Gatorland – Orlando Florida attraction review

Living in Orlando, I am always asked, what is your favorite thing to do?  That is such a tough question, for there are so many great attractions and things to see and do.  I have to say, one of my favorite, truly Florida Attractions that I LOVE is Gatorland.

In the late 1940’s the beginning of what is now Gatorland began being a wildlife exhibit with gators and snakes and today it still has that Florida feel, yet it’s not a little exhibit, but a true attraction with several shows featuring gators and other reptiles.

Entering into the famous Gator mouth isn’t the same as it was years ago.  Due to a fire a few years back, the mouth is still there, but it is no longer the main entrance.  Still, it’s one of those photo opportunities you don’t want to miss!

Once entering the park, you walk into a swamp filled with gators.  And these aren’t some tiny little things that you see at most theme parks.  These reptiles are HUGE!  Very impressive and very exciting.

The most famous of the Gatorland shows would have to be the gator wrestling.  This is an arena where a Gator Wrangler goes in and pulls out a gator from a moat like water pit around a concrete island filled with sand.  The Wrangler then gets on top of the gator, and as fun as it is to watch, at this time is a great lesson about the alligators.  At the end of the show, they take out a gator with its mouth taped shut for a photo opportunity for the general public.  FUN!!  And something you probably won’t find anywhere else.

Another fun show is the Gator Jumparoo Show!! My mouth hung open in awe as some of the largest alligators in the world actually jump four to five feet out of the water to retrieve meat from a trainer’s hand!  Shamu is supposed to do tricks, not gators!!  I love this show, and I love to see the reaction of the crowd as the gators do their thing.

Gatorland has many other great things to see and do, including a kids water park area, petting zoo, bird aviary, an array of different gators from all over the world, including a very special area for a few white alligators.  Rare and very cool to see.

It may be wrong, but I have to say, eating gator bites (yes, real gator tail) should probably make me feel guilty, but I am Florida girl, and I love me some gator!  The Gator Chow has other food on the menu, and overall it’s very reasonable. In fact, tickets are as low as $22.99 per adult and $14.99 per child.  Their website has a coupon you can download for $2.50 off per person.  There is a special Florida resident rate until the end of the year for $9.99 per person and if you are in the military, your ticket is free.

A short review of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Let’s just get something out of the way right from the outset – if Spider Man WAS your favorite ride at Universal (or even your favorite in all of Orlando), the Forbidden Journey is going to take the trophy from Spidey and spit some pumpkin juice in his eye for good measure. Yes, the Forbidden Journey is that good!

The Forbidden Journey combines animatronics and motion simulation (comparable to Soarin’ at Disney’s Epcot) perfectly. Riding  ”enchanted benches”, you follow Harry and Ron through a Quidditch match while dodging Dementors, spitting Spiders and Hargrids misbehaving dragon. This ‘robocoaster’  swings you through several dome projections and real sets that look straight out of the movies. It will take a few rides for you to notice everything and the projections do tend to blur a bit due to the speed at which you are moving but all in all, the Forbidden Journey is the next step in ride technology.

Look for a more detailed review coming soon but I should mention that if you feel queasy on motion simulation rides, the Forbidden Journey might not be for you. Also, even if you have no intention of riding, the queue is amazing and worthy of a walkthrough. The talking portraits are very well done along with the holograms of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Professor Dumbledoor.

For fans of the books/movies, or even casual fans like myself, the Forbidden Journey is a ‘must experience’ attraction while in Orlando. I rate rides on if I would stand in line for 60 minutes to ride it a second time. I just completed my 4th ride this past weekend.

Link to Universals video

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