.All Trips / Florida / North America / Southeastern USA

Gatorland, Orlando, Florida

01 Gatorland 11-2015 (1) Classic entrance

Florida is home to lots of alligators, and there’s probably no better place to see your fill of them in one day than at Gatorland.

Gatorland was Orlando’s first large attraction, starting way back in 1949 when Disney and Universal hadn’t even thought of using the region for theme parks.  Back then Seminole Indians would wrestle the gators for tourists, and the classic gator jaws at the park’s entrance (top photo) were photographed tens of thousands of times.   Because of the extensive development of the Orlando region, there are many fewer gators around today but there’s still lots of them in the state.

Gatorland is a family-run, family -oriented place that reminded me a little of Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park …

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“Pic of the Week”, February 26, 2016: A Potpouri of Gators

Gatorland 11-2015 (50)

Alligators fascinate and repel me.  They’re amazingly graceful in the water, powerful and agile, and are obviously highly successful predators.  But it’s their predatory aspect I find repelling.  When one of them turns its soulless eyes on you, it feels as though you’re being sized up for dinner.  I’m reminded of the classic Gary Larson “FarSide” cartoon.  Two crocs with bloated bellies are lying on a riverbank, a broken canoe beside them.  One croc tells the other (and I’m paraphrasing) — “That was incredible.  No scales, no horns,  no fur — just soft and pink!”  We humans are those soft pink treats they seem to desire.

Alligators are quite photogenic.  Take a look at these shots from Orlando’s fun “Gatorland” park:

 

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“Pic of the Week”, January 22, 2016. Macaws, Orlando

Gatorland 11-2015 (97) macaws and parrots

Macaws are beautiful birds — although at times, perhaps, a little temperamental!  Watching a flock of them fly through the Amazon rain-forest is a sight you never forget, with flapping flashes of bright color against the green canopy.  And, of course, as easy as they are to see they’re even easier to hear as they’re quite chirpy.

The best place to study these beautiful birds up close is in an exhibit.  But beware those beaks — they can do serious damage to a finger pointed their way!

These photos were taken at Gatorland park in Orlando.

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“Pic of the Week”, November 13, 2015: Gator wrestling, Florida

05 Gator wresting

Alligators are fascinating animals.  Large, primitive, with alert eyes that, like any good predator’s, follow you wherever you go.  I must admit that when they fix their unblinking eyes on me, the hair stands up on my neck.  They are six inches long when they’re born, but as fully grown adults can reach a length of almost 20 ft (more than 6 meters).  Once a threatened species, they’ve recovered and you’ll find them in freshwater swamps and lakes of the southeast.

I recently visited Orlando with my father and one day was spent at the fun old-fashioned amusement park, Gatorland.  There are several shows at this venue, including one featuring alligator wrestling.  This is not a violent sport …

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