FAQ

During the Hatching Festival we recommend that you wear light weight cool clothing and comfortable shoes.  Stiletto’s might make us take a second look at ya!

If your county or ours is under Hurricane Warning we will offer you a store credit for your admission and any wildlife encounters you pre purchased good until the end of the current calendar year.  The reserved egg hatching is not refundable.

Do your children think education is boring? “It definitely does not have to be,” say, Allen and Patty Register, owners of Gatorama. It is the time of year that chirping, grunting and snapping baby alligators emerge from their shells to meet the world. Gatorama is marking this occasion by hosting an “Alligator Hatching Festival” August 16th through September 2nd at their animal park at 6180 U.S. Highway 27, Palmdale, Florida.

“This is a great opportunity for parents to teach their children about one of nature’s fascinating life cycles,” says Allen Register. “For the next two weeks, we will welcome over five thousand alligators into the world at Gatorama. Guests will actually be able to see these little baby alligators wiggle out of the eggs.”

For guests that want a hands-on experience, a “Hatch and Hold” package is available. This package allows the guest to actually hold an egg and let the baby alligator hatch in their hands.  “This isn’t a drive-through instant experience”. We are totally dependent on Mother Nature”, says Allen Register. Birthing babies takes time. If everyone is patient we usually can accommodate everyone by the end of the day.  The gift shop still accepts credit cards or cash.

All regional roads will lead you to Gatorama.  Check out our directions page for the most direct routes.  Not all navigational systems are correct…you might want to put these coordinates in your phone.

While the facility was constructed over 50 years ago, which brings its own character, wheelchairs and scooters can navigate along our walkway and bridges and can get to the Crackin’ Barn without additional assistance.

Now these eggs are like birthing babies…they are all different.  Some will leap out real quick and some are real slow pokes…average about 5 minutes after the egg is pipped.

Reservations can be made on line at www.gatorama.com OR www.hatchingfestival.com

We will have a FoodTruck setup on Saturday & Sunday, 8/16, 8/17, 8/23, 8/24, 8/30, 8/31. Weekdays, we encourage you to pack a lunch and use our picnic tables out front to enjoy a family picnic! However, there are snacks in the gift shop for purchase.

Reservations are highly recommended. We do save a limited number of eggs for our walk-in guests each day of the festival.  Those are available on a first-come-first-serve basis ( the early bird gets the worm ). Additional eggs after those are assigned numerically until all eggs are hatched by the end of the day. Visit www.gatorama.com or www.hatchingfestival.com to purchase your reserved tickets (it’s the best way to guarantee you’ll have an egg).

Of course…we want you to brag about your baby!

We have trained hatching guides to help your child hatch the alligator egg while you take pictures.  We do offer a family/buddy option for children.