which feels way less commercial than the front. Here you can learn about the Egyptian lore of crocs, see the walk of fame, where you can learn about Jawlene, Turnpike and more gators who have been saved, (Jawlene having lost her upper jaw and Turnpike having been found running across the turnpike) and look out on the alligators in the observation tower.

Moving onto the front of the park, you'll find an albino gator exhibit with tiny and massive albino alligators, as well as some regular alligators, the Very Merry Aviary (which is a butterfly house for birds.) You can even feed the tortoises in this area, unfortunately it was too cold for them and some of the birds to be out. There are also the close encounters show (where you get up close to bugs, snakes, and the like,) Alligators: Legends of the Swamp show, and the Jumparoo show. Legends of the Swamp, teaches you survival skills, all while sitting on the back of an alligator. This show was very informative, for example, the best thing to do if an alligator is chasing is to just run in a straight line and if you're being attacked by an alligator, punch it in the nose, they're very sensitive. As this was our last stop, we made our way to the exit. You go through a sizable gift shop and don't forget to take your picture in or by the historic gators mouth!

An unexpected part of Gatorland for me was their humor. From the parking lot to the park itself, the signs are hilarious! Signs for employees only, told you not to go in unless " you want to get run over by a train, stomped by a swamp buggy, and eaten by a crocodile." There was so much humor mixed with learning that the signs seemed less daunting and more "what are they going to say next." This carried through to their show as well.

I did enjoy Gatorland more than I thought I would. It was informative, safe, and overall has and continues to help hundreds of animals/reptiles live out their lives in "Paradise." My favorite part were the back trails, walk of fame, Alligators: Legends of the Swamp, seeing the biggest croc I have ever witnessed, and Jawlene. This experience is quite expensive and seeing as we were gifted free tickets, I can't say for sure if it's worth the price. Let me know what you think of this story in the comments below. Until next time. Bye!

Visit www.gatorland.com for more info.