Drive-Thru Gator Park (In Transition)
Wildwood, Florida
According to GatorWorld founder Don Buckner, tourists visit Florida for three reasons -- and one of them is to see alligators. He decided that what Florida needed was an attraction that made gator-viewing quick, easy, and relatively cheap. A drive-thru gator park seemed like an ideal solution. The never-leave-your-vehicle approach would also free Florida gator-watchers from having to brave Florida's outdoor heat, rain, and bugs.
The park, covering 15 acres, opened on October 9, 2017. A gravel road winds around fenced-in roadside ponds, ringed with lounging areas for the park's 400+ gators. The alligators were not there when the park was built; they were imported from Florida trappers and breeding farms.
For those willing to exit their air-conditioned cars (and pay more money), GatorWorld provides an outdoor area where visitors can feed small alligators with a fishing pole, and pose for photos with its largest resident, "Big Al."
