A unique find in St. Augustine, Florida, about an hour drive from Jacksonville, is the St. Augustine Alligator Farm!
It’s not a “farm” in the typical sense that you’d think. It’s registered officially as a zoological park, claiming to be one of Florida’s oldest continuously running attractions after opening on May 20 in 1893.
It has 24 species of crocodiles, among other reptiles like snakes, turtles and alligators, and so many other animals like sloths and birds.
Tickets are $29 for adults and $17 for children, so a little pricey but the high costs are to pay for the extraordinary animals at the park. Parking is free (unlike many places in St. Augustine).
My family and I went in the late spring so it was quite busy, but I think that it’s pretty busy year-round. We spent a few hours inside the park, walking around and learning about the animals. There’s honestly so much to see or read about that it’s pretty amazing. I was expecting it to be a small, cheesy little park with a few alligators but there was so much more to see and experience.
You can watch “animal performances” and educational demonstrations, like keepers feeding the crocodiles, handling the sloth or turtles, and a few other demonstrations. Watching the keepers feed the alligators was really cool and they have many feeding times throughout the day, so I highly recommend watching during your visit.
You can also take photos of you and/or your children holding a baby alligator or snake! My little brother wanted to hold a baby alligator and how often do you get that opportunity? So of course, we did it.
You can also meet a crocodile or sloth or one of the giant Galapagos turtles (I would’ve LOVED to meet a sloth!), or take a behind the scenes tour of the zoo. I believe that there’s also an obstacle-course type experience that you can do, where you zipline or walk over the animal enclosures (including the alligators and crocodiles)… not sure if I’d personally do that one, but I’m sure that it’s safe.
Overall, I thought that this was a very unique experience for St. Augustine! A very Florida experience and if you’re new to the area or visiting, I would recommend a visit.
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Thank you for reading! Have you ever been to the St. Augustine Alligator Park? Let me know in the comments below and like this post if you want more like it!
Xoxo’s
Emmalee
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Emmalee Mauldin 
That baby alligator is adorable! He looks so chill.
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