Join us May 23 – 28, 2022!
It’s no secret Wild Florida knows a thing or two about alligators. To share this knowledge and passion with our visitors, our team at Wild Florida will host a one-of-a-kind event centered around one of Florida’s most recognizable, yet misunderstood animals… the American alligator!
To many, alligators are simply fierce carnivores on the hunt, but that’s not actually the case. Like many misunderstood creatures, myths develop based on a lack of knowledge. Because of this, we decided to dedicate an entire week to educating and debunking many common myths surrounding these reptiles along with some of their reptile cousins through live demonstrations and interactive experiences. There will be plenty of fun photo-ops and guest appearances made by some popular inhabitants of our Gator Park.
The best part is, we’ll be giving everyone who makes a small cash donation FREE admission to our Gator Park during Gator Week! Bills donated will go towards our Wild Florida scholarship to help graduating seniors pay for college. If you would like to donate online, you can at the link below.
Join us May 23 – 28 for Gator Week, where you and your family can enjoy a week full of gator-themed activities and demonstrations. Check out our daily schedule and the activities we have planned throughout the week below.
Gator Week Schedule
Exotic Animal Show – During our regularly scheduled Exotic Animal Show performances, we’ll focus our segments on different types of crocodilians. For instance, we will bring out a Nile, caiman, albino and regular American alligators. In addition to an educational seminar, we’ll also have alligator calling contests and Q&A trivia.
Gator Feeding Show – We all have our favorite foods, but what about alligators? We’re going inside our Gator Pond to find out what the alligator’s favorite food is during our feeding show and see what type of food makes our gators really jump. We’ll also demonstrate the power behind an alligator’s bite by watching them crush melons!
Crusher Show – Crusher is the largest alligator at Wild Florida, weighing close to 1,000 pounds and measuring up to 13 feet long. While you learn more about Crusher and his unique personality, our Croc Squad will demonstrate the different commands he’s learned along with seeing how powerful his bite is with different foods.
Gator Release – It’s like the first day of school for one of our Florida alligators as we will be adding a gator into our Gator Park. They will join their new family Monday morning as part of our conservation efforts. Come say hi and guess which superlative they might be in the running for next year!
High School Senior Safari Day – Graduating high school seniors you’ve worked hard throughout school and you deserve some fun in the sun! For one-day-only, bring in your college or trade school acceptance letter, or your high school ID showing you are a current high school senior and receive free admission to our Drive-thru Safari Park. The last car is allowed in at 5 p.m. so gather your friends and have some wild fun.
Gator Jumpathon Contest – People often think alligators can only hunt for food that happens to go for a swim, but their powerful tails can help propel half of their body out of the water and into the air. Meet our team in our Gator Pavilion at 1 p.m. to see what it’s like to jump for your food like an alligator!
Rock your Crocs! – Wear your Crocs on Thursday and receive FREE chow for our alligators and crocodiles. Show off your cool kicks at the gazebo in the Gator Park to get your chow. Also, be sure to show off your Crocs to our Croc Squad!
Live Band – If you ever need to cool off and take a break from the activities, the Celery City String Band will be playing live music during lunch under our Gator Pavilion.
Gator Slushie Drinking Contest – Unleash your inner gator with our Gator Slushie Drinking Contest! Meet our team at the Gator Pavilion at 1 p.m. to go head-to-head with other participants as you compete to see who can drink a green slushie the fastest WITHOUT using your hands! This activity is for any gator lover age 8 and up. The winner will get a FREE meal at the Chomp House Grill!
National Alligator Day 5K – Run like a gator’s chasing you, but no zig-zags here! Keep running straight to the finish line to win your trophy or award for the fastest time. There’s no need to sign up beforehand, just meet in front of the ‘Check-In’ sign at the front of our Gator Park at 7 am. Your family and friends are more than welcome to cheer you on! Those who finish in first, second, or third place will win a special prize and everyone will get a healthy boost of morning endorphins!
Live Band – If you ever need to cool off and take a break from the activities, the Celery City String Band will be playing live music during lunch under our Gator Pavilion.
Mission
To promote education, conservation and eliminate detrimental myths about alligators.
What to Expect at Gator Week
Alligator Myth DEBUNKED: Alligators CAN bite underwater!
If you live in Florida (or anywhere that has alligators, really), you’ve probably heard your fair share of “foolproof” ways to scare off or escape from alligators, by running in a zigzag pattern, etc. We’re not sure who started these myths, but one is if you dive underwater, an alligator won’t bite you…
This is completely false. Don’t believe us? Check out our YouTube video to watch the Wild Florida team test the myth for ourselves!
Class Photos
Which student was most likely be sitting with you at the lunch table?
Share on social media which classmate you’ll hang out with during #GatorWeek!
Gator Facts