Gatorland is a theme park and wildlife preserve in Florida, located along South Orange Blossom Trail south of Orlando.
Gatorland was opened 67 years ago in 1949 and has been privately owned, as the first major attraction in central Florida. Billed as the “Alligator Capital of the World,” Gatorland features thousands of alligators and crocodiles, a breeding marsh with boardwalk and observation tower, reptile shows, aviary, petting zoo, swamp walk, and educational programs. The park is known for buying and rescuing nuisance alligators from trappers that would otherwise be killed for their meat and skin. The Breeding Marsh area of the park was used in the 1984 movie, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
In the summer of 2011 a new attraction was added: a zip line that travels across a pool of alligators and past several of the existing attractions. The ride is 1,200 feet long and several stories high.
Gatorland opened Gator Spot at Fun Spot America Theme Parks’ Orlando park in 2015. The $1 million attraction allows Gatorland to extend their brand to the I-Drive tourist area, with visitors able to hold, take photos with, and feed alligators. The star of the attraction is a leucistic alligator named Bouya, a white gator with blue eyes.
Catch the shows with humans interacting with gators, including the classic Gator Jumparoo, where huge American alligators leap from the water to chomp chickens dangling from lines. Alligator wrestling and creepy critter shows educate their audiences with reptile trivia while performing amazing stunts. Take a relaxing train ride through the swamp, make some cuddly friends at the petting zoo or cool off from the Florida sun in the Gator Gully Splash Park, where you’re sure to get soaked.