Alligators galore…St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park
Written: Jul 07 '08 (Updated Jul 07 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: interesting shows and exhibits
Cons: expensive admission, stinky area
The Bottom Line: An interesting but stinky little reptile, bird, and mammal park.
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| kld718's Full Review: St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park |
The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological park is the only park in the world that has 23 species of crocodiles from the Americas, Australia, Africa, and Asia. We decided to visit thanks to one of the members in our group wanting to go. I wasn’t that excited about visiting, but found it to be interesting. Founded in 1893, the zoological park is one of the oldest zoos in North America.
The zoological park has six main exhibits: Maximo, Birds of Africa, Wading Bird Rookery, Albino Alligators, Land of Crocodiles, and Gomek Forever.
At the very beginning of the park, there is a Albino Alligator exhibit that housed two of these alligators that are said to come from the Louisiana bayous. The particular albinos at the park come from a Louisiana commercial farmer. They have porcelain white skin and are housed in the shade to protect them from exposure. I personally have never seen one before so they were actually very interesting to look at because they are just unique. Right behind this exhibit is a large Alligator Lagoon, which is where the Alligator feeding takes place. One crazy zookeeper gets into the lagoon with only a stick for protection and feeds the alligator’s lab grown mice and other larger critters. I say crazy because there were about 30 alligators in the lagoon when we visited.
They have a separate tank exhibit about Maximo. This saltwater crocodilian is the largest at the zoological park. Maximo was hatched in 1971, from an egg that was found in Australia, and has grown up to a little over 15 feet and 1250 pounds. He was brought over to the Alligator Farm in October 2003 with his mate, Sydney. You can catch a look at this large crocodile from up above or at the underwater viewing tank. The other crocodile is actually a commemoration to Gomek, who was the largest crocodile ever on display at the park, measuring in at almost 18 feet long and weighing about 2,000 pounds. This saltwater croc is actually preserved at the park and on display in a small room showing videos of his life and other Papua New Guinea Art. He was found in Papa New Guinea and was then sold to the park in 1985, where he remained for 8 years until he died in 1997 of heart disease.
The Birds of Africa exhibit is less than interesting as the birds are just sitting around not doing anything, but that’s what is expected I guess. At this exhibit you can see vultures, storks, and cranes. The exhibit is set up to mimic how they would live at an African watering hole, complete with a Zebra carcass (not real) that the zookeepers plant their food in at the 2:30 pm feeding time. The Wading Bird Rookery is a swamp exhibit where you can spot Egrets, Herons, Ibis, Spoonbills and Storks. We did get to see several nests up in the trees with baby birds, and several fights between the birds attempting to protect their young.
Besides the exhibits, the park offers shows every hour, on the hour, beginning shortly after the park opens. Luckily you don’t have to stay all day just to see the shows because the afternoon shows are repeats. This is great for those that arrive after the first 10am start time. Some of the shows include Florida’s Forest Friends, Realm of the Alligator, an Alligator Feeding, Scales and Tales, and a Rainforest Review. We only made it to two of the shows because we arrived late and didn’t stay over 3 hours. The shows we did see were interesting and the zookeepers were very knowledgeable.
There are other smaller exhibits around the park, including one with baby alligators, Komodo Dragons, the smallest monkey in the world, other monkeys, lizards, and snakes. Around the Alligator swamp, there are food dispensers available to pay to get little pellets of food to throw into the water tanks. There are signs posted around the park to prevent tourists from throwing anything into the water to help protect the animals from ingesting something foreign since they carefully control the animals’ diets. It is also advised to not reach over the enclosures or hold anything over them for fear of dropping items in.
The Toucan Tina Snack Bar will provide refreshments at a cost if you get hungry or thirsty and did not bring your own refreshments into the park. Bathroom facilities are also available near the snack bar. At the end of the tour you exit through the gift shop, no doubt to entice children to browse and beg their parents for a little token to remember the trip by. They offer a wide variety of items, including hats, shirts, sweaters, stuffed animals, candles, toys, cups, and other various reptile decorated items.
The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is open from 9-5 pm, with extended summer hours 9-6 pm. Park admission is $21.95 for adults and $10.95 for children. We paid for admission as part of a trolley tour around St. Augustine so received a discount, paying $18.95 for adults. AAA, military personnel and senior citizens can receive a 10% discount, or you can find a $1.00 off coupon in one of the many coupon books located around the city. The park also offers group rates for 10 or more and educational group rates. Annual passes are $59.95 per person or $89.95 for a family pass.
We found the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park to be mostly interesting and informational. While I’m not a huge reptile lover, it is interesting to expand your knowledge base and I am always for learning something new. As with most zoo’s, there are signs posted at every enclosure to explain what species you are looking at and a little about them. I learned a lot about some different types of reptiles just by attending two shows. The zookeepers that do the shows and feed the animals were knowledgeable and friendly and up to answering questions.
The park is of course going to have a stench to it as you are dealing with animals so be prepared not to smell roses. The park was clean and well maintained. There was enough to do for about 2-4 hours, depending on how many people you have with your group and if there are any children. Also, depending on whether or not you are interested in watching the shows. But it’s not an all day thing. Overall, I think this is a good park for children and those interested in seeing these different types of species.
999 Anastasia Blvd.
St. Augustine, FL. 32080
~ Happy hunting!
Kim
* Thanks to Di for getting this park added to the database!
Recommended:
Yes
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kld718
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