Gatorama is a theme park in Palmdale, Florida. It has all sorts of fun rides and attractions for families to enjoy. This visitor attraction raises crocodiles for meat and skins. It’s one of the original alligator farms in Florida.
In fact, it’s one of thirty licenses issued to the industry in 1987. Today, there are 18 such farms in Florida.
The farm has a large group of people from all over the world. You’ll be welcomed with open arms at Gatorama, which is also a fishing hole.
As time goes on, more and more families are choosing to go to Gatorama over similar parks in the area.
Gatorama in Palmdale, Florida, is more than just a farm with alligators. It is a visitor attraction that raises alligators and crocodiles for meat and skins.
Most of the people that come to Gatorama want to feed and take pictures with the alligators.
In 2002, gator farms in Florida produced more than twenty-seven thousand pounds of alligator meat and two thousand hides. Gatorama harvests about 1,000 alligators each year. You can buy their meat at the gift shop or order it online and have it shipped overnight.
This place can be the center of your vacation itinerary, or just nearby!
Whatever your vacation plans, Gatorama is sure to be a hit!
It’s one of the few roadside attractions left before Disney brought its magic to Florida. Gatorama is a great place for wildlife viewing, and you can feed the gators and interact with them. You can even take part in gator feeding and catching.
Read on to find out more about this alligator farm and what it has to offer.
Fishin’ Hole
At Gatorama, you can feed crocodiles in the Fishin’ Hole and try their hand at catching one. There are many fun things to do at Gatorama including zip lining, crocodile feeding, and gator-watching.
The Fishin’ Hole is a great place to spend a day with the family. There are several ponds and a fishing pier where you can cast a line.
The staff will supply the bait and poles for you to use. There are always activities going on, so be sure to check out what is available.
A trip to Gatorama would not be complete without the Hatchling Festival. Children can get up close and personal with live alligators and even try their hand at hatching.
The Hatching Festival is held for two weeks in August. You will need a ticket to attend.
If you want to hold a baby alligator, be sure to sign up for a ticket well in advance.
Fast Hands or No Hands Gator Feeding
Are you curious to see alligators in action? Check out an interactive experience that is both educational and fun.
You can choose from either No Hands or Fast Hands Gator Feeding to get up close and personal with crocs.
Visitors can also participate in GatorVentures, where they can get up close and personal with alligators.
You can choose the Fast Hands Challenge, where you lean over the walkway to feed an alligator, or the Face-to-Face Challenge, where you stand in front of a hungry alligator and feed it with your hands.
Meanwhile, requires young adventurers to climb into a pool and feed an alligator.
Gatorama also has a number of daily shows, including Goliath! Go Big or Go Home.
This interactive show features two trainers for the legendary gator Goliath.
There are also opportunities to catch juvenile gators and sit on their backs, as well as participate in the Fast Hands or No Hands Gator Feeding experience.
For an interactive experience, you should make reservations in advance.
Cafe
You have to try out Cafe Gatorama. This unique visitor attraction raises crocodiles for skins and meat. There is also a gift shop where you can purchase items made from the skins of the crocodiles.
The food here is good, and the staff is very friendly.
The restaurant also offers fishing poles and bait, so you can hook up with some fresh fish while enjoying a meal.
Alligator Nuggets
If you’ve never tried alligator nuggets, you may not know they exist!
While gators are a novelty, some people find them delicious.
A guest at Gatorama’s alligator farm, Danny Lam, enjoyed the meat. The texture was tough and chewy, but he said it was like eating chicken.
The alligator is an endangered species, and there are over 1.3 million of them living in Florida. Each alligator has eighty teeth, which are replaced as they wear out.
Adult males can grow to be as big as 14 feet long and weigh more than a thousand pounds. They can live for up to 50 years in the wild, and feeding wild alligators is illegal in Florida.
The restaurant specializes in alligator meat, but the menu also includes ribs and other specialties made from the white meat of the alligator.
While it may be similar to chicken, it has no bone or fat.
Gatorama also boasts the largest collection of large alligators in the country and has a breeding colony for the reptile.
Croc Nuggets
These animals are raised by the facility for meat and skins. Here, you’ll learn how the animals are raised, the importance of proper nutrition, how they are handled, and more. You can also take a bite out of one of the crocs for dinner.
The only thing better than feeding a gator is a croc-themed meal!
Gatorama offers alligator snacks and crunchy treats. Staff members will recommend tossing the treats to the crocs to keep them interested. If you’re interested in feeding the gators, you should get some of these crunchy treats while they’re there.
If you’d like to get really close to the reptiles, you can buy a bag of these treats for $3.
Alligator Tail
The market for alligator meat has boomed in Florida in the past few years, sending the price of alligator tail to record levels.
However, Florida’s booming tourism and condo markets have led to a dramatic rise in the price of alligator meat.
According to the farm, the alligator tail meat is natural. They don’t add any growth hormones, antibiotics or fillers. The alligator meat is farm-raised and has a soft, mildly sweet taste.
Gatorama Hatching Festival in Florida
The Gatorama Hatching Festival is a great opportunity to observe the birth of baby alligators. You can learn about the process of hatching and the life of these reptiles.
It is also a great time to learn about the importance of crocodiles for meat and skins. In addition to the Hatching Festival, the farm also raises these reptiles for meat and skins.
The temperature of the nest determines if it’s a male or female alligator.
Cooler temperatures produce more females, while hotter temperatures result in more males. The hatching process takes approximately 65 days and over 5,000 baby gators are born during the Hatching Festival.
The event is open to the public and features gator shows and a cafe.
The Gatorama Hatching Festival is a great opportunity to see the hatching process and get up close and personal with the animals.
While there, you will be able to hold alligator eggs, learn about their life history, and watch the alligator hatching process. The event runs in August.
During this time, you will be able to see thousands of baby alligators and learn about how the sustainable-use management program helps preserve the population of alligators.
Wrapping Up
Gatorama is a great attraction for families and individuals who want a unique experience without spending too much money.
While you are at the festival, you can also take part in GatorVentures.
While you’re at Gatorama, don’t miss the opportunity to experience the unique wildlife of Florida.
You can feed gators, catch crocodiles, and experience many hands-on activities, plus experience their infamous alligator feeding show, sit on an alligator’s back, and even learn how to catch an alligator!
Regardless of your age, Gatorama is sure to delight your family and friends with its hands-on attractions.
I guess the biggest takeaway from this particular entry is to choose your trip wisely. On one hand, it was so neat being able to visit the alligator farm and see them living free in the wild.
On the other hand, I can’t say I enjoyed being ankle-deep in swamp water and mucking about in the water.
But when you’re in Florida, that’s just the way life goes!
