Oh my, what a tragic day for all of Central Florida...Gatorland, the Central Florida attraction immortalized in countless family snapshots of the giant gator jaws at its entrance, burned nearly beyond recognition Monday -- but the family that founded the park in 1949 vowed it will reopen.
"In 57 years, we've had hurricanes, gas crises, recessions, 9-11. A fire's not going to stop us," said President Mark McHugh, whose wife is the granddaughter of original owner Owen Godwin Sr.
He said it could be several weeks before the icon of Old Florida tourism, famous for its Gator Jumparoo and stunt-filled gator wrestling, reopens with a makeshift entrance, potentially missing out on the first part of the critical holiday tourist season.
The gift shop, administrative offices and much of a recent $1 million renovation were destroyed, including wildlife murals on the exterior of the building, landscaping and reinforcement and a fresh paint job for those famous gator jaws.
The boardwalk that winds through the 110 acres of swamp that is home to about 1,000 alligators was left untouched by the blaze. One dwarf crocodile and two pythons housed in the gift shop are thought to be the only casualties.
Wow, this is so sad, but they will be back, and I will definitely make it a must on a future trip back home. I always thought of Gatorland as a TRUE Florida site, reminiscent of the old south, and old time Florida, before all the highways and busyness of Disney and Universal.
Sad, but still, they shall be back!
link of the day - Gatorland
wiki-link of the day - gatorland of course.
No comments:
Post a Comment