Nothing greater than than a day with the gators! (Gatorland)

Member Name: blondecaz

Product:	Gatorland
Date:	14/06/09 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Shows are entertaining, lots of big alligators to look at

Disadvantages: The birds may chase you if you're holding the gator food

I visited Gatorland whilst on holiday in the USA with my partner last week. As described on its own website, it's a '110 acre theme park and wildlife preserve', grown from a roadside attraction in 1949 and still owned by the same family to this day. The park is located on Orange Blossom Trail, between Orlando and Kissimmee, Florida, and is not hard to find - you certainly won't miss the giant alligator head that forms the entrance!

- Prices -

We came across Gatorland almost by accident; our original plan was to spend one day in either Disney World or Universal Studios - until we saw the prices! Gatorland is of course much smaller and a different type of park (much more wildlife focused) than the two giant theme parks but we found the prices were much more within our budget, especially as we only had one full day available to spend in Orlando and therefore couldn't take advantage of the multi-day offers at Disney or Universal.

Admission - not including tax:
Single Day Admission (Adult): $22.99
Single Day Admission (Child): $14.99

Discounts are available either online or by using a coupon found in one of the Orlando discount coupon leaflets - you can find these almost anywhere, hotel lobbies, diners, etc. We managed to get an additional $2.50 off the list price each by using a coupon we found on such a leaflet.

- The Park -

There are a few different areas to the park, and it took us an enjoyable afternoon to see them all and watch a couple of the shows. Although the official website describes it as such, I personally wouldn't say Gatorland is a theme park, as the only ride is a train ride that takes you around the whole park - I think this is extra money too. There is a splash park for kids however, with lots of fountains for them to run around in and enjoy.

The smaller alligators and turtles are near the entrance, and if you want to see the really big ones, these are floating around in the enormous breeding marsh towards the back of the park. There's a three-tier observation platform in this area too, so you can take a look around you and see all the beautiful scenery, alligators, and birds.

My partner and I purchased some alligator food from a stand within the park, and spent a fun hour wandering around the marsh and feeding the alligators. Make sure you watch out for the birds though, as they like the food too and they will follow you and peck you if you're not careful!

Make sure you check out the white alligators while you're there - there were four of them when I visited. They are really weird looking and quite aggressive to other gators so have to be kept in their own individual special areas!

- The Shows -

There are three shows for you to view at Gatorland: Gator Jumparoo, Gator Wrestlin', and Upclose Encounters. They are run on rotation, one an hour. I'm afraid I didn't watch the Upclose Encounters show so can't offer an opinion on this particular one, but the other two shows were very enjoyable.

'Gator Jumparoo' is styled as a competition between two stereotypical hillbillies who both want to be the new Gator wrestler, so the show involves three people - a commentator and then the two competitors. The winner is the one who can get the alligators to jump up out of the water and eat the chickens he is holding the fastest. It's a fun show to watch and it was pretty scary seeing the alligators launch themselves out of the water to get the chickens!

'Gator Wrestlin'' takes place in a small arena with a fenced in sandy area in the middle where the alligator wrestling happens. There's an introduction and some audience interaction, and then the Gator wrestler shows the crowd how to keep the alligator's mouth closed and does some small stunts with the gator - eg. balancing his chin on the gator's mouth. Good fun again, and worth a watch.

- In summary -

Overall, this was a fabulous day out that I think both adults and children would enjoy at a reasonable price. Although Gatorland has no theme park rides (with the exception of the train), I would definitely say it's worth a visit for the beautiful surroundings, the fun of feeding the alligators, and the entertaining shows.

Summary: A fun afternoon - worth a look if you're looking for something a bit more unique in the Orlando area