. >> welcome to gatorland!urist attraction that has been open since 1949. it's how florida used to be. park owners promote it as florida's best half-day attraction. >> we're thinking it's pretty fascinating. >> reporter: it's part theme park, animal show, and conservatory. >> i was that kid growing up that caught stuff in the backyard or went out in the woods and caught stuff and brought it in the house, terrorized my mom and dad with animals, you know, living in my drawer. >> you feel safe going in on that right now? >> yeah. >> our tour guide brandon, so much more of a man than our camera guy. >> reporter: on our first stop brandon had me feed some of the smaller alligators. >> plague, the big guy in the middle, has been fighting blackwater. blackwater doesn't like to come too close to plague. >> name them things like blackwater and plague, yeah. they're going to get a little handsy. >> reporter: our second stop was a little more intimate. >> is this a smile, or is that i'm going to eat you? >> that's a smile