Gator Country

 We made it out to Beaumont's Gator Country for our Labor Day celebration this year!  We had a great time touring around and seeing all the gators!

 Emily found a chicken running loose - surprised it was not gator food yet!

 Everyone petting the chicken

 Inside, they had a baby gator for everyone to hold.  Emily takes the first turn.

 Katie was next.

 Matthew was a little timid, but quickly got the hang of handling this little fella.

 Even Bex got a turn.

 I was very adamant that I did not want to touch or hold or be within 10 yards of a gator, but the kids insisted and won!  Here I am holding a baby gator and I'm still alive!

 They had several snakes, frogs, hedgehogs, lizards and more for us to view behind the glass enclosures.  Here is Emily giving this large snake a smooch.  Yuck!

 Katie made a friend! 

There was a 1/2 hour show presented to us about different gator facts and more. 

 

 

 At the end of the show, they brought out the snake for everyone to hold.

 Emily loves animals and was SOAKING this up!

 Matthew was OK with this snake until it tried slithering up his sleeve!

Bex gave him a couple good squeezes.

 This gator farm was deserted before "Gator Country" came in to revamp things.  200 gators were left behind and Big Al with his "wife" were the only 2 survivors remaining.  Since then, this place has grown and is a great home for many alligators today.

 81 year old Big Al - largest gator in Texas.  Don't think I'm going to pet him!

 Katie and Emily with Big Al.  We watched the worker feed Al and now all the kids want to be "Gator Boys" - catching and wrestling gators and feeding them up close!  No way!

 Here is another pond where the worker went in to feed the gators.

 The kids liked their front row seats!

 This is a pretty big gator that came up to eat.

 The rest were soon to follow!

 Katie liked watching the gators up close!

 Another pond with hungry alligators

 Katie and Bex watching the show below

 Emily watching too!

 The front pond was the prettiest area where we were able to buy food pellets to feed the gators with.

 

 

 Matthew loved chucking the pellets at the gators and watching them chomp down!

 My boys goofing off!

 Matthew - future "Gator Boy" - keeps teasing me that he wants to wrestle gators for a living! 

 Bex checking out the gators below and having fun feeding them. 

It was a pretty hot day and a nice long ride out to Beaumont for this trip!  Sam and I love taking the kids on fun outings and enjoying our time together as a family!