If you’ve read even one of these blogs, you probably know already that I like history.
The Alligator Farm, located over on Anastasia Island (about a 7 minute drive from the inn, assuming that the drawbridge is closed. And by closed, I mean open to traffic), says that it’s historic. I’ve seen the signage that says “Open since 18xx”. And yet, alligators didn’t seem historic to me.
Prehistoric, yes, with their creepy crepe-y skin and dinosaur-like backs. But not historic. And not, I’ll admit, that interesting.
Something about an alligator farm seemed a little cheesy to me.
Even so, I was talked into going last weekend. As I promised you all months ago, I think it’s my duty to experience the highs (and lows) of Saint Augustine, so that you can plan a better trip. So I went. Grudgingly. With the hub’s parents, and his 96-year-old grandmother.
I’m going to fast forward to the farm itself: I loved it. There are alligators *everywhere*, lying around like slugs (several employees told us that alligators aren’t really lazy. As they’re laying in the sun, their body temperature is rising so that they will stay warm all night. Uhhh…I could make the same argument about what I’m doing when I’m taking a nap. So, if I can’t say that alligators are lazy, I can at least say that they’re not exactly overachievers).
The brave employees also told us lots of things that I knew but didn’t know about these creatures. For instance, their legs are on the side of their bodies (not underneath them) so that they’re more streamlined when they swim (their big tail does all the work when they’re swimming). They’re not as fast as I thought–at least not on land (how could they be, with that huge tail dragging behind them and those silly legs on the side of their body?)