Well, talk about serendipity, this little tale dropped into our lap out of nowhere. We’re always on the lookout for the new and the fun for you, our intrepid readers. And, in a flash of the cosmos, we landed upon one such adventure that appeared courtesy of our affiliate friends, Tiqets. It’s Gatorland in Orlando, Florida.
Here’s a brief history about the park. “905 Owen Godwin Sr. is born and spends his youth on the homestead of his uncle Lije at Rattlesnake Hammock, located on the Kissimmee River east of Sebring, Florida.
Part of a ranching community known as Kissimmee Island, they were serviced by the steamers that carried supplies and tourists to Palm Beach from the railhead at Kissimmee. The kids could get an occasional tip by showing snakes and alligators to the passengers while their parents shopped.”
And it takes off from there, as the family itself still manages the farm after all of these decades. A funny part of this is that your editor used to work with one of the Godwin family members many years ago (but not at Gatorland.)
Gatorland’s white gators family grows with the addition of three new baby albino alligators, Sawyer, Huck and Ellie Mae. Want to visit and get “up close and personal” with the gators? Click here.
Adult members of Gatorland’s albino and leucistic family include Pearl, Moonshine, Cottontail and Whiskey, already famous on Gatorland’s Facebook page and You Tube Channel.
2020 Gatorland renovates and expands historic Pearl’s Restaurant, named after Founder Owner Godwin’s wife, Pearl. The restaurant features southern favorites, now with an expanded menu and more outdoor seating. To visit, click here.
It’s the USA: you’ll need a car. Booking. com. have them. To secure yours, click here.
Stay at the comfy and spacious Liberty Garden Inn by OYO Kissimmee near Disney World. Click here.
One funny anecdote to this story is that one of the owners of the park also worked with your editor many decades ago in a different part of the world. It’s a small world, after all.