We were invited as guests of Airboat Adventures and Gator Country to take a boat tour and meet their alligators. And what an experience it was!
We arrived at the facility on Sunday morning, ready for our airboat ride. I expected we'd be searching for gators primarily - but in fact it was more of an enjoyable hour-long boat tour, with a lively captain who told us all about the area's eco-system. The ride itself was really fun - I've never been on an airboat, and it's smooth and fast! We saw a number of osprey, learned about the marsh, and searched for the elusive alligators. We didn't find any on this trip, but that was actually okay with me - especially since you get to see them up close and personal back at the main "office" - Gator Country Alligator Park.
If you REALLY are determined to see alligators from the boat, they recommend you take the evening "Spot Light for Gators" tour, since they are nocturnal animals. CLICK HERE to see avaialble tours and prices.
Here's Jack and Ken on the airboat - it gets loud so they provide awesome headphones for noise!
After the tour, Jack and his cousin Holly got to sit in the Captain's seat.
Back at the main office and Gator Country, you'll take a tour of the facility and see some live alliigators. You'll also get a lesson in safety. We actually did this portion of our tour FIRST, but it may depend on what time you arrive, or the weather, as to the order of events. Then, the staff lets anyone interested hold a "baby" alligator. Now, these guys were actually about two-years-old, but have been in captivity and are small - and we were given very specific instructions on how to hold them correctly. You wouldn't want to pick one of these up in the wild for many reasons - the primary one being that with baby, comes MAMA....
Now, the BEST time to do a tour is on a day when Bubba the alligator will be present for a special show. I believe this is on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. There's an extra fee for the show, but it's by far the highlight of the visit. Since we took our boat ride on Sunday, we actually returned on Thursday to see what all the fuss was about Bubba. And I'm so glad we did.
MEET BUBBA (and his handler/owner, David)
There's actually very limited information about Bubba on the website. From talking to David, I gather there's good reason for that. He doesn't want everyone to think they can just go and pet an alligator....
Bubba is one of a kind. Truly. It's hard to believe no one has made a movie about him - but to do so would require using Bubba himself...there are no alligator actors! Documentary perhaps?
Bubba is a 7-foot-long WORK animal. He's 18-years-old (alliigators in captivity can live up to 75 years versus an average of 35-45 years in the wild). And unlike humans, he won't truly "mature" at any particular age - he'll just keep growing.
I'm not going to give everything away here, because if you're going to be in the Florida panhandle, this is something you need to experience yourself. I thought I'd be terrified, but instead, I just wanted to give Bubba a big ol' hug. Reminded me of my dog.
But Bubba is an alligator. And while he's NEVER harmed a human, he is, as I mentioned before, one-of-a-kind. David isn't sure why he's so mellow and, well, loving. They're actually doing research to try and figure out what makes Bubba different. But, when Bubba is on the "work table", he knows what he's there to do. And it's not primarily to entertain us.
The primary purpose of introducing Bubba to people is so that David can explain more about alligators and their behavior - or at least typical alligator behavior. Things NOT to do if you see an alligator in the wild, for example. Or what to do if you DO see one. And in Florida, in particular, where tourists want to feed wild animals when they're spotted from a boat (dolphins, alligators, etc.), he explains how this is a really BAD idea. Once we feed them, they lose their hunting instinct. And not only can they eventually die, but they'll seek out boats (and those on them) as a food source.
Once we learned more about alligators in the wild, we got to learn more about Bubba. David raised him since he was a hatchling. Bubba is a part of the family - and puts himself last in the "chain" after David, his wife, kids, dog, cats - only in front of the newest 90-lb dog, who he loves to taunt by stealing his rawhide and attempting to hide with it (yes, the 7-foot-alligator likes to play hide-and-seek).
Bubba was supposed to be trained by David up only until age 4 - but he was so unique, that David kept him. And the story continues.
Now, Bubba, as a work animal, actually helps kids - especially special needs kids with ADHD and autism; and even soldiers with PTSD. You can pet him, sit on him, rub his neck. He loves it! Of course David must be present, Bubba must be on the table, and you must be sure to follow the rules. He's even "potty-trained" (table-broken is probably a better word), so that he doesn't have accidents on the table. Pretty amazing!
And for Bubba, the reward is hugs and pets - especially hugs from David - see picture below! As David said, this was okay when he was younger, but at over 165 pounds, its starting to get a little difficult!
Gator Hugs! (For David only)
Never in my life did I think I'd be charmed by an alligator. We couldn't get enough. "He's SO CUTE," the kids said.
Who knows what makes this animal so unique. David only knows of one other handler with an alligator even remotely similar to Bubba - and from what I found online, looks like his name is Bubba too (he's in Illinois)!
If you have the opportunity, this is definitely something to experience. For more information, call 850-230-3822. CLICK HERE for the website and to send an email to Airboat Adventures and Gator Country.
And most importantly, never approach an alligator in the wild, or do what we're doing here unless, well, you're with Bubba.
Disclaimer: We were provided with complimentary tickets for the Airboat tour and alligator show in return for this write-up. Opinions, however, are my own.
