The Alligator Farm & Zoological Park – St. Augustine

Just off the North Eastern coast of Florida, lurking in the green murky waters of Anastasia Island, are terrifying creatures with sharp teeth, armored skin and nasty attitudes.

Gators at night

Glowing eyes at night warn you of danger

By JP Chartier

The terrifying creatures I’m talking about are crocodilians (crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gharial) of course, and they can be found in abundance at the “Alligator Farm & Zoological Park” on Anastasia Island just a hop, skip and a jump from St. Augustine.

Gator Open Mouth 1

Say hello to my little friend

There are 7-acres of lush tropical wilderness at the Alligator Farm, a wooden bridge snakes its way over the network of waterways and swamp-like ponds allowing visitors to experience these creatures up close and personal. This is the only park in the world that contains every living species of crocodilian on earth, so it goes without saying that you will be immersed in everything gator.

The Park 3

The boardwalk gives you excellent views of the gators

The Park 2

You get the feel of the jungle here

Gators Galore

Gators galore!

First a Bit of History 

Way back in 1893, two men started collecting gators on Anastasia Island and would let people look at them for free. Noticing the potential for a profitable business, the two men – George Reddington and Felix Fire, opened the first Alligator Farm later the same year. The business burnt down a few times over the years, but has been at its current location near the Lighthouse since 1921. The Alligator Farm is one of the oldest continuously operated attractions in Florida.

There’s so much more than just alligators and crocodiles to experience at this top-notch park, come with me and we’ll have a look around and see what they have to offer…

Crocodile Crossing Zipline

In 2011 the park installed a zipline system over most of the park so visitors can get a birds-eye view of all the animals down below. They actually have an aerial obstacle course in the trees above, it’s a challenging course so be prepared to climb ladders, balance on rope bridges and zip across the sky.

They offer two different courses, one is longer and much more physically demanding than the other one. There is an additional charge for the zipline, and as of Sept. 2014 the prices are: 45-min course $35, the 90-min course is $65 and you reach heights of 90’. You can even zipline at night here at the park, the cost is $75 and you get to keep the headlamp they provide you with. 

Zipline @ Park

Surfing the treetops of the park

Maximo

You can come face to face with the legend himself! – Maximo! This monster of a crocodile is the largest living animal at the park coming in at 15 ft. 3 inch long and 1,250 lbs. Maximo was collected by aborigines in Australia as an egg back in 1972 and was hatched and raised in captivity, he’s been at the Alligator Farm for 10 years now. You get to see him in his underwater habitat through a glass enclosure.

And here he is ladies and gentlemen… Maximo!

Maximo

At over 15 ft. long Maximo is the largest animal at the park

Gomek Forever

 The world famous Gomek was billed as the largest crocodile in captivity at the time of his death in 1997. He was captured as a youngster in New Guinea during the 1950’s and was  eventually sold to the Alligator Farm in 1990 where he lived for the remaining 7 years of his life (he was between 60 and 80 years old). The park stuffed him and put him on display so all can still be amazed by this behemoth croc.

Gomek 1

Here he is the monster of monsters – GOMEK!

Gomek 2

Gomek was between 60 & 80 years old at the time of his death

Albino Alligators

How many times do you get to see a living albino alligator? Look at this guy, looks like he’s been bleached! He’s very rare indeed, in fact there are two of them here and they both came from the Louisiana bayou as eggs. They are located in a roofed structure to assure they don’t get sunburned.

IMG_0482

The Albino Gator is cool!

Land of Crocodiles

The Land of Crocodiles is a section of the park that houses all the crocs. You get to see all kinds of crocodilians here, including the small Chinese Alligator, the very rare Indian gharial and Nile crocs. There are all kinds of strange and scary looking creatures in this section, be sure not to miss it.

Crocodile 1

Look at this creepy looking fella

Wading Bird Rookery

The Alligator Farm isn’t just famous for its impressive collection of crocodilians, its “Wading Bird Rookery” is very popular too, especially with birders and photographers. The birds use the crocodilians as protection against tree climbing predators that could eat them. You can find native herons, egrets, ibis, spoonbills and wood storks at the park.

