I am going to go against the flow here and put in a word for Gatorland as I always find it an enjoyable and unusual experience (especially coming from the UK). Apart from the rather tired and old-fashioned exterior, which
does make it look like some kind of 1950s roadside attraction, it is a fairly modern and well-worked exhibit, IMHO, that has been seriously overhauled in recent years. Admittedly, it is best in the spring and early summer when the Boardwalk is surrounded by hundreds of nesting birds which provide great up-close viewing, but there is a lot crammed into the 50 acres here and it can be quite educational (as well as mildly hair-rasing) if you take in all four shows. Kids all seem to enjoy the water-play area, the petting zoo (no, not gators, but goats and baby deer!), lorakeet aviary and snake exhibits, and Gatorland is in the process of adding several new animal exhibits (giant tortoises and some more birds, I think), on top of Judy the Florida bear, their turtles and baby gator pens. It is pretty small-scale by most zoo standards, but, if you stop to talk to any of the Gatorland staff (who are all trained to be very personable and 'interactive') you will learn a lot about all the exhibits, too. After the static exhibits, there is then a mini-railroad which runs right around the park, including into the 'backlot' which you can't see on foot, where you will get a slice of real Florida countryside (definitely not the Disney version) and more animal encounters, including the cute Florida deer, while the spiel of the train driver is usually quite fun. If you arrive early in the morning, take the Swamp Trail into another part of the backlot, where you can walk along some really quiet paths and perhaps meet a few more Florida natives, like armadillos and raccoons, out in their natural habitat (and Gatorland very much puts the accent on the natural). Once you have ridden the train and walked the walk, try the Boardwalk for size, with its Observation Tower where you can look down on dozens and dozens of seriously-sized gators all longing for someone to 'drop in' for lunch! Once again, the naturalistic aspect of the park is extremely well done here, and you do get the feel of being out in the native wilds of Florida, surrounded by its oldest inhabitants.
Then you go on to the shows. The Gator Jumparoo (3 times a day) is their oldest and most standard offering, a hit-or-miss affair whereby some of the largest denizens of the main pond out front are tempted to 'jump' up (using their tails) and grab tasty morsels (namely whole chickens) from a line above the pond, while one of the gator handlers seemingly risks losing a limb at any moment (and they are also working on ways to have some audience participation here - if you are brave enough). You will also learn that gators can be trained to obey some basic commands, which comes as quite an astonishing fact, at least to me! The only drawback here is that in the winter months, the gators get cold and disinclined to 'jump' for their food, hence they are working on other ways to get some activity here. The second show is the Upclose Animal Encounters (also 3 times daily), including a 5-minute pre-show whereby various audience members are variously amused and victimized! The show itself features a variety of creatures from spiders and roaches to large snakes, and there is some educational content for those who want to know more about what snakes to be wary of. From there, you go on the Gator Wrestling (again a 3-timer), another Gatorland staple, but one which takes some believing sometimes as the gator wrestlers (or 'wranglers') seem to be taking great risk of life and limb as they demonstrate the likes and dislikes of various gators (up to six feet in length). There is Florida's only female 'wrangler' here too, which adds a new twist to the attraction. All the time, the staff keep up a highly educational (and quite fun) commentary about gators and their habits, and I'm sure even the locals would be surprised by some of the message here. Finally, Jungle
Crocs of the World (twice daily) is part exhibit and part show at the back of the park, with a series of pens designed to show off crocs from places like Cuba, Egypt and Australia, and the animal handlers get really up close and personal with many of them. Again, you'll learn about Gatorland's unique training programme (for the gators, not the staff!) and marvel at how apparently insane they are for getting anywhere near these seriously lethal creatures.
Having talked extensively to many of the staff (and watch out, in particular for senior Gator men Tim Williams and Flavio, who all really know their stuff), I am aware of just how much you can learn from your time here, and much of what they can tell you is seriously surprising.
But don't just take my word for it.....................!
In all seriousness, I believe there is a lot more to Gatorland these days than first meets the eye, and it can be a highly entertaining half day. Their website -
www.gatorland.com - offers $3 off the full $19.95 adult admission ($9.95 for 3-12s), and is also worth checking out for the full picture of what's there. You probably won't do it justice in just 2 hours (and you certainly won't see all the shows), hence I reckons you need 5 hours or so to get your money's worth. There is also a small outdoor snack bar and picnic deck, plus the usual gift shop and gator photo opportunity. It is easy to find just off Highway 192, Osceola Parkway and the Greenway (417) and is only 10 minutes or so from the airport.
Now, back to the Unbelievers....
