Gatorland

{vintage postcard image source}

In July 2016 we were able to squeeze in a short visit to Gatorland located in Orlando, Fl.  Most would probably think if you are in Orlando, obviously go to Disney World but no, no boo boo.  There is no amount of free turkey legs or mickey pretzels that can get us into that overcrowded sweltering heat misery trap in the summer.  While it was still hot on our visit, Gatorland did not disappoint.

Gatorland got it's start in 1949 as a family owned roadside attraction called the Florida Wildlife Institute.  Over the years the name has changed several times but it still is owned by the Godwin family to this day.

 The iconic gator mouth entrance was constructed in 1962, which remains there still as the perfect photo op...best for people who aren't sweaty and moody from being overheated, which explains why you don't see us up there.

While it was really hot on our visit to Gatorland we had such a great time.  Mr. Husband has been to Gatorland before but it was PB and my first visit.

There are a ton of attractions, exhibits, and shows to see in the park.
You can pay extra to have your picture taken with live alligators right behind you, as seen above sans us.  There is also a zipline you can do over a pool of alligators for an extra fee.  We cheapskates stuck to the basic package experience and had plenty to enjoy.

Teenage gators...

A white alligator...

Tortoises!

Gator wrestling show...

A nature trail board walk over the lagoons...

Also there was an alligator show with them jumping out of the water to eat raw chicken, a bird exhibit where you can walk around a huge caged area and feed exotic birds, plenty of silly photo op sets, a petting zoo with goats, and another animal show with snakes and other creepy crawlies.

The park had a number of neat vintage bits still around such as this Safe-T Cup ice cream sign.

As I mentioned before, it was horribly hot during our visit but the Gator Gully splash pad had us covered!  I would suggest bringing an extra set of clothes and taking your shoes off...of which we did not do.
Gatorland on it's own is just a ton of fun, but there's another fantastic feature it has to offer!
Not one, but two, MOLD-A-MATIC machines!

Also called Mold-a-rama (invented in 1962) , these plastic molding machines make you a souvenir figurine right before your eyes!

It's difficult to see above, this machine makes a white alligator.

And here it is in the tray, still warm and smelling of molten plastic from just being molded!  The other machine casts a green plastic man wrestling an alligator.

Gatorland is such a hoot!  We loved all of their quirky signage and gags.  In more recent times they put together a commercial about social distancing being enforced at the park by a Skunk Ape:

That's it for our attractions on this virtual Florida Vacation but the fun it's over just yet!