Confession: I have visited Gatorland more than I have visited the Disney, Universal and Legoland parks in Florida. It is my favorite Orlando theme park!
Why? I don’t like huge crowds and long lines. I don’t like super overpriced attractions. I don’t like walking 16 miles (*slight exaggeration*) to get back to my car.
Gatorland feels a little bit more like the authentic and ‘wild’ Florida. It has free parking. Admission is reasonable ($26.99 adults/16.99 kids) considering you get a full days worth of entertainment. There are some add-ons if you decide to do the zip lines, the monster truck experience, the train rides, or other animal encounters.
Shows:
They have several free shows that are super entertaining and don’t feel too exploitative towards the animals.
The “Gator Jumparoo” show features gators jumping out of the water to get food. It’s so exciting to watch the gators get hand fed by the brave gator handlers.
The “Up Close Encounters” show features live snakes and other animals getting held by squeamish audience members. Great fun!
Gators: Legends of the Swamp
“Gators: Legends of the Swamp” show features a handler having some daring experiences with a gator. You can also get your picture sitting on a gator at the end of the show for an extra $10. (Cost of the printed picture is an extra fee)
Gators: Legends of the Swamp
For an extra $10 pp you can experience “Adventure Hour”, an up close and personal time to feed gators and take selfies with them. This was the highlight of my day! You are literally within 18 inches of these huge man eating gators!
Live Animals
In addition to countless gators of all sizes, Gatorland has a small zoo with snakes, tortoises, some large cats, crocodiles and some grazing mammals.
They have a petting zoo with goats and a donkey. You can purchase food to feed the petting zoo animals. They also have a parakeet enclosure you can enter to feed the parakeets.
The gators truly are the main attraction and they have gators of all ages. You can purchase fish to feed the small gators using a fishing pole. You can buy bags of feed for the larger gators to enjoy. They even have a few famous gators (including one that terrorized the streets of Florida, eating peoples dogs!).
Interactive activities
In addition to the animal encounters and live shows, the park also has a train ride ($2) that circles the park slowly. There is a zip line ($64) course that travels through the park, for those that love trills!
They also have a children’s spray park to entertain the littlest ones on the hottest days
There is a lovely boardwalk that travels through some swamp land In the park, giving you a view of natural trees and wildlife In the swamp. My son saw a huge snapping turtle and lots of fish!
Food Options
Gatorland has a cafe where you can grab typical lunch fare (hamburgers, chicken tenders, gator bites, fries, salads etc). Their house made chips are delicious. They also have a few smaller stops for drinks and frozen beverages.
Check out their website for more info: https://www.gatorland.com/
Check out some of our other Florida adventures:
