Alligator Adventure — Attraction in North Myrtle Beach

I am a full-time single, working mother and Myrtle Beach resident for 18 years. With it being spring break, I planned to surprise my 6yo son at alligator adventure yesterday as he had never been and has been asking to go. I was unaware of the 4 o'clock cutoff for ticket sales. However, the woman at the ticket booth refused my son and I at 4:01pm. Our days are limited to do fun outings like this. Naturally, I asked if she was kidding and she said no. I did ask to speak to someone else inside the facility instead of the gatekeeper who clearly thinks of herself as untouchable. When I asked to speak to someone in management she was reaching for the off switch on the microphone, while I was still speaking. All I know is- it takes a special kind of nasty person to turn away a 6 year old, who was visible crushed by her lack of empathy or customer service skills. I deeply hope these are not the types of actions that alligator adventure directors will condone.

UPDATE To no surprise, the manager was worse to speak with than ticket sales. Once I explained the situation her, she basically told me- too bad, sorry you missed it. She went further to tell me that she would check the camera (as if I was lying about the experience) and that I could not speak to anyone above her. She said, the only person above her is the owner and that that would not be a pleasant conversation. I told her she could have rectified the situation by being an actual manager and that I was going to come there to speak with someone else. She then said- that's fine, you can come here. We have police on site. 🤯🤯🤯

How people like this stay employed is beyond me. She forbid me to talk to anyone. Does this woman have a boss or answer to anyone for NOT doing her job?? I find it disgusting to treat people so dismissively. Not much of a business at all and I will be sure to let...

Would give negative stars if I could. Do not waste your money on animal abuse. The park is small for the price and it’s contents are horrific. Animals packed in overcrowded spