I recommend this park for a family visit. We were ...

I recommend this park for a family visit. We were ten family members. We bought our tickets online. We didn't need to wait at any time during our stay, which was good.

We started with an air-boat tour. I didn t time it, but it was a bit short. The guide was fun and knowledgable. There are so many air-boats going at once that we heard the others while we were out on the water. During this type of tour out in the wilderness, you hope to be far from any other tourists. The boat traffic also scares away the gators. We did see a few. It was interesting to be out on the water, gliding over the grass. An air-boat ride is a unique experience. There were many signs on the boat encouraging us to tip the driver. Think what you will

There was a short alligator show afterwards. The man was in the enclosure with the gators. This wasn't an act to show how daring he was. He was a knowledgeable herpetologist who had handled reptiles for years. He interacted with the gators to demonstrate how their reputation as mindless killers was ill-deserved. He called them by name and they responded. It was interesting.

We got to hold a baby gator after the show. They accepted a $3 donation per person for this. The same man chatted with us about the animals for as long as we wanted. He was clearly proud of his work.

In retrospect, all the additional solicitations for money were bit excessive after having paid the full fee for entrance. I would prefer that they charged a bit more for admission, then didn t ask for any more money. They could also lengthen the boat tour a bit.

Find a spot far from other cars in the parking lot. Their spots are *very* small.

Overall, our visit was a pleasant one. Our kids were excited to see the animals and ride the air-boat. The information given by the guides was good. The boat tour was fun.