A Day at Gatorland with the Kids
I was in Orlando for over 3 years before I actually visited Gatorland. I heard about the park all the time as camps that I looked at for my kids went there, they have smaller exhibits in other locations and I would see advertisements for them pretty much everywhere. But I always thought to myself, why do I want to spend money to see alligators. I can see (and run from them) for free in the wild. I finally made my way to Gatorland last October when I was invited for an event and quickly realized all my assumptions were false. I returned soon thereafter with my kids to fully enjoy the park.
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What is there to do at Gatorland?
You might be asking, what can you do at Gatorland. Well, there are a lot of fun activities for kids and adults of all ages. Below, are the activities that the kids and I did during our visit.
The kids and I went to three shows. The first one was the Jumparoo Show. In the show two “competitors” were trying to see who could get the alligator on their side to jump and grab the food they were holding the quickest. The alligators didn’t seem to be too hungry the day that we went, but the comedy from the participants kept the show interesting. One did jump up and grab the food at the end and it was fun to see.
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The second show we attended was the Alligators: Legends of the Swamp Show. This show was more of an educational show to teach everyone about Alligators and to dispel some myths that we might have heard. They also taught us how to get away from an alligator if we ever needed to. At the end of the show, those who had purchased a photo op were able to take a picture with the alligator. Both the kids and I did take the picture; it was our first time up close to an alligator.
The third show that we went to was the Up Close Encounters show. This was definitely our favorite show of the the three. We got to see some pretty cool animals from all around the world. Audience members were called up to participate in different segments of the show. My family was called up to help with the finale. We were told to close our eyes and put our hands as they brought out a special animal for us to see. Neither kid followed the directions and they saw that they were bringing out the biggest snake I have ever seen. They both showed their bravery though and did actually hold the snake after a short period of being horrified.
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After our trio of shows, we visited the Very Merry Aviary and Allie’s Barnyard Petting and Feeding. You are able to feed the birds in the aviary and the animals in the petting zoo. Food is available for a small cost. We didn’t feed the birds, as we had recently done that at the zoo, (it is a lot of fun by the way as the birds get up close and you are able to interact with them) but we did feed the animals in the Petting Zoo. My son was initially afraid at first, half of his food ended up on the floor as he threw it away when animals approached him, but after he saw his sister and I feeding the animals without incident he decided to try it too. He enjoyed the experience so much, that after he ran out of food (because half was on the floor), he wanted to purchase another cone so he could continue to feed them.
Other than the shows, we hadn’t seen a ton of alligators yet, so we went on a walk through the breeding marsh to see the baby alligators (they are so cute when they are small) and then we got some Gator Chow and had fun throwing it to the Alligators.
We also took a ride on the Gatorland Express which took us on a tour of the back of the park. From the train you can see some additional animals including crocodiles, birds, deer and more gators. The train ride lasts about 10 minutes, but was a nice break from walking and the sun.
What other experiences are at the park?
Gatorland offers some other experiences at the park that would be perfect for older kids. Those include the Screaming Gator Zipline, a series of 5 zip lines in the park; The Gator Gauntlet, a single zip line, where you can zip across the Breeding Marsh; Adventure Hour, where you can get up close to the baby alligators in the Breeding Marsh; The Stompin Gator Off-Road Adventure, where you ride on a monster truck through the swamp. There is also a nighttime tour called Night Shine, where you walk through the Breeding Marsh armed with only a flashlight and some gator food. All of these experiences are an additional cost.
How long does it take to visit Gatorland?
We spent about 4 hours at Gatorland. If you add on some of the extra experiences you could definitely spend a full day at the park.
If you are looking for fun activities at a discount price this summer, check out the Orlando Sightseeing Pass. It’s not just for tourists. It works great for locals as well.
Gatorland Tickets, Pricing and Discounts
Gatorland Prices
The regular price of a Gatorland Ticket is $29.99 for ages 13 and up, $19.99 for kids 3-12 and $24.99 for Seniors 55 and up
The Gatorland Grunt Package (which we recommend) is $36.99 for ages 13 and up and $27.99 for kids 3-12. The Gatorland Grunt Package includes admission to Gatorland, an Alligator meet-n-greet with photo op, unlimited rides on the Gatorland Express and Gator Chow to feed the Gators.
Gatorland Florida Resident Rates
Gatorland frequently has Florida Resident Rates of up to 50% off the regular ticket price.
Is Gatorland worth visiting?
Both of my kids and I would say it absolutely is. We had a great day out at Gatorland and would highly recommend visiting.
We were provided with complimentary admission to facilitate this review. All opinions are our own.
