Gatorland#Gatorland Express

{{Infobox zoo

| name = Gatorland

| logo = Gatorland logo.png

| logo_width = 250px

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| image = Gatorland entrance -Florida-23Feb2006.jpg

| image_width = 260px

| image_caption = Gatorland entrance

| date_opened = 1949, {{Time ago|1949}}

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| location = Orlando, Florida

| coordinates = {{coord|28.3557|-81.404|display=inline,title}}

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| publictransit = {{bus icon|12px|Local Transit}} File:LYNX transportation logo.svg #108

| mapframe = yes

| mapframe-zoom = 14

| website = {{URL|http://www.gatorland.com/}}

}}

Gatorland is a {{convert|110|acre|adj=on}} theme park and wildlife preserve in Florida, located along South Orange Blossom Trail south of Orlando. It was founded in 1949 by Owen Godwin on former cattle land,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1UgoAAAAIBAJ&sjid=z88EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6664%2C3392733|title=Gatorland still brings in tourists after 50 years|last=Schneider|first=Mike|date=September 12, 1999|newspaper=Spartanburg Herald Journal|agency=Associated Press|location=South Carolina}}{{Cite journal |last=Mays |first=Dorothy |date=2009 |title=Gatorland: Survival of the Fittest among Florida's Mid-Tier Tourist Attractions |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20700250 |journal=The Florida Historical Quarterly |volume=87 |issue=4 |pages=509–539 |jstor=20700250 |issn=0015-4113}} and is privately owned by his family.

Billed as the "Alligator Capital of the World," Gatorland features thousands of alligators (including rare leucistic alligators) and crocodiles, and many other animals. Attractions in the park include a breeding marsh with a boardwalk and observation tower, zip lines, an off-road swamp vehicle tour, a ridable miniature railroad, alligator feeding shows, alligator wrestling shows, an aviary, a petting zoo, and educational programs. The breeding marsh area of the park was used in the filming of the 1984 movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.{{cite news |title=REPTILES GET STAR STATUS AT GATORLAND |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1985/10/13/reptiles-get-star-status-at-gatorland/ |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=October 13, 1985}}

The park is known for buying and rescuing nuisance alligators from trappers that would otherwise be killed for their meat and skin. Gatorland also manages the live alligator display at the Gaylord Palms resort in Kissimmee.

Gatorland Express

File:Gatorland Express - Ol' Iron Horse Express.jpg

The Gatorland Express, known as Ol' Iron Horse Express prior to 2001,{{Cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/modbetty/6854230845/|title=The Original Gatorland Express|date=February 5, 2012|via=Flickr}} is a {{RailGauge|2ft|lk=on}} narrow gauge{{Cite web|url=https://arizonaandpacificrr.com/ironhorsepc/gatorland.html|title=Gatorland|website=arizonaandpacificrr.com}} railroad attraction inside the park, which first opened in 1961 and was originally built by the Allan Herschell Company. The park claims that the Gatorland Express is the first amusement attraction in Central Florida. The original locomotive was retired in 2000 and put on static display, while a brand-new locomotive built by Custom Locomotive of Chicago{{Cite web |url=http://www.trainridesunlimited.com/gatorland/ |title=Train Rides Unlimited |access-date=May 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522235658/http://www.trainridesunlimited.com/gatorland/ |archive-date=May 22, 2014 |url-status=dead }} was purchased and put into operation the following year. The new locomotive is the same model as the locomotive previously used at the former Green Meadows Petting Farm in Kissimmee.[http://playground-magazine.com/2010/06/all-aboard/ Playground Magazine - All Aboard] An additional fee is required to ride the railroad and prior to the 2011 opening of the zip line, it was the only non-animal-related attraction in Gatorland.

