When most people think of Louisiana they think: Mardi Gras, crawfish, andddd gators. Instagator ranch and hatchery is the perfect place to get up close and personal to some gators.

Instagator was first started to help protect this animal, particularly the eggs and the babies. Before Instagator, most alligators didn’t live until adulthood because of larger predators’ hungry bellies. After Instagator, about 98% survive until adulthood. The workers at Instagator collect the eggs from the wild and bring them back to the ranch. This is where the egg hatches and the gator stays until it is about four feet long. Once a gator reaches this size, they no longer have predators – besides larger alligators. Since Instagator has started this ranch, the alligator population is now larger than Louisiana’s human population. But don’t worry, the population is controlled by Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries so we will never be over populated with gators.

Instagator is a very educational, safe, and controlled environment that both kids and adults will enjoy. They welcome large groups from schools on a field trip or even birthday parties. I went to Instagator for a field trip when I was in grammar school and I vividly remember loving the experience. I loved it so much that my mom brought me back that year during hatching season. At 9 years old, I held a gator egg as a brand new baby gator came crawling out. This year, I decided it was time to be gator mama again. They had lots of eggs that were ready to hatch, so I actually got to hatch three gator babies this time. After we hatched them, we got to watch them swim for the very first time. For those of you interesting in this experience: hatching season is August 12^th to September 6^th!

The hatching is awesome, but my cousin, my mom, and I also learned a ton of alligator facts from the tour guide. Plus, we got to catch two-foot alligators with our bare hands and feed marshmallows to some larger alligators.

I got bit by an alligator! ...technically.

I've been to Instagator three times and have special memories from each visit. I highly recommend visiting the ranch and hatchery. They are open year round but hatching is only available during August and September. Thanks for the fun family day, Instagator!