Last month, we spent three days in one of our favorite places, the Florida Panhandle. Wanting to take our kids to do something fun and unique, we decided to explore Gator Beach. We had expected to pay, but the website said it was free, which was a nice surprise. We piled into the mini van for the 30-minute drive.
When we arrived, we knew right away that it was a tourist trap. The advertisement had made it sound like it was a sizeable alligator park with a small restaurant, but in fact it was a restaurant with a small gator section. Since we had done the drive, we decided to stay and make the best of it.
One of the attractions was a small pond with a bunch of two and three-year-old alligators that were all about two feet long. There was a raised walkway around the pond with fences so the kids could see the alligators up close. There was also a tank filled with three and four-foot-long alligators. In another area, there were replicas of larger alligators and giant snakes that are found in Florida. And boy does Florida have some large wildlife! You could pay to take a picture with a poor little alligator with its mouth taped shut, but we decided to pass on that.
While we were there, a wildlife expert brought out one of those baby alligators. He shared some interesting facts and allowed everyone to pet it.
What is the corniest tourist trap that you have ever visited?
I stay far away from corny tourist traps. If I visit a specific place, it will be because of the history there, either significant history or obscure history.
For me it’s Bearizona in Williams,AZ. I love it but so many tourists. I enjoy Bearizona even though there are a ton of people.
I think anyone with children will land up some day at a tourist trap! I know we did.
I don’t like to see so many animals enclosed together in small areas. South of the Border. It’s no longer there, but the hyped-up signs were so much fun to look for and read than actually stopping there. We’d beg Daddy to stop, and he would always tell us it was nothing but a tourist trap, but one yr, he finally stopped, and we had breakfast and looked around. The signs were better than the actual place, but their French toast was really good.