Experience Florida's Wildlife at Gatorland

For the tourist who has seen enough of the Disney and Universal theme parks for their visit, Gatorland offers a unique experience to see the real Florida wildlife in its most active form. On four different nights, April 30, May 1, May 7, and May 8.

Home to Hundreds of Wildlife Animals

The 100-acre outdoor wildlife center and theme park are hosting Swamp Sunset Celebrations, which showcase baby-bird season at Gatorland. The park is home to hundreds of native birds, including egrets, spoonbills, and wood storks that fly home to roost every night. Swamp Sunset Celebrations features live music, mixed drinks on the Nature Tower, and select attractions such as the White Gator Swamp and Gator Gully Splash Park. In addition to the American Alligators, other wildlife attractions at Gatorland include roseate spoonbills and flamingos.

A Family-Friendly Alternative

When you shine your flashlight in the breeding marsh, you may see the red eyes of the gators breeding in the marsh. With admission prices at $15, Gatorland offers a family-friendly cheap alternative to the major theme parks in central Florida. It’s also an entertaining way to educate yourself and your kids. Other Gatorland events include a 2010 Workshop Weekend for beginner to intermediate photographers from April 24-25, with two separate workshops for learning about the best techniques for shooting and processing wildlife images. The workshops are led by Robert Amoruso of Wildscape Images, an Arthur Morris “Birds as Art” approved instructor and workshop leader.

The Field Technique Workshop

The Field Technique workshop is designed to help photographers of every skill level improve their image quality; both in composition and exposure under the direction of an experienced professional nature photographer. You’ll learn outdoor-specific techniques for ideal composition, backgrounds, image edges, head, and light angle. They’ll also teach you how to use fill-flash to tame high-contrast images, and how to use your histogram and exposure compensation to obtain the correct exposure. Workshop pricing is set at a special introductory rate of only $50 per person (per day) and includes access to the Gatorland Rookery for that day.

Gatorland is located on South Orange Blossom Trail. For more information about the park, you can visit www.gatorland.com or call 407-855-5496.

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