Gatorland, Orlando

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Orlando, Florida?

For a lot of people, it's probably Disney World. Maybe it's oranges. For me, the first thing that pops into my mind is...

...alligators!

Last month I visited Florida for the first time when I traveled to Orlando for the annual Mom 2.0 conference. Like always, I added a few extra days onto my trip so I could explore the area a little while I was there. I was pretty flexible with my plans for those days, but there was one thing I wanted to make sure I saw, and that was alligators. And, boy, did I see a LOT of alligators!

Ok, before you get worried, I didn't see any of these alligators just out and about on the streets of Orlando - although I'm sure they're there if you know where to look! No, these alligators were all in the one place. One fabulous place named Gatorland!

My first experience with Gatorland was an Instagram post that featured the larger than life walk through alligator at the entrance to the park. I'm a total sucker for kitsch roadside attractions, so combined with my desire to see alligators, I just knew that I had to add a visit to Gatorland to my trip to Orlando.

Let's take a look at my visit to Gatorland - or Gatorlando as Lola says it should be called...

Ava loves Swampy

Ava has a new obsession...

Goodbye Angry Birds, Cut the Rope and Fruit Ninja. You've been replaced by the loveable alligator Swampy in the Disney mobile game Where's My Water?

Both Ava and Lola have been pretty mad about playing Where's My Water? since I downloaded it a few weeks ago. Ava seems quite smitten with the main character Swampy, a cute and friendly looking alligator. In the game Swampy is desperate to have a bath, however the water has been blocked off - hence the title. The player digs through dirt to get the water through to the bathtub, collecting rubber duckies and avoiding moss and slime along the way.

Ava has been talking about Swampy quite a bit lately and a few days ago she spent much of the afternoon making a book about him and the game. Of course, Ava features alongside Swampy in her book as well. Who wouldn't want to share a bath with an alligator? :)
Here's a look at Ava's book:

Swampy and Ava