Gatorland White Gator Swamp

The White Gator Swamp, is an indoor area with a museum feel to it where guests can see the albino gators from the other side of a glass wall. In this enclosed area, there are signs that give facts about these gators including the origin of their white color, how they're different from other gators, and when they were first spotted.{{Cite web|title=15 Tips a Gatorland Review - 2021 Gatorland Orlando|url=https://themeparkcenter.com/blogs/mice-magic-the-official-theme-park-center-blog/7-things-to-know-before-going-to-gatorland-2019-w-pictures|access-date=July 26, 2021|website=ThemeParkCenter.com|language=en}}

2006 fire

Shortly before sunrise on Monday, November 6, 2006, a three-alarm fire broke out at Gatorland,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MOlWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aOwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2640%2C1536327 |newspaper=Gainesville Sun |location=Florida |agency=Associated Press |title=Gatorland goes up in flames |date=November 7, 2006 |page=1B}} believed to be started when a heating pad in one of the displays in the gift shop shorted out; arson was not suspected.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=A2k0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=qgkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5005%2C4423263 |newspaper=Ocala Star-Banner |location=Florida |agency=Associated Press |title=Heater blamed in Gatorland fire |date=November 9, 2006 |page=3B }} The fire was brought under control within several hours, but the gift shop was completely destroyed, and several walkways also burned.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YtVOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Rv4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4229%2C7151403 |newspaper=Lakeland Ledger |location=Florida |agency=Associated Press |last=Reed |first=Travis |title=Gatorland burns |date=November 7, 2006 |page=A1}} The fire killed a four-foot-long crocodile and two six-foot-long pythons.{{cite news|last1=Aguayo|first1=Terry|title=Florida Fire Damages Gatorland Theme Park|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/07/us/07gator.html?ref=us&_r=0|newspaper=New York Times|date=November 7, 2006|access-date=October 29, 2014}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MelWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aOwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4237%2C1714406|newspaper=Gainesville Sun |location=Florida |agency=Associated Press |title=Gatorland could reopen in weeks |date=November 8, 2006 |page=4B}} During the day, the birds that are displayed in and around the shop were moved to the aviary at the back of the park and were not injured.

After inspectors confirmed that there was no structural damage to the various walkways and displays at the park, Gatorland reopened less than three weeks later the day after Thanksgiving.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gvYeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=t4YEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3139%2C5731975 |newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |location=Florida |agency=Associated Press |title=Gatorland reopens, but mouth still closed |date=November 25, 2006 |page=10B }} The gift shop and main offices were rebuilt as a two-story concrete block building, incorporating the repainted historic concrete alligator's mouth, and opened on May 22, 2008.{{Cite web |url=http://gatorland.com/blogs/media/2008/07/08/from-tails-to-tales/ |title=Gatorland Media » Blog Archive » From Tails to Tales |access-date=July 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121065532/http://gatorland.com/blogs/media/2008/07/08/from-tails-to-tales/ |archive-date=November 21, 2008 |url-status=dead }}

Zip line ride

In the summer of 2011, Gatorland added a zip line that travels across a pool of alligators and past several of the existing attractions. The ride is approximately {{Convert|1200|ft}} long and several stories high. It is available for riders {{Convert|37|in|cm}} tall or more. In January 2016, Gatorland made the zip line wheelchair-accessible.{{Cite web |url=http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2016/1/29/gatorland_wheelchair_accessible_zip_line.html |title=Gatorland to offer wheelchair-accessible zip line |access-date=April 30, 2016 |archive-date=June 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603125941/http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2016/1/29/gatorland_wheelchair_accessible_zip_line.html |url-status=dead }}

Gator Spot

File:Fun Spot America Orlando Gator Spot.JPG

Gatorland opened Gator Spot at Fun Spot America Theme Parks' Orlando park in the International Drive tourist area on May 11, 2015. The $1 million attraction allows visitors to hold, take photos with, and feed alligators. The main attraction is a leucistic alligator named Bouya, a white gator with blue eyes.{{cite news |last=Dineen |first=Caitlin |date=May 5, 2015 |title=Gator Spot quietly opens to the public |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/tourism-central-florida-blog/os-gatorspot-orlando-official-opening-20150505-post.html |newspaper=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=May 3, 2016 }}