Feathered Friends

Here are only a few of the many birds at the park

A Few Pictures From Around the Park

Alligator Farm Building

Look for the white building on Anastasia Island

Gator Carving

An awesome gator wood carving

JP getting eaten by Gator

JP fighting off a gator

More Gators

I’ll give ya $10 to swim across the pond…

The Park 1

A great park to spend the afternoon

More Exhibits…

New at the Alligator Farm is the endangered Red-Ruffed Lemurs, these cuddly looking primates are native to Madagascar and on display here at the farm. They have a python exhibit which features a 21 ft. long monster. There is a Komodo Dragon exhibit housed in a hut towards the rear of the park, these lizard-like things are just plain nasty! They drool and stink something fierce, but still cool.

Keep your eyes open for the fossils they have housed in with the Gomek exhibit.

The state of Florida’s bio-diversity is on display, check out some of the creatures that lurk in our very own backyard at the Florida Native Reptile & Amphibian House. Admire the beauty and serenity of the exotic birds and zaniness of the monkeys and mouse-sized pygmy marmosets too.

Catch a Wildlife Show

Every hour you can catch a different wildlife show somewhere in the park, they are really fun and interesting for visitors of all ages.

Realm of the Alligator – This is a discussion about alligators, where you learn some interesting facts and see a few training exercises too.

Florida’s Forest Friends – Learn about the habitats and biodiversity of Florida’s environment and native wildlife.

Snake and Reptile Show – Bet you can’t guess what this one is about?

Rainforest Show – Part bird show and part rainforest information show.

Alligator Feedings – I save my favorite for last! You wont get the full understanding of just how dangerous these creatures are until you see them feeding.

The Particulars

999 Anastasia Blvd, St Augustine, FL 32080
(904) 824-3337

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Open 365 days a year! 9AM – 5PM

Adults $22.95 . Children $11.95 (ages 3-11)
Children 2 & under free
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I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting and fun this park was! I wasn’t expecting it to be of such quality, I came in thinking “Okay, I’m going to see a few gators in a little pond,” and boy was I wrong!
This is a wonderful place to bring the whole family while visiting the St. Augustine area, then after visiting the farm you can take a short walk over to the Lighthouse.
…And who knows, you may be lucky enough, as we were, to witness some other, ummm, extracurricular activities…
Humping Tortoises

A little Tortoise porn free of charge!

So tell me, are you afraid of gators??

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JP Twitter Pic2

JP Chartier

Hi my name is JP Chartier and I write for Gutter Pup Adventures.com where you can expect to read well-written and entertaining articles about the people and places that often get overlooked at many popular vacation destinations around the world. You will also find articles on camping, hiking, kayaking and several other popular vacation activities here too.

My goal is to seek out the hidden ‘gems’ for you and bring them alive through my writing and photographs, so your next trip or vacation will be a much more rewarding and fulfilling experience.

 

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6 Comments on The Alligator Farm & Zoological Park – St. Augustine

  1. Ooh this alligator farm looks fun and exciting. Well I’m a bit scared with alligators but I guess I should explore this place and conquer my fear and enjoy it.

  2. Andrew // September 23, 2014 at 6:03 am // Reply

    what an awesome place! I would so go here – tell me is this where they filmed scenes from the James Bond film Live and Let Die? Seriously, it looks familiar!

  3. Traveling Ted // September 22, 2014 at 9:42 am // Reply

    I visited this park as a child about 20 years ago. I prefer to see animals in the wild; however, it was neat seeing gators and crocodiles up close. I was really amazed though with the bird life. If you come in the evening, the place really comes alive with birds as they fly back here after feeding in the day and congregate in impressive numbers. At least they did 20 years ago.
    Traveling Ted recently posted…Ontario canoeing fishing camping photo essayMy Profile

    • I couldn’t agree with you more Ted, I enjoy the natural beauty of animals in the wild, but this place seems to be doing it right. I was surprised at how much fun I had.

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