I posted about a trip to Antarctica previously where we got to meet Lucy, a leucistic penguin. So when friends from that trip came to visit me in Orlando, we decided we needed to add to our leucistic animal collection and check out Gatorland. Gatorland is home to a few leucistic alligators including one born last summer!
According to USA Today, “Leucistic alligators are the rarest genetic variation of the alligator with white coloration, patches of normal pigmentation and blue eyes, the release said. They differ from albino alligators, which have complete loss of pigmentation and pink eyes.”
Gatorland is an amusement park in Orlando that advertises itself as the alligator capital of the world. We had planned not to spend a lot of time there, so were pleasantly surprised at how much there is to do:
- Alligator shows – we saw two. One focused on feeding the alligators where the gators jumped out of the water to get the bait. The second told a bit about the alligator’s muscles and habits and had a bit of alligator wrestling thrown in. Both had silly, self-deprecating hillbilly humor thrown in for fun. I found the humor a bit too cringy, but the shows were fun.
- Exhibits – in additional to the leucistic alligators, you can see other alligators as well as crocodiles, birds, and some turtles. And even a couple of capybaras which was unexpected (they are the largest rodent species).
- Stompin’ Gator Offroad Adventure – we almost skipped this but it was only $10 per person so we did it and we were glad we did. It’s a custom-made 12 feet high off-road monster vehicle that goes down a dirt path at the park. The man-made bumps are VERY bumpy which was a surprise – my mom is 76 and the bumps weren’t too much for her but they were a bit rougher than we were expecting. It’s only about a 15 minute ride and it is easy on/off as you walk up a platform to get on the ride.
- Screamin’ Gator Zip Line – we skipped the zip line but it advertised itself as the “Best Zip Line in the USA”. We kinda doubted that as it didn’t look like much, but a quick Google confirms that at least a few sites rated it highly – in part because you zip over the alligators! If you ride the zip line then let me know what you think as I may have to go back and check it out!
- Gatorland’s barnyard petting and feeding offers the opportunity some of the animals (not the alligators!).
- There’s a really nice boardwalk trail that goes through the marsh. It took about 20 or 30 minutes to walk and was flat and easy.
Gatorland was opened in 1949 by Owen Godwin and it’s a testament to the park that it has endured this long. It’s low key with dirt walkways, simple conveniences, and the jokes can be tacky – but our group really enjoyed it and were glad we made the trip!
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