For a lot of my new blogger friends, the Brandcation event was all about stepping out of their comfort zones and talking a walk on their adventurous side.  For me, almost everything we did was right up my alley!  I had the best time. I was in my element, and it was great to be so comfortable in what was going on around me, even though my family was states away!

Right now, I want you to get out your calendar, whether it’s on your phone, fridge, wall, or computer, and I want you to pick a date.  That’s the date you’re going to start planning for, because you’re going to Floriday, baby!  As of right now, you’re planning the trip of a lifetime. You can start by contacting Global Resort Homes for a place to stay (more on that in a different post) or choosing which family activities to include in your itinerary, but the first thing on your agenda really should be Gatorland, just north of the Orlando – Kissimmee line in South Orlando.

Check out MY top 5 musts at Gatorland!

5. Leucistic Alligators

These gators are EXTREMELY cool!  Don’t confuse them with albino gators, because that they are not.

On display for a limited engagement, the rare white alligator collection will feature four of the world’s largest white leucistic alligators known to roam the planet. Ivory in color, the large reptiles are each ten to eleven plus feet in length, weigh over 500 pounds and have reflective blue eyes that are believed to have the ability to command good fortune to those lucky enough to make eye contact with the blue eyed beauties. more…

4. Gator Wrestling

Or as we like to say in Texas, wrasslin’!  We had a great time at this entertaining show!  When it was over, we were even able to sit on the back of a real live alligator, and her name was Oprah! (Sorry that the pic isn’t that great!  I need to scan it, but can’t right now!)

I actually wanted to kiss this gator to add to my collection, but Mark, the Gator Wrestler wouldn’t let me!  His words were “oh, you don’t want to do that, they don’t just SWIM in that water”.. as if a little gator pee/poop was going to scare me!  Little did he know that I’d already kissed two that day!

Gatorland® offers a unique alligator wrestling show done “Florida Cracker” style in a shaded 800 seat stadium. Gator wranglers catch a 6 to 8 foot alligator by hand and climb onto the snapping animal’s back to point out survival features to the audience. After doing stunts that only a few are brave (or foolish) enough to try, the alligator is rolled over and put to sleep…only to be awakened by a tickle! more show info…

3. Adventure Hour – Feed the Gators from 5 feet away!

This was one of the coolest things inside the park!  We had an awesome time with our guide feeding the gators.  Some of them got huffy with us if we’d throw the meat over their heads, and one of the smaller ones was even brave enough to climb up and snatch his lunch off of the back of one of the HUGE gators!  It was a giggle, for sure!

How close is too close? This area is closed to the public except for those who take part in this daring trip into the swamp. Venture into the Gatorland Breeding Marsh for this behind-the-scenes tour. Home to hundreds of alligators, you’ll have the opportunity to feed them and pose for photos! Tour offered daily. Reservations required. pricing …

2. Fluffy

Look at this tiny baby gator!  Isn’t Fluffy so cute!  Yes, this was my second gator to kiss that day.  When we first arrived at Gatorland, our guide, Donny met us out front with this cute ittttty bitttty gator.  He was passing it around, and it was just so cute, of COURSE I could not resist kissing that tiny little head! I actually wanted to get this shot to send to my kidlets, because I knew that my boys would go nuts over it. I love the hands on aspect of Gatorland.  The kiddos just eat this kinda thing up.  They even have a small water park inside as well as a petting zoo of sorts.  There wasn’t anything there that I didn’t love.

 

1. Donny, Gatorland Entertainer

Well, aside from the OBVIOUS reason for Donny being my #1 (wink, wink), this guy was absolutely fantastic when it came to guiding and entertaining!  He really knows his animals, and he’s SO great with the guests.  I would love to meet the other entertainers at Gatorland, but I have to say that he made my first trip VERY memorable! Yeah, he’s easy on the eyes, but his personality is absolutely contagious! I think he had a blast with a big group of ladies!  Quick fun fact about Donny.. he says in his bio:

Do you have any special talents?
I can eat 7 saltine crackers in under a minute…really I can!

For more information about Gatorland and all of the guides, please take a moment to visit their website.  Their hospitaility was amazing.  Everyone went out of their way to make sure that we had a fantastic time.  Gatorland is a MUST VISIT place in the Orlando/Kissimmee, Florida area, and when I take my family back, this will be the first place on our itinerary!

Disclaimer:  The gracious folks at Gatorland provided the bloggers of Brandcation with comped passes to tour the park as well as a food voucher for lunch. I was not required to review the attraction, however all of the opinions above are my own.

Thank you Lorie Shewbridge and Brandy Arnold for supplying most of my photos!  You girls are awesome.