Florida existed long before Walt Disney World.
And if you can believe it, tourism even existed in Florida existed before Mickey set up shop in the formerly quiet wetlands of Orlando.
In fact, you don’t need to drive far from the entertainment epicenter of Orange County to find yourself in real Florida – a land of wildlife, mangroves, wetlands, wildflowers, beaches, and natural, spring-fed lakes. Even today, as Harry Potter and Star Wars battle it out behind the gated walls of corporate playgrounds, other worlds exists just a daytrip away… That’s exactly the reason our Roadside Wonders series took a detour from Disney in our in-depth look at Weeki Wachee Springs, where generations of tourists have come face-to-fin with real mermaids…
But before Weeki Wachee – and, in fact, before Florida was even called Florida – this part of the world has been home to something decidedly prehistoric. For almost seventy years, Gatorland has proclaimed itself the “Alligator Capitol of the World.” And for generations of travelers, this swampy animal park along Orange Blossom Trail – just 30 minutes from Magic Kingdom – has been as much an annual tradition as a ride on Peter Pan’s Flight…
The gator’s land
1587. Image via University of South Florida
When Spanish explorers first landed on Florida’s coast in the 1500s, they encountered something unbelievable: gargantuan, 9-foot long, dark green reptiles with wide snouts hiding in the freshwater swamps and rivers of this new land. They called the fearsome creatures, “el lagatro” – “the lizard” – and the name stuck.
Despite its scientific name (Alligator mississippiensis), there’s no place on Earth as tied to the alligator as Florida. Of the 5 million American alligators thought to be on Earth today, it’s estimated that a quarter live in Florida. Alligators haven’t just postcard-ready icons of Florida; they’ve been a real part of life in the region.
Consider our important case today: Owen Godwin. Godwin was born in 1905 (four years after Walt Disney) and grew up in the tiny Central Florida town called Kissimmee Island. Back then, the interior of Florida was practically remote wilderness for most, accessible only via railroad; a place where the well-to-do of New England escaped bitter winters. The small ranching community of Kissimmee Island had grown around a passenger train station where tourists would disembark and catch a steamer ship to Palm Beach, and throughout his childhood, Owen and other kids of Kissimmee would sometimes show off local snakes and young alligators to arriving tourists hoping to score a tip.
When Godwin was married in the 1930s, he and his wife, Pearl, built an alligator pit in their backyard. Though he worked as a butcher and postman, his wife would sell gator-good – leather belts, key chains, and more – from the family kitchen, with guests then invited out back to see the alligators up close… And that got Owen Godwin to thinking… might there be a future in showcasing these legendary Floridian beasts?
A new world
So in 1947 – just as World War II was ending – servicemen returned from overseas to find an entirely new world. The G.I. Bill provided benefits in housing and education that allowed former soldiers to reestablish themselves in this new world where women ruled the workforce and had no intention of returning to domestic duties. An entirely new economy was born as households with two working parents literally created a middle class. For the first time in history, average, everyday people had three things: an automobile, money, and leisure time in which to use them.
That’s why we can essentially say that the family vacation was invented in the 1940s and ’50s, right as the American interstate highway system began installation. The same “perfect storm” that would allow Disneyland to bloom in California also fueled the glorious roadside attractions of Florida. In fact, the 15-acre plot Godwin purchased was a “borrow pit,” having been excavated for dirt used to build the new US Highway 441 – the state’s second-most traveled highway at the time.
Image: Gatorland
In 1949, Godwin and his wife officially opened the Florida Wildlife Institute with a sawdust-floor gift shop, snakes and alligators on display in pits beneath precarious boardwalks, and Seminole native people “wrestling” gators for tourists.
Gatorland
In the 1950s, Godwin decided that the Florida Wildlife Institute sounded a bit too governmental and renamed the facility Snake Village and Alligator Farm. To advertise, he retrofitted a trailer with a fan, heater, and bathtub to go on a traveling, circus-style viral marketing roadtrip with the 12-foot long alligator, Cannibal Jake. Stopping in cities along the East Coast, Godwin would invite curious locals to step aboard and view the mysterious Floridian monster… for a dime each.
Image: Gatorland
He also stumbled upon one of his most prized possessions: Bone Crusher, a 15-foot-long, 1,080-pound American alligator. The oversized, larger-than-life alligator was a perfect pair for Godwin’s cartoonish personality. He was known to dress in safari gear and adopt the personality of a world-traveler and carnival barker. Godwin’s invented persona would fit right in at the Lost Legend: The Adventurers Club that would eventually develop just down the road.
In 1954, Snake Village and Alligator Farm recieved yet another rebranding. Yes, Gatorland officially predates Disneyland by a full year.
