Alligator Adventure located at Barefoot Landing, Myrtle Beach, SC is a reptile park that also has a number of other species including birds, cats and others.
Before you enter the park there are a few ponds with a lots of sliders.
As you enter the park the first exhibit you come to is the juvenile crocodilian pool. It is a good exhibit with plenty of water and land. It didn't look over crowded either. There were at least 2 croc species, American gators and caiman.
Also in this area is a seasonal exhibit (It had double wattled cassowary when I was their in '08) and the North American river otters. I thought the cassowary exhibit was small but well planted. The otters were inside and the exhibit was dark. It was below average.
If you head right from the entrance there are exhibits for exotic birds (macaws, silvery cheek hornbills and swainsons hornbills in balen cages) and a nice pond for yellow spotted amazon turtles. There are also free roaming common hornbills that were at the amazon pond. There are many ponds in this area that the moorhens and their chicks used.
Also in this area is a small yard for galops and aldabra tortoise. I only saw one of each species.
Next to giant tortoise yard was an average exhibit that housed caracal and serval. They were all sleeping when I was there.
Just beyond the giant tortoise is Utan, Alligator Adventures enormous salty/siam hybrid. I briefly talked to his keeper that said he was close to 20ft in length and estimated him to be about a ton. He also fished one of his teeth out of his exhibit (he loses them all the time) and it was about the size of a shot glass. His exhibit is good with plenty of water and enough land for him to completely haul out. There is underwater vieing but the glass was covered in algae. They placed a good sized fan boat in the exhibit that I tried to get a picture of him next to but the picture did not come out that good. To say his big is an understatement. I have seen a lot of crocs, gharials, gators and caiman but he is hands down the biggest crocodilian I have seen (I have not seen Hank at Jungle Island).
After Utan, is the boardwalk that goes through the gator breeding area. It is similar to St Augustines boardwalk but minus the rookery. It is pretty much a large swamp with a few hundred gators in it. We saw two large males fighting over a female and also heard and saw them bellow. It is a good exhibit and supposedly if you eat at the House of Blues across the street you can watch the gators and here them bellow. Also in this area is a seasonal hoofstock exhibit that at the time we went didn't have anything but has had species like water buffalo, wild boar and I believe once housed giraffe. It was a fairly large area but barren because of no current resident.
As you exit the boardwalk, on your right are the albino alligators. The exhibit is in a barn type structure to protect them from the sun. The two gators were pretty big. To the left of the albino gators are the Chinese gators. It was a typical crocodilian exhibit with plenty of water and enough land for them to completely haul out. They had at least eight when I was there last.
Next is the Croc Cove section. This is where most of the other crocodilians are held besides the gators. All the exhibits here are grassy with plenty of water but not very big. The water is heated year round so the crocs can stay outside. Most also share their exhibits with fish and turtles .They have had success with breeding Siamese, Morelets crocs and yacare. They had on display: Niles, Salties, Siamese, Mugger, Morelets, Dwarf, American crocs, Yacare and Dwarf (P.trig) caimans. Also an alligator named Bob that had no tail (see gallery for a picture).
The highlight of this area is two tomistomas, Tommy and Sweet pea. Tommy is enormous at 15ft and 1500lbs. They are my favorite animals here along with Utan. The two have been seen breeding but have not produced any offspring.
As you leave Croc cove there is a pond on your right that has some water fowl.
On your left you will see 1 of 2 reptile houses at the park. This one has most of the lizards, turtles, tortoises and amphibians that are at Alligator Adventure. It is a typical herp house with glass terrariums in the middle as you walk around the building. Species include nile, mangrove and other monitors, cuban iguana, pancake tortoise, pig nose turtle, beaded lizard, african bullfrog and more.
As you continue past the reptile show pavilion you will see the tiger exhibit. It is a decent exhibit and they claim they are Siberian tigers. This exhibit use to house black bears and I believe one time komodo dragons.
Across from the tigers is the second herp house that contains mostly snakes but I remeber an indoor enclosure with ringtail lemur. The snakes here vary from large retic pythons and green anacondas to highly venomous black mambas and king cobras to critically endangered aruba island rattlesnake. The exhibits are large and have lots of props for climbing and pools for soaking. It is one of the best snake collections I have seen.
As you leave and head towards the gator feedings, there are a few exhibits along the way. On your right are a few tortoise exhibits with sulcutta, red foot, leopard and yellow foot. As you cross the bridge to your right is the Sarus crane exhibit. They are difficult to see but the exhibit is good.
The last exhibit is the second large gator area. There are large to medium gators that are on either side of you. It seems a little over crowded. They also do a gator feeding session where they jump out of the water.
Overall, I liked Alligator Adventure more for the collection and not the exhibits. They also had a deal where you buy a single ticket and it is good for two visits. If your in the area its definitely worth checking out.
