CHRISTMAS, Fla. — Jungle Adventures, a real Florida animal park in Christmas off State Road 50, can best be described as an animal lover’s paradise with the flavor of a forgotten roadside attraction.

What You Need To Know

  • Jungle Adventures in Christmas, Fla., has been open to the public for 50 years

  • Guests can take a jungle cruise through natural waterways in search of alligators

  • One alligator guests hope they see is “Goliath,” a 1,000-pound, 15-foot gator

  • The animal park also gets guests close to tarantulas, skunks and a panther

Out front sits an iconic cement (maybe 200-foot) alligator named “Swampy,” who serves as the entrance to the animal park that has served customers in one way or another for 50 years.

Once inside, guests can hop on one of the park’s electric-powered boats that take reptile lovers through bright green waters, covered in duckweed.

Curator Ryan Brown, who has guided tours for 28 years, said the number of alligators that visitors will see just depends on the time of the day.

“Keep your eyes peeled. You might see a gator or two. There are roughly around 200 gators in here, give or take,” Brown said while operating the tour boat.

Many visitors come to the park with the hopes of seeing “Goliath.”

“He is a monster of an alligator. I will say that about him,” Brown said.

The 1,000-pound, 15-foot gator can be seen on the shoreline if conditions are right, but you don’t always see him on tour.

The gator wrangler said director Michale Houston King used Goliath, 50, in the movie “Lake Jesup: Bonecrusher’s Revenge”, which recently was filmed at the animal park.

Sometimes Brown steps off the boat and on shore with Goliath and feeds him chicken or ribs in front of lucky guests.

The 10-acre park offers a perch where guests can watch the hand feeding of alligators, when the reptiles leap for a good meal.

Visitors can also walk along boardwalks that weave through natural habitats at Jungle Adventures, where they could see a variety of animals who make their homes at the park — including a panther, birds, reptiles and an emu.

Guests can also go inside and have animal encounters with tarantulas, skunks and a baby alligator.

“Since the 50s, it’s (the park) been open to the public. It’s fun to get them out here and see their expressions when they see real Florida,” Brown said.

The cost is $29.95 for adults and $15.95 for children older than 3 years old. 

For more information, visit the Jungle Adventures website.