Arun K.
Yelp
I went to an event where Gatorland offered discounted tickets (about 12 dollars) for admission. The regular price is about 35 dollars, so it was a bargain. Unlike the major parks, the parking is always free and pretty easy to find. There are no metal detectors or Evolv weapon scanners, so you are inside the park after buying your ticket. Upon entering, there a lot of alligators to see and feed. You can buy fish with a pole to train smaller gators to jump and catch the food. If you go further down, there is a place to buy gator chow and feed the larger gators. While alligators are the main attraction, there are other animals to see like snakes, farm animals, birds, and big cats. There is a small water play area for the kids, a natural swamp area, a train ride, and even an observation tower. If you take your time walking the whole park without seeing any shows, you should be able to finish within 2-3 hours.
There are 3 shows that Gatorland offers. The first one is the Gator Jumperoo, where gators jump high to catch raw chicken meats. The 2nd one is an up close encounters where lucky people (or unlucky) can hold snakes and spiders. The most popular one is the Gator Wres...er...Legends of The Swamp show. A trainer will wrestle a gator in the arena and talk about alligators to the audience.
There are many other activities available for an extra charge. I bought a package for 14 dollars extra to feed the gators (4.50), ride the train (3), and meet a gator at the arena (12 dollars). There were ample amount of chow to feed the gators and the gators seem to enjoy it. While I didn't do the train ride, I did wait in line to meet the gator at the arena. There were a lot of people who wanted to do this, and it is a pretty short experience. You go inside the arena and straddle a real alligator for a photo up (the gator mouth is taped shut). If you are lucky enough and willing to get your pants dirty, you can sit on its back for a couple seconds. Other experiences not included in the package that cost extra are feeding barn animals, zip line rides, holding other animals, and even feeding gators up close. The extra activities are a cash grab, but what do you expect from tourist attractions? And lets not forget the photos are not included in the experiences. If you can't afford (or don't want) to sit on a real alligator, you can sit on a statue alligator near the entrance for free. One you are done with the shows, activities, displays, you exit to the gift shop.
If you like alligators, this is an attraction to visit. To be able to see, feed, and even hop on a real alligator is a huge attraction. But if you don't care for gators, then you may get a little bored. There is a small counter service restaurant as well, but the food is attraction expensive. The staff/trainers are pretty friendly and helpful, and you can spend a half day enjoying everything. Country and rock music is played throughout the front area of the park. While the activities can be expensive, parking is free and there are many discounted admission prices to visit the park. A nice place to visit if you are tired of the visiting the mega parks (Disney, Universal SeaWorld) in the Orlando area.