It worked. Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, Gatorland – like other Florida roadside attractions – grew. You have to imagine this era of American history… Dorothy May’s piece in the spring 2009 Florida Historical Quarterly even notes that the 3M Corporation conducted a survey in the mid-’60s on Florida tourism, which showed that 29% of tourists traveling through Florida by automobile had no plans at the beginning of the day but to set out into the state and stop at interesting sideshows. Another 49% had no definite itinerary or stops planned other than trying to get to a certain town by nightfall!
Image: Gatorland
And these tourist attractions offered very little in the form of marketing, instead hoping to appeal to passers-by with kitchsy, memorable roadside signage or stunts. Which is why, in 1962, Godwin’s youngest son, Frank, designed an entirely new, eyecatching entrance for the park… a massive, open alligator mouth that guests walk directly into! The instantly-recognizable architectural feature has become a scene-setting icon of central Florida and of roadside attraction.
And even when Orlando found itself adjacent to the insulated “Vacation Kingdom of the World” in the 1970s, Gatorland did what its animal stars had been doing for millions of years – it adapted. What’s it like to step into Gatorland today? On the next page, we’ll look into seven of the park’s most famous features…
Adaptations
Image: Gatorland
Like most tourist attractions, Gatorland was hit hard by the introduction of the interstate that began slicing its way through the country in the late 1960s. True to the depiction of the mid-century phenomena shown in Cars, the new route through the U.S. essentially cut roadside attractions off from the bulk of travelers. While restaurants and gas stations moved to new, interstate-adjacent off-ramps, attractions were now off-the-beaten-path, requiring a shift in marketing.
Believe it or not, the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971 wasn’t a painful blow to Gatorland. In fact, the opening of Magic Kingdom lead to a massive spike in Floridian tourism across the board. The real killer? 1973’s SeaWorld – a well marketed animal-park with the clout to recieve direct exit ramps from the interstate, and whose focus was on more than just displaying animals. Following SeaWorld’s lead, Gatorland pivoted to refocus on entertainment – a move that differentiated it from Florida’s countless “Springs” and wildlife parks.
Click and expand for a larger and more detailed view. Image: Gatorland
Under the leadership of Owen Godwin’s son Frank, Gatorland doubled in size though the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.
Today under the care of his son-in-law, Mark McHugh, Gatorland isn’t just a theme park – it’s a family business. Kept alive in trying times by smart strategy and some real luck, the park has evolved and changed with the times into a professional theme park of its own… and a one-of-a-kind one.
Today, a visit to Gatorland involves countless, up-close animal interactions with skinks, snakes, and gators; feeding birds in the Very Merry Aviary; watching gators hatch in the Nursury, or grow up in the Breeding Marsh. There are exhibits of snakes, tortoises, tropical birds, crocodiles, even emus; trains to ride, splash pads, and more. But if you’ve taken a family trip to Florida in the last sixty years, it’s probably one of these seven signature Gatorland experiences you just can’t forget…
1) The entrance
Image: Gatorland
When you’re ready to face the fearsome, Floridian wildlife, there’s still just one way to get to them… by walking directly into an alligator’s mouth.
A devastating fire in 2006 leveled Gatorland’s entry building (including its gift shop and administrative offices). Though the fire did claim the lives of two crocodiles and an exotic snake penned near the gift shop, no humans were hurt. The park closed for three weeks to assess the damage, then re-opened to the public. An entirely new entrance building now greets guests, so ’90s visitors may have a bit of disorientation upon entry… But the fifteen-foot alligator jaws continue to be an architectural icon, photo opportunity, and grand entrance experience few parks can beat.
2) Gator Jumparoo
Image: Gatorland
Perhaps the most famous “show” at Gatorland is the daily feeding of the gators in the park’s central enclosure. Handled via adventurous employees, this captivating experience involved enormous alligators leaping up to four feet out of the water to snatch (store-bought) chickens from the hands of feeders and – for the big jumps – from wires suspended over the lagoon.
Like all of Gatorland’s shows, what started as pure roadside kitsch has evolved into a showcase and explanation of the power of these creatures and their incredible survival skills.
3) Swamp Walk
Image: Gatorland
Gatorland’s Swamp Walk originally opened in 1978, preserving some of the “real” Florida in the increasingly sheltered Orlando area. In fact, the half-mile trek through the swamp might be the closest most tourists get to seeing the true untamed wilderness of the state. Despite the “luxuries” of an elevated wooden boardwalk and (distinctly un-Disney) minimal wooden guard rails, you’re literally walking into the wilderness…
Headwaters for the Florida Everglades, the marshes that guests pass through don’t just contained real, actual, wild animals in their native habitat; guests are also passing through acres of magnolia trees and cypress trees – some over 200 years older than the United States.
