Photography by Ken Guzzetti
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” could reasonably be considered Mother Nature’s approach to American alligators, prehistoric holdovers that have remained largely unchanged for at least 8 million years. With a range extending from coastal North Carolina across to East Texas, these lords of the bayou are symbols of a wild, untamed South—and its preservation. By the 1950s, commercial hunting and habitat loss left alligator populations staring down extinction. Joint conservation efforts across the Southeast, however, succeeded in reversing that grim fate. In 1987, the keystone species was declared fully recovered and now numbers more than 2 million in Florida and Louisiana alone.
- Gatorland, a 110-acre theme park and wildlife preserve in Orlando, houses more than 2,000 alligators, an astonishingly large congregation (the name for a group of alligators). Three of them have leucism, a rare genetic mutation resulting in mostly white skin and, in many cases, blue eyes. (Only eight leucistic gators are known to exist worldwide).
- In operation since 1893, the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is home to 23 species of crocodilians and holds daily feedings. Intrepid visitors can soar above these apex predators along the park’s two zipline courses.
- A stay at the tribe-owned Miccosukee Casino & Resort in Miami entails both slots and scales. Beyond the property’s gaming hall, guests can watch educational alligator-handling demonstrations and take part in guided airboat tours of the surrounding Everglades—the only place on earth where alligators and crocodiles naturally cohabitate.
- Alligator Soul restaurant in Savannah serves upscale renditions of several gator-centric dishes. Among its offerings: alligator crab cakes in a roasted lemon sauce and alligator boudin fritters garnished with sweet drop peppers.
- September 26 through 29 sees the return of Luling, Louisiana’s annual Alligator Festival. Attendees can expect classic carnival rides and live bands, as well as opportunities to hold live baby gators and various ways to try alligator meat, from fried bites to burgers.
This article appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Southbound.
