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Gator.

Old Joe, Stuffed Alligator

Field review by the editors.

Crawfordville, Florida

Died 1966

Old Joe reward poster.

Pet Cemetery.

Old Joe was an 11-foot-long alligator of undetermined age (some said he was 300) who lived on a sand bar in Wakulla Springs. He never bothered anybody -- not even the children and pets who swam around him. He was much beloved by the locals until he was shot dead by a poacher in 1966.

The Fish and Wildlife Service stuffed Joe, then dragged him around the state for years, an exhibit to be poked and prodded by sticky-fingered school kids. Joe is back home, in dignified retirement in a glass case first displayed in the lobby and now in the gift shop of the Wakulla Springs Hotel. "We just had him redone," the desk clerk told us. "He looks real nice."

Also see: Mascots | Roadside Pet Cemetery

Old Joe, Stuffed Alligator

Wakulla Springs Lodge

Address:
550 Wakulla Park Dr., Crawfordville, FL
Directions:
At the Wakulla Springs Lodge in the gift shop.
Phone:
850-224-5950
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
Save to My Sights

Nearby Offbeat Places

Henry the Pole-Vaulting FishHenry the Pole-Vaulting Fish, Wakulla Springs, FL - < 1 mi.
Ford Truck CollectionFord Truck Collection, Crawfordville, FL - 9 mi.
Large Humpty DumptyLarge Humpty Dumpty, Crawfordville, FL - 9 mi.
In the region:
Prime Meridian Plaza, Tallahassee, FL - 14 mi.

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