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You are here: Home / Archives for Gatorland

Gatorland: A Unique Florida Zoo

April 15, 2014 by Beeb 7 Comments

Large gator

All of my travel consideration was provided by Experience Kissimmee.

By now, you’ve read about my adventures at Gatorland getting an up-close-and-personal meeting with a variety of creatures and taking a thrill ride on the Screamin’ Gator Zip Line. But there is so much more to Gatorland than these activities – in addition, the facility boast a large, mostly-outdoor zoo that treats the visitor to some of the native landscape.

Gatorland observation tower

As you stroll along the paths facing swampy habitat, you can see a plethora of birds, gators, and other local wildlife. This observation tower provided a neat panoramic view:

Here’s a closeup of the nesting bird seen briefly in the video:

Nesting bird

As a avian lover, I really enjoyed seeing all of the different birds on the property!

Egret

Heron

Egret nest

It was interesting to see how nonchalant these birds were about the alligators:

Alligators and birds

Egret ventures near gators

Heron with a gator

And of course, what would a trip to Florida be without pink flamingos?

Pink flamingos

Naturally, at a park called “Gatorland”, you will find plenty of alligators:

Hitching a ride

But there are many other animals to see, like this cool cat:

The offspring of a Western Cougar & Florida Panther

This 175-pound cat is the offspring of a Western Cougar father and a Florida Panther mother. Florida Panthers are smaller than the cougars we get here in the Pacific Northwest, but clearly get much larger when bred with a typical mountain lion!

Funny goat

I also saw this very funny and bizarre looking goat, which we all agreed looks like one of the creatures from Star Wars!

Gator goodies

At the end of our visit, we were presented with these gift bags of “Gator Goodies” to remember our trip by – isn’t that the cutest? I love my plushie gator and think of my fun trip every time I sip coffee from my new mug. I saw these “Coconut Patties” everywhere when I was in Florida so it must be some sort of local tradition; they were indeed tasty!

There is so much on the Gatorland property to explore that I feel we barely even scratched the surface during our rush tour, from these zoo areas with local wildlife to shows to zip lines and even a small waterpark area! As someone visiting Florida for the first time, I loved the beautiful swampy landscape and could have easily spent a whole day just at Gatorland exploring all of the zoo attractions and other displays and experiences. It’s a great place to visit, especially for a tourist from out-of-state to get their jaws sunk into the Florida experience – alligator pun fully intended!

For More Information:

Gatorland
14501 South Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32837
1-800-393-5297
Hours: 10 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Sunday
Admission: $26.99 for adults; $18.99 for children ages 3-12; children under 3 admit free.
Website – Facebook – Foursquare – Twitter

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: Florida, Florida Vacation, Gatorland, RockYourVacation

Gator Wrestlin’, Snake Handling & Other Florida Adventures

April 14, 2014 by Beeb 31 Comments

Our Gatorland guide!

Our Gatorland guide!


Thanks to Experience Kissimmee for providing all travel consideration.

One of my hopes for my first-ever trip to Florida was that I’d get a chance to take a photo with an alligator; so I was not disappointed when we arrived at Gatorland, known as “The Alligator Capital of The World”. After starting my visit with a heart-pounding ride on the Screamin’ Gator Zipline, we came back down to Earth and got up close and personal with some new friends!

Gator Wrestlin'

Gatorland is home to the Rookie Wrestlin’ experience, where you too can sit on an alligator for just $10. This was my chance to cross another item off my Florida bucket list!

Beeb wrestles a gator!

Beeb wrestles a gator!

After Rookie Wrestlin’ finishes, it’s time for the main Gator Wrestlin’ Show; or as they refer to it, “Cracker-style wrestling”. Oh, Florida!

Gatorland

Gator Wrestlin' Arena

The Gator Wrestlin’ Show is part alligator rodeo, part educational talk and part comedy skit. There were a lot of regional jokes poking fun at different parts of the state; when the trainer stuck his head into the alligator’s mouth, he prefaced it by saying: “The things we do in Florida for minimum wage…no, really!” One of the things I found entertaining about Greater Orlando is that it’s not really the deep South, per se, but they play up the “Southern Redneck” image for the tourists. I certainly couldn’t think of a more Florida way to start my first full day in the Sunshine State than by visiting Gatorland!

