Bayou Pierre Alligator Park
The first one was the Bayou Pierre Alligator Park in Natchitoches, Louisiana. They had a range of alligator ages from 2-3 ft juveniles to very large adults. You can feed the alligators and take a picture with a small alligator for an extra fee (which of course, we did!). Their bellies are surprisingly soft!
Gators and Friends Alligator Park and Exotic Zoo
The next place we stopped was Gators and Friends Alligator Park and Exotic Zoo, west of Shreveport in Greenwood, Louisiana. They also had several areas with alligators and a surprisingly large petting zoo that included goats, horses, camels, exotic deer, lemurs, ostriches, capybara, and more. The alligators were all medium to large in size and we were told that the largest was 12 ft! They had two feedings, one for each alligator area, and offered the chance to hold and have your picture taken with a small alligator at no extra cost. A boardwalk led us across several areas of the larger alligator pond. We got all the way around the park before we realized that there were ducks to feed at the far left end of the back porch of the gift shop. With all the other animals to see, ducks may seem a bit common, but I love feeding ducks so I wished I had saved some food! There was also an area where children could ride small ponies and a zipline that went over the larger alligator pond and around the park! I would have loved to try it, but we were short on time. The staff was very friendly and answered all of our questions. They even let me hold the little alligator twice :)
Gulf Coast Gator Ranch
Once we were in Mississippi, we stopped at the Gulf Coast Gator Ranch, which was the temporary home for the Gator Boys show on Animal Planet. This ranch had a smaller walking area than the above two parks, but was very pretty and had plenty of alligators to see and feed. There were eggs incubating in the front office and various areas with baby, medium, and large alligators. We also saw Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and a Green Heron. The staff we talked to were nice and friendly and also gave us the chance to hold a baby alligator and have our picture taken with him. This was the smallest alligator we were allowed to hold of the four places we stopped. He had been born at the ranch and was used to being handled. He was 2 years old, docile, and very cute!
Fudpucker's Gator Island
The last gator stop was at Gator Island in Destin, Florida at Fudpucker's Restaurant. We ate lunch here and had a great time. Just like the other places, the staff was friendly and knowledgeable. There were several decks from which to view the 100 alligators in the pond! All of these alligators are under 5 ft since they are social when young, but can become territorial and attack other alligators once they reach 6 ft. When the alligators here get too large, they find homes for them in zoos and other educational programs.
http://www.fudpucker.com/locations/destin-florida
While I highly recommend holding at least one little gator at any of these places (don't pick one up in the wild!), all of them, except for at Gulf Coast Gator Ranch, squirmed a little and even though they are small, they are strong. Their mouths are taped (don't worry, they can breath!), but it can be startling if they start to try to get away. Be sure to hold them like you are instructed, that was usually my mistake, and don't worry, the staff will quickly step in if they start to move too much. Most importantly, have fun! They are amazing animals.