Before you enter the park there are a few ponds with a lots of sliders.
As you enter the park the first exhibit you come to is the juvenile crocodilian pool. It is a good exhibit with plenty of water and land. It didn't look over crowded either. There were at least 2 croc species, American gators and caiman.
Also in this area is a seasonal exhibit (It had double wattled cassowary when I was their in '08) and the North American river otters. I thought the cassowary exhibit was small but well planted. The otters were inside and the exhibit was dark. It was below average.
If you head right from the entrance there are exhibits for exotic birds (macaws, silvery cheek hornbills and swainsons hornbills in balen cages) and a nice pond for yellow spotted amazon turtles. There are also free roaming common hornbills that were at the amazon pond. There are many ponds in this area that the moorhens and their chicks used.
Also in this area is a small yard for galops and aldabra tortoise. I only saw one of each species.
Next to giant tortoise yard was an average exhibit that housed caracal and serval. They were all sleeping when I was there.
Just beyond the giant tortoise is Utan, Alligator Adventures enormous salty/siam hybrid. I briefly talked to his keeper that said he was close to 20ft in length and estimated him to be about a ton. He also fished one of his teeth out of his exhibit (he loses them all the time) and it was about the size of a shot glass. His exhibit is good with plenty of water and enough land for him to completely haul out. There is underwater vieing but the glass was covered in algae. They placed a good sized fan boat in the exhibit that I tried to get a picture of him next to but the picture did not come out that good. To say his big is an understatement. I have seen a lot of crocs, gharials, gators and caiman but he is hands down the biggest crocodilian I have seen (I have not seen Hank at Jungle Island).
After Utan, is the boardwalk that goes through the gator breeding area. It is similar to St Augustines boardwalk but minus the rookery. It is pretty much a large swamp with a few hundred gators in it. We saw two large males fighting over a female and also heard and saw them bellow. It is a good exhibit and supposedly if you eat at the House of Blues across the street you can watch the gators and here them bellow. Also in this area is a seasonal hoofstock exhibit that at the time we went didn't have anything but has had species like water buffalo, wild boar and I believe once housed giraffe. It was a fairly large area but barren because of no current resident.
As you exit the boardwalk, on your right are the albino alligators. The exhibit is in a barn type structure to protect them from the sun. The two gators were pretty big. To the left of the albino gators are the Chinese gators. It was a typical crocodilian exhibit with plenty of water and enough land for them to completely haul out. They had at least eight when I was there last.
Next is the Croc Cove section. This is where most of the other crocodilians are held besides the gators. All the exhibits here are grassy with plenty of water but not very big. The water is heated year round so the crocs can stay outside. Most also share their exhibits with fish and turtles .They have had success with breeding Siamese, Morelets crocs and yacare. They had on display: Niles, Salties, Siamese, Mugger, Morelets, Dwarf, American crocs, Yacare and Dwarf (P.trig) caimans. Also an alligator named Bob that had no tail (see gallery for a picture).
The highlight of this area is two tomistomas, Tommy and Sweet pea. Tommy is enormous at 15ft and 1500lbs. They are my favorite animals here along with Utan. The two have been seen breeding but have not produced any offspring.
As you leave Croc cove there is a pond on your right that has some water fowl.
On your left you will see 1 of 2 reptile houses at the park. This one has most of the lizards, turtles, tortoises and amphibians that are at Alligator Adventure. It is a typical herp house with glass terrariums in the middle as you walk around the building. Species include nile, mangrove and other monitors, cuban iguana, pancake tortoise, pig nose turtle, beaded lizard, african bullfrog and more.
As you continue past the reptile show pavilion you will see the tiger exhibit. It is a decent exhibit and they claim they are Siberian tigers. This exhibit use to house black bears and I believe one time komodo dragons.
Across from the tigers is the second herp house that contains mostly snakes but I remeber an indoor enclosure with ringtail lemur. The snakes here vary from large retic pythons and green anacondas to highly venomous black mambas and king cobras to critically endangered aruba island rattlesnake. The exhibits are large and have lots of props for climbing and pools for soaking. It is one of the best snake collections I have seen.
As you leave and head towards the gator feedings, there are a few exhibits along the way. On your right are a few tortoise exhibits with sulcutta, red foot, leopard and yellow foot. As you cross the bridge to your right is the Sarus crane exhibit. They are difficult to see but the exhibit is good.
The last exhibit is the second large gator area. There are large to medium gators that are on either side of you. It seems a little over crowded. They also do a gator feeding session where they jump out of the water.
Overall, I liked Alligator Adventure more for the collection and not the exhibits. They also had a deal where you buy a single ticket and it is good for two visits. If your in the area its definitely worth checking out.
