by Chadd Scott
Last updated: 10:00 PM ET, Tue May 28, 2019
The term "alligator farm" may call to mind dusty roadside tourist traps from Florida's yesteryear; sunbaked carnies throwing raw chicken into cramped ponds full of the Sunshine State's iconic reptile.
The St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park is the exact opposite of that.
Most importantly, this alligator farm functions as a world-class research and conservation facility protecting endangered crocodilian species worldwide. In fact, it is the only place in the world where all 24 living crocodilian species (alligators, crocodiles, caiman and gharial) are on public view.
The carnies have been replaced by scientists. The dusty parking lot by the vibrancy of America's oldest city. Cramped ponds by manicured natural enclosures.
The raw chicken is gone, too. Public feedings are now conducted with food pellets, but the thrill of seeing these powerful, prehistoric animals thrash and chomp and growl as they attack their "prey" remains as captivating as ever.
Founded in 1893, the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park has been fully accredited by The American Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1989.
Its conservation work includes crucial participation in the Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP began in 1981 as a cooperative population management and conservation program for selected species in zoos and aquariums in North America. Each SSP manages the breeding of a species in order to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable.
The Alligator Farm's involvement with the SSP includes seven crocodilian species, the Galapagos tortoise, red-ruffed and ring-tailed lemurs and a variety of exotic bird and other reptile species.
That's important to know about the Alligator Farm: it's not only alligators and crocodiles. Mammals, birds and reptiles from around the world can be seen inside the farm's enclosures.
What can be seen outside the farm's enclosures, however, puts on the best show each spring. From late March through early June, wading birds native to Florida use the trees covering the farm's largest alligator habitat to lay eggs and raise chicks.
Roseate spoonbills, wood storks, herons and egrets numbering in the hundreds fill the branches with their nests and little ones - some almost close enough to touch (please don't try) - while filling the air with a cacophonous riot unlike anything you've heard before.
The proximity of nests and chicks to the boardwalk allows visitors with nothing more than a smartphone to snap close-up pictures of birds a $1,000 telephoto lens couldn't provide in the wild.
Why do the birds place their nests so close to all those alligators?
While losing a chick or two spilling over into the alligators below does happen, that danger is nowhere near as severe as what the nests would face from raccoons, snakes, opossum, bobcats and other animals if those same alligators weren't patrolling the neighborhood. The birds trade countless predators for one.
Crocodilians are the last living representatives of a lineage that dates all the way back to the Triassic, a period of geologic time dating between roughly 200 and 250 million years ago. This makes them one of the most ancient species on earth.
What better place to celebrate them than America's oldest city?
Beautiful St. Augustine sits on the Atlantic Ocean 40 miles south of Jacksonville. The city was founded on September 8, 1565, when Pedro Menendez de Aviles landed and claimed what would become the nation's oldest city for Spain.
Today, its beach-front location, historic downtown, sunny climate, art galleries, restaurants, boutique shopping and laid-back lifestyle make it one of the top tourist attractions in Florida.
The historic Casa Monica Hotel remains the city's gold standard and its downtown location allows for easy walks to shopping and dining.
Among your dining destinations should be Prohibition Kitchen. Try the short rib grilled cheese or stuffed butternut squash. The handspun hot fudge brownie and bourbon (real bourbon) milkshake is every bit as good as it sounds.
Locally brewed craft beer is easy to find everywhere in St. Augustine, which also has locally made wine and spirits. The St. Augustine Distillery and St. Sebastian Winery - both less than a mile from the Casa Monica - offer tours and tastings.
If you fancy yourself a true cocktail connoisseur, St. Augustine Distillery's Ice Plant bar must be on your itinerary.
So, too, should a stop at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre for music lovers. It is simply one of the best places to watch live music outdoors in Florida or anywhere else.
You'll find St. Augustine, much like its Alligator Farm, full of surprises.
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