Alligator Adventure
Atlantic Beach, South Carolina
Although not as grand as the lavish gator farms of Florida, Alligator Adventure is the furthest north, and thus closest, gator attraction to cities of the alligator-deprived Northeast. It claims to be the home of 750 alligators, and offers plenty of photo-ops of gators basking on the muddy banks of their artificial lagoons -- a satisfying experience for those not otherwise familiar with these lumbering, hissing, mostly inert dinosaurs.
The star attraction of Alligator Adventure is "Utan, King of the Crocs." Reportedly over 20 feet long, he was nearly invisible in his murky play-pool during our visit. We did, however, get a good close-up view of "Bob," a freak alligator born without a tail. According to a sign next to Bob's pen, his disability "would have led to his death" in the wild, but at Alligator Adventure he will be protected as a lovable mascot.
Alligator Adventure's feeding show is a scaled-down version of Gatorland's "Jumparoo" extravaganza, with the bulky reptiles leaping out of a pond to grab hunks of chicken held by an employee who cracks jokes into a microphone held in his other hand.
Afterward you can contemplate the park's several unusual bronze sculptures, including one of two children leading a gator on a leash, and another that allows you to stick your head into an alligator's bronze toothy mouth.