Alligators, birds, and more … Oh My! Don’t miss visiting this gem in St. Augustine, FL

I live in Florida … and in Florida, we have lots of alligators. So naturally there are places you can visit to see alligators, learn about alligators, and sometimes even hold an alligator. One of those places is right here in St. Augustine and it’s a place I highly recommend you visit. Whether you live in Florida or you are just vacationing here, the alligator farm is a must-see! The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is a wonderful place for all (young and old) to enjoy, a fun and educational outing.

I have been to the alligator farm many, many times over the years, even well before I lived here in Florida. It’s one of favorite places to visit in St. Augustine and even though I live here and have been many times, I plan to visit again and again. Later, I will share with you one of my absolute favorite things about the alligator farm and the best time of year to visit. For now, a pinch of history: the Alligator farm was founded way back in 1893! It became an attraction in 1910 with just a few alligators. It has come a long way since then! It has changed owners and even its location. Now when you visit, you can see many other animals in addition to lots of alligators, crocodiles, gharials, and other reptiles. For more info on how it all began, check out the Website.

Alligator at Alligator Farm

I have two children (they are now teens). They have been to the alligator farm several times as well. One of my favorite photo-ops there are a couple of large alligator statues that the children can sit and climb upon. I took a photos of my boys on them back in 2009 when they were 4 and 6 and then again five years later when we moved to Florida in 2014 when they were 9 and 11. There are many great photo ops at the farm. You can see a funny photo of me below when I was visiting with some of the ladies from my neighborhood a few years ago. The alligator farm is a great place for kids and grown-ups alike. It is very kid- and family-friendly. There is a playground and a snack bar and the park itself is very easy to navigate and safe.  There are also fun, educational animal shows and an alligator feeding which is really cool to watch.

Above I mentioned there is something at the alligator farm that is my absolute favorite thing … have you guessed what it is? Well, I love all the native birds in Florida and the alligator farm has a Native Bird Rookery that is absolutely astonishing! People (many photographers) come from all over the world to see the birds in the Rookery and take awesome photos! As you walk down the boardwalk, you will see many alligators on both sides but if you look up, all around you in the trees are native Florida birds. Many of them you can see up close and personal. If you visit in the spring, especially March through May, you will encounter the birds during the nesting/breeding season. The breeding plumage on some of the birds is so beautiful! Below are some photos I have taken to show you some of the birds you might see while visiting the Rookery during the spring nesting season.

I highly recommend a visit during nesting season. You will see the birds building their nests. You will also see eggs in the nests, babies in the nests, and babies being fed. There are birds flying all over, and you will hear all kinds of wonderful bird sounds. The trees are full and it’s just amazing to see and watch! If you are a photographer or photo enthusiast, its a MUST! You can get some amazing photos. Below is a photo collage of some of the sweet babies I have seen recently. Enjoy!

I love birds so much that on a recent visit to the Alligator Farm, I decided to buy a yearly membership with the photo pass. I am so excited that I can go anytime to visit. I’m going to leave you below with a musical video of photos I’ve taken at the Alligator Farm. You will see all the varieties of birds above, including babies in the nests, as well as, alligators and other animals throughout the park. Let me know if you enjoyed this post with a “like” or “comment” and be sure to follow my Blog and/or my Facebook Page if you’d like to read more post about St. Augustine and Florida adventures! Thanks for stopping by my blog! ~Kristina~

In case the you can’t see the embedded video, here is a link.

The Alligator Farm is open 365 days/year at 9:00 am. For more info before you visit: Alligator Farm Facebook Page