But there’s even more… Read on…
4) Gator “Wrestling”
Image: Gatorland
In a post-Blackfish world, perhaps you can see why Gatorland’s “Gator Wrestling” show has adopted the much less provocative title, Alligators: Legends of the Swamp. However, rest assured that the tried-and-true classics of one of the park’s most spectacular shows remain. The show still features a Gatorland daredevil going “mano-a-gator” in a gator-encircled sand pit in the center of an 800-seat stadium.
Of course, the show has never really been about “wrestling” a gator (“wrastlin’, maybe), instead using the surprising title to get guests to learn more about the unique adaptations and survival skills of these reptilian predators. For example, guests learn more about how alligators hunt, the strength of their bites and jaws, and the role that alligators play in Floridian life.
Image: Gatorland
Afterwards, guests can even pose with the gators (for a price) to remember the sensational experience.
5) Pearl’s Smokehouse
The newest, hottest trend in themed entertainment design is all about dining and immersing your guests into new worlds. While Pearl’s Smokehouse mostly serves up your standard theme park fair, there’s one particularly memorable product on its menu: Gator Nuggets. Of course, the park doesn’t use its own gators.
Image: Gatorland
And despite any initial revulsion, remember that “alligator” has been a product of Florida for a very, very long time. The animals are hunted for sport, and just as alligators’ skin can be used for leather, its meat can be served for food. While the most commonly eaten part is the ribs, the “nugget” version feels more palatable for theme park crowds. As for the taste? Take a guess… Yep, “it tastes like chicken.” Perhaps no surprise as chickens (and all birds) are technically classified as reptiles, and in fact the closest living relatives to birds on the tree of life are the order crocodilia, containing alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gharials.
6) Screamin’ Gator Zipline
Image: Gatorland
One of Gatorland’s newest signature experiences is the Screamin’ Gator Zipline. We’re talking about a combined 1,200 foot-long course made of five ziplines up to 56-feet high, plus a 150-foot long suspension bridge. And it should be no surprise that this 30-mile-per-hour zip course carries you directly over the Cuban Crocodile and Nile Crocodile exhibits before a final run across the Breeding Marsh with plenty of alligators waiting below.
7) Stompin’ Gator Off-Road Adventure
Image: Gatorland
If you’re ready to tackle the real thrills of the Florida wilderness, you’ll be surprised by Gatorland’s newest expansion (the largest in its history), the Stompin’ Gator Off-Road Adventure. Mix the scale of Kilimajaro Safaris with the humor of the Jungle Cruise and the irreverence of Universal’s Lost Legend: JAWS, and you’ll get the basics of this new off-roading thrill ride.
Guests take a seat in 12-foot tall custom off-roading vehicles and set out to climb hills, trudge through mud, and drive directly through a pond populated by hundreds of alligators. Along the way, a live narrator proves that Gatorland is… let’s say… less corporate than Disney. In fact, the ride and its colorful cast of on-board narrators manage to take a few good-natured swipes at their competitor up the road (for example, by starting the “unapproved” off-road adventure in a now “stolen” vehicle by deciding against following the prescribed route through “Gator Gardens: A Really Really Totally Realistic Florida Experience.) You can watch a full point-of-view view of the experience here.
Roadside Wonder
Image: Gatorland
Those seven standouts are just the beginning. Gatorland is a full daytrip from the sanitized worlds of Disney and Universal, giving guests to Central Florida as close to a natural experience as most would like to get. Gatorland has done the impossible… it has evolved from a roadside tourist attraction in Florida’s earliest heyday to a reputable, standalone theme park – and in fact, the only such park to celebrate the actual, real Florida and its most ancient inhabitants.
And just as our earlier trip to Weeki Wachee Springs introduced us to the visionary entertainer Newton Perry, here it’s really the story of Owen Godwin and his family that underscores the growth and development of Gatorland. It’s evolution from a “tourist trap” snake house to an entertainment park to a legitimate showcase of Floridian wildlife is worthy of its own in-depth exploration. A little rough-around-the-edges, “yeehaw”
A Florida institution, the park is – for many – a must-visit for any Orlando vacation… and like the alligator itself, we expect it to be around for a very, very long time.
If you haven’t make the jump to our Roadside Wonders: Weeki Wachee Springs feature to soak up the tale of another naturally-inspired Florida tourist attraction that’s entirely different, yet born of the same era. Then, let us know – have you been to Gatorland? Is this Florida attraction truly the gem we think it is? What’s your most memorable experience at this one-of-a-kind park?