Chester

But that wasn’t the end of gator experiences by any means. We also got a VIP tour similar to the “Trainer For a Day” package that Gatorland offers, and one of the activities was getting up close and personal with Chester. We were taken into his pen and, with the door shut behind us, stood mere feet away from those jaws with no divider between us. After I came home, I learned just how famously aggressive Chester can be – there’s a number of videos online about good old Chester, including an episode of a reality show called “The Pet Psychic” (!!!), where his trainer comments that “Even getting close to him can be dangerous” (!!!!!!!).

My trip to Gatorland was an interesting lesson in fear in many ways. It struck me how I was so frightened of the zip line, but didn’t feel scared when I was in a pen with Chester. It just goes to show that sometimes our brains really aren’t that useful when it comes to the things that make us anxious. Fortunately, Chester didn’t eat us while we had our heads buried in our phones trying to Instagram photos of him. 😉

After we met Chester, we were introduced to a rare leucistic alligator for a photo-op:

Me with a leucistic alligator!

Me with a leucistic alligator!

Leucistic alligators are somewhat akin to albino alligators, except they have blue eyes and some variation in coloring. They are rare, as you can imagine, with this guy being one of about 14 in the world. Our tour guide told us the legend that if you look into this alligator’s eyes and make a wish, it’ll come true, so I made eye contact on my way out. What I wished for is between me and the gator. 😉

But there are many, many more creatures at Gatorland than just its namesake animal. We got to meet some of the stars of the Upclose Encounters Show – behold, the photo that gave everyone on my Facebook friends list fits:

Beeb holds a snake

Yes, that’s me holding a giant snake! Snake don’t bother me so it was no big deal. I apologize if you have now lit your monitor on fire.

Snake handling

Honestly, my only worry was making sure I didn’t poke the snake on accident – I wasn’t worried for me!

Melissa does her best "Britney at the VMAs" impression

Melissa does her best “Britney at the VMAs” impression

Strangely, no one was anxious to cuddle with this little guy:

Scorpion

Scorpion

I was proud of Kristy, who has major arachnophobia, for being so brave and holding the tarantula:

Kristy holds a tarantula

Kristy holds a tarantula

If you haven’t thrown your monitor out the window yet, here are photos of some cute little guys to make you feel better!

Blue-Tongued Skink

His tongue matches Meredith’s nail polish!

This is a Blue-Tongued Skink!

Bearded dragon

Bearded dragon gets ready for his closeup!

This Bearded Dragon was a sweetie!

Gatorland truly packed an incredible amount of experiences into our short visit – and I haven’t even shown you the rest of the park/zoo, which I will save for another article so that you aren’t scrolling for miles and miles!

For More Information:

Gatorland
14501 South Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32837
1-800-393-5297
Hours: 10 AM to 5 PM, Monday-Sunday
Admission: $26.99 for adults, $18.99 for children ages 3-12; children under 3 admit free.
Rookie Wrestling: $10 (Photo not included)
“Trainer For a Day” Experience: $125
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Foursquare

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: Florida, Florida Vacation, Gatorland, RockYourVacation

Flying Over Alligators on The Screamin’ Gator Zip Line

April 13, 2014 by Beeb 27 Comments

Ready for the Screamin' Gator Zipline!

Photo courtesy Experience Kissimmee.


Travel consideration (And adrenaline rush) provided by Experience Kissimmee!

On my first full day in Florida, we started off bight and early by heading over to Gatorland. I couldn’t think of a better way to start my Florida experience! As would become a theme on this trip, we began the morning by heading straight to the thrill ride: The Screamin’ Gator Zipline, which is the world’s tallest, fastest zipline. Oh yeah, and its track goes over GIANT GATORS. Who needs coffee in the morning when you have a jolt of adrenaline courtesy a zip line course over gators?

The ironic part is that prior to this trip, I always swore I wouldn’t go ziplining. In fact, a couple of years ago I remember commenting on another blogger’s post from a trip to Kissimme where they wrote about riding the Screamin’ Gator Zipline, and I remember saying something along the lines of, “Wow, that’s so cool that you did that, but I would never be brave enough to do it!” Well, never say never, because here we are!

I thought carefully before deciding to go on this trip if I’d want to do the ziplining experience. Of course, nothing was mandatory and it was my choice if I decided to participate or not. After thinking about it, I realized it would be silly not to. I am not a thrill-seeker in the slightest, and I do not like heights, so part of me wondered if it was going to end up like that South Park episode “I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining”. But because I am so uptight and anxious, I thought it would be a good challenge for me, and this whole trip ended up being about challenging myself, facing fears, and personal growth.

