Ponchatoula, Louisiana: Ole Hardhide: Town Gator (Gone)
Ole Hardhide lived in the center of town in a big, open-air enclosure. She retired to a nearby gator farm in March 2023.
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Old Blue Eyes - Town Gator in a Cage
Neat town center, looks well maintained. They should have more information, or a guide, though, for the history.
[Jared, 11/18/2012]Old Blue Eyes - Town Gator in a Cage
Just off Pine Street, Old Blue Eyes is easy to find. The quaint downtown area offers some dining, antiques, and local artisans' work.
[Marissa, 07/15/2012]The cage was there and looked very well-maintained. No Old Blue Eyes though.
[Mark, 05/30/2012]Old Blue Eyes - Town Gator in a Cage
You can't miss the big outdoor chain-link enclosure right in the middle of town. We stopped in and found Old Blue Eyes quietly resting in the pool in his cage. You can also check out a steam locomotive across the street.
[Eric Bolstridge, 05/05/2010]Ponchatoula has an unusual resident who doubles as town mascot and newspaper columnist. Old Blue Eyes, the successor of the more famous Old Hardhide, is a disquietingly large alligator whose cage marks a distinctive center of town, nestled among frequently visited antique shops and restaurants. Although there are no reports of alligator-ingested fingers or other appendages, visitors often stand by Old Blue Eyes' cage, wrapping their fingers through his chain link fence, waiting for him to move slowly around his small pool. Old Blue Eyes is quite the gossip as well, as his central location gives him access to all the details of Ponchatoula residents' comings and goings. He publishes news of the townfolk weekly in the Ponchatoula Times.
[Marcella Briceno, 02/20/1999][Previous 5 items] Page of 2
Ole Hardhide: Town Gator
- Directions:
- I-55 exit 26. Drive east on Hwy 22 into downtown. On the left (north) side of Hwy 22/Pine St., at the train tracks, between NE and NW Railroad Aves.
- Status:
- Gone
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Sounds like Old Hardhide -- a tourism fixture since 1972 -- is dead.