Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) at the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, Florida.; Shutterstock ID 1411761494; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

Linda Burek/Shutterstock

Alligator Farm Zoological Park

St Augustine


Herpetophobes should run in the other direction of this facility – the only one on the planet with every species of crocodilian in residence. Nature lovers, on the other hand, will love it. Look for albino alligators, gorgeous gharials and seven different species of endangered monkey, including the world's smallest, the pygmy marmoset. There are talks and shows throughout the day; catch hungry alligators snapping their jaws at feeding times (noon and 3pm).

The park is a five-minute drive from downtown St Augustine along Anastasia Blvd.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby St Augustine attractions

1. St Augustine Lighthouse

0.33 MILES

The light produced by this 1870s striped lighthouse beams all the way downtown. A great place to bring kids over six and more than 44in tall (since all…

2. Anastasia State Recreation Area

0.44 MILES

Locals come to escape the tourist hordes at this terrific park, which is a beautiful quilt of estuarine marsh, maritime forest, boardwalk paths and sandy…

3. Oldest House

1.24 MILES

Also known as the González-Alvarez House, this is the oldest surviving Spanish-era home in Florida, dating to the early 1700s and sitting on a site…

4. Ximenez-Fatio House

1.53 MILES

Dating to 1798, this fascinating museum complex includes the main house building, the area's only detached kitchen building and a reconstructed washhouse…

5. Spanish Military Hospital Museum

1.55 MILES

Not for the faint of heart, guided tours of this museum discuss Colonial-era medical techniques in all their gory glory: amputations, leeching, the whole…

6. Plaza de la Constitution

1.59 MILES

In the heart of downtown, this grassy square, the oldest public park in the US and a former marketplace for food (and slaves), has an attractive gazebo,…

7. Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine

1.63 MILES

With its magnificent bell tower lording it over the Plaza de la Constitution, this Spanish-mission-style cathedral is likely the country's first Catholic…

8. Governor's House

1.64 MILES

A government building has stood on this site since 1598 and served as a residence, courthouse, administrative headquarters and post office. Today, it is…