Weird Florida

Big Cement Gators

At one time there was a trend to see which tourist attraction could build the biggest cement alligator. There’s a 124 foot one at Kissimmee’s defunct Jungleland Zoo with a Land Rover in its jaws and up the road near Orlando is the famous entrance to Gatorland through a gator’s open mouth. The biggest concrete gator, 220 feet from snout to tail tip, is “Swampy” at Jungle Adventures on Highway 50 between Orlando and Titusville.

Gatorland:
Located on Hwy 441 just north of Orlando, Florida on the Kissimmee line, Gatorland is home to some of the largest alligators in the world (we fed them, we know!). You can see alligator wrestling and get up close and personal to many animals they feature in at the zoo.

The place opened in the 1940’s, along Florida’s second most traveled highway, so owner Owen Godwin Sr. thought it would be a perfect spot for a roadside attraction — and he was right. He opened the place under the name Snake Village, and re-named it Gatorland in 1954. Disneyworld, Universal Studios and Sea World would later decide to build their attractions just up the road.

Gatorland also has a 2,000 ft boardwalk through some of Florida’s wetlands — much like they existed thousands of years ago. It’s a great place for education, a fun show of performers wrestling the ‘gators, and a great place for the kids to spend a few hours. If you want to see a taste of old Florida roadside, stop by Gatorland. We weirdly recommend it!

Visit their website at: www.gatorland.com

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