So to get started, we watched a safety video, talked to our guides about the rules and got strapped into a harness and helmet. As we approached the zip line tower, I didn’t feel nervous at all. We walked up many flights of stairs and I felt totally fine! And then, I saw the platform we had to jump off and how high we were – THEN I felt the fear!

I was terrified during the first zip line course I did. What was hilarious is that all the other girls posed for fun photos in the air, courtesy our zip line photographer – no cameras are allowed on your person on the zip line and with very good reason, there is no way you could hold on to them and you do not need any distractions up there. Look at how happy and cute these girls are:

(All zip line photos provided courtesy Gatorland)

Melissa on the zip line

Cher on the zip line

Rochelle on the zip line

And then there’s me:

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Clinging on for dear life

The guide actually said to me, “You were the only one who didn’t put your hands up for the photo!”. I was thinking, hey lady, it’s enough that I’m even doing this – don’t ask me to be photogenic too! 😉

I could feel my legs shaking as we walked up the tower to do the second zip line. The thing that most scared met was the fact that you strap your own harness on, and I was scared that I might have done it wrong or affixed the straps incorrectly. I asked my guide and she reassured me that she was watching me the whole time and can tell by looking at me that it’s all right, because she’s done it for so long – and of course, they do a quick visual inspection every time you launch. The second zip was still really scary, but hearing that made me feel a lot better.

By the third zip, I had gotten comfortable with it and was proud of myself for facing the fear. “I got this!” I thought to myself. “The next one will be easy!” And then….I saw the bridge.

I knew that there was a wooden bridge to pass, but I didn’t really think about what it would look like. I wasn’t expecting this rickety, Indiana-Jones-style dangling bridge with every other step missing. Especially petrifying was the fact that they only hook up one of your harness ties, rather than both as they do on the other courses, and the one they hook up is not the super-duper-reinforced-safe-one. You are affixed to the side of the bridge, rather than above as on the others, so I was terrified as to what would happen if I fell. The bridge shook terribly if I tried to move fast, and I had to keep my eyes down on the abyss or I would miss my step. It was so scary and marked the very first time that I have ever sworn out loud on a press trip. (In my defense, I was not the only one!) It would also not be the last time I swore, since I let out the same expletive a few days later on the Sky Coaster, but that’s a whole other story!

But you know what was cool about the bridge? When I first started across, I was so scared, but by the time I was halfway across, it wasn’t as bad as when I began. That’s what facing a fear is like: It’s so awful to start, but then you acclimate. And that’s why I wanted to do this zip line: To face fears. I was really proud of myself! A lot of my friends on the trip said that the anticipation was the worst part, but I disagree, because I actually found doing it to be even scarier than thinking about it. 😉

After the death bridge of doom, we had one zip left, which was a zip line race over swampy, gator-filled water. After all the scary things we did, this seemed like nothing so it was super fun! My leg of the race was journalists versus PR as I zipped against Rochelle from Experience Kissimmee, who you saw in one of the photos above looking so graceful!

The Screaming Gator Zipline was an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. I am the least thrill-seeking person on the planet, but now I can boast a photo like this:

Beeb ziplines over gators!

Beeb ziplines over gators!

It was very memorable, very Florida, and on a personal level I felt like it challenged me to do something that provided a valuable experience about facing fears for other areas of my life. I had an unforgettable time with my friends and by the end of it, I even had fun. And I would actually do it again, which is really saying something!

Gatorland is home to so much more than just the Screamin’ Gator Zip Line – I’ll be sharing my other Gatorland adventures in coming posts, so keep an eye peeled for that!

For More Information:

Gatorland
14501 South Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32837
1-800-393-5297

Screamin’ Gator Zip Line Admission: $69.99 – includes all day admission to Gatorland. Reservations required – click here for more information & to book online.

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: experience kissimmee, Florida, Gatorland, Kissimmee, RockYourVacation, zip lining, ziplining

The Gator Capital of America and Florida Family Fun Stop: Gatorland #Kiss10

February 13, 2013 by Momstart 3 Comments

Gatorland – The Gator Capital of America and Family Fun Stop in Orlando #Kiss10

By: Ashley

Gatorland, also known as the gator capital of America, is an amazing wildlife park in Orlando, Florida. You can find alligators, crocodiles, majestic white alligators, snakes, and a breathtaking array of birds. What’s even more amazing is the sense of family you can’t help but feel as you stroll through the park.

If you’re planning a trip to Orlando or anywhere in the Kissimmee area, one of the big questions you might have is “Should I go to Gatorland?” I can honestly say I would take my family there. Admission to Gatorland is about $25.00 for adults and $17 for kids 3 and up (Florida residents are eligible for a discount). With the number of attractions, shows, and exhibits in the park, you could easily spend the entire day outside with your family at a reasonable price.

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If you’re now wondering what there is to do in Gatorland, let me help you out! Gatorland is home to thousands of alligators and crocodiles, an aviary, a boardwalk through a breathtaking marsh area, a petting zoo, a kids splash zone, and amazing one-of-a-kind reptilian shows. All of this is included with regular park admission.

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If you’re interested in adding even more to your gator adventure, Gatorland has a ton of add on special packages. They’ve even added on a Screamin’ Gator Zip Line which takes you over seven stories high with an amazing view above the trees.

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As is the case with pretty much any attraction that features live animals, you may wonder what kind of care the animals receive. At Gatorland, many of the animals are actually rescued. Chester the alligator was actually rescued after he got kicked out of his home because he was eating too many dogs! Gatorland has also adopted animals rescued from animal hoarders like several Pythons found in the park. Even the white leucistic alligators wouldn’t be able to survive in the wild. While not all of the animals in Gatorland are rescues, the family feel that is around every corner leaves me thinking they’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. The staff at Gatorland obviously cares about each other, loves wildlife, and wants to share their joy with you.

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Gatorland is actually one of the oldest, continually running attractions in Central Florida establish in 1949. The iconic jaws in front of the main entrance were at one time the official entrance into the park. After surviving a massive fire, the gator jaws are still there ready for photo ops, and a great landmark letting you know exactly where you are – Gatorland!

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Experience Kissimmee brought me to Florida to experience Kissimmee in person. All opinions are my own, and no compensation was received.

About Ashley – Ashley is a mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend, and former teacher working to navigate through the mysterious world of Mommyia. Read more about her adventures at Momicles and follow her@Momicles2010.

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: Florida, gator capital, Gatorland, Kissimmee, Orlando, travel

5 Ways to Experience Kissimmee Without Going to Disney #Kiss10

February 6, 2013 by Momstart 6 Comments

5 Ways to Experience Kissimmee Without Going to Disney

By: Ashley

We all know that Disney is a magical place, but Kissimmee is home to so many amazing activities and adventures! You could plan a weeklong vacation to Kissimmee full of fun and adventure without even going to Disney. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Disney (Who doesn’t?!?), but sometimes families need to know what else there is in Orlando.

1. Wild Florida – This place is full of Florida wildlife from the second you step onto the grounds. A petting zoo, airboat rides, and of course alligators can keep your family busy for hours!

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2. Forever Florida – If you want to see some untouched, natural Florida scenery, but aren’t feeling the boat riding bug, Forever Florida is a great stop. This eco-ranch of 4700 acres offers a ton of adventures including horseback tours, safari rides, and amazing zipline tours.

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3. Arabian Nights – This family owned and operated dinner entertainment show features gorgeous horses and a patriotic story. Enjoy a meal while watching a theatrical show unfold before your eyes.

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4. Gatorland – It’s impossible to feature Florida wildlife without alligators and Gatorland is the alligator hot spot. Gator shows, gator rescues, gator babies, mysterious white gators, and more can be found at this great Orlando attraction where you could easily spend a day.

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5. Premium Outlets Orlando – Once you’ve seen the wild side of Kissimmee, you can take a day to hit this shopper’s paradise. Upscale stores like Coach, and kid friendly stops like Stride Rite make this a great shopping destination for all.

 

So there you have it – 5 ways to spend a day in Orlando without going to Disney. I have to admit that not all of these places are officially in Orlando or Kissimmee, but they’re all very close. They also all have great online resources to help you plan your family’s visit. Don’t forget to check out our own Kissimmee experiences here on MomStart to help you plan your trip.

 

Experience Kissimmee brought me to Florida to experience Kissimmee in person. All opinions are my own, and no compensation was received.

About Ashley – Ashley is a mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend, and former teacher working to navigate through the mysterious world of Mommyia. Read more about her adventures at Momicles and follow her @Momicles2010.

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: Arabian Nights, Forever Florida, Gatorland, Kissimmee, premium Outlests Orlando, Wild Florida

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