Gatorland

Location: 14501 South Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando. FL 32837
Tel: 407 855 5496

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Gatorland is a great place to spend half a day and does make a bit of a change from the main theme parks. Here you can meet Florida's most fearsome resident up close along with other local wildlife, and learn more about them.

Gatorland is a family owned park which has been here now for over 50 years and is probably the best place in the area to get a feel for the real Florida.

The Alligator Breeding Marsh is 10 acres of natural habitat which contains 100 female and 25 male alligators. There's a 3 story observation tower from where you can get a birds eye view of the area. There's also a Swamp Walk which takes you through a native cypress swamp containing wildlife and birds.

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Visit Monty the Python and see how big these massive snakes get. Lilly's Pad is a new mini waterpark for the kids with plenty of things to get them nice and wet, so a swimsuit is a good idea. Also for the kids is Allie's Barnyard which let's them pet and feed baby animals.

For something slightly different in the way of eating there is Pearl's Smokehouse which features smoked gator ribs and deep fried gator nuggets on it's unusual menu.

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There are three shows to watch during the day. The Gator Jumparoo Show demonstrates how these massive alligators can jump 4 or 5 ft out of the water to grab their food. Here the trainers hand feed the gators and also tell you all about their capabilities. The Alligator Wrestlin Show takes place in an 800 seat stadium. You can watch as the gator wranglers catch 6-8 ft alligators by hand and then explain some of the more interesting features of these dangerous animals.

Finally we have the Snakes of Florida Show. You will probably be surprised at how many dangerous snakes live in Florida, such as the diamondback, moccasin and coral snakes. The show will explain all about these creatures and will dispel many of your fears.

The park is open daily from 9 am until 6 pm.

Admission prices: Adults ( 13 & over ) $17-93 Child (3-12yrs) $8-48

This is a really nice family attraction, which if you have a free half day, is well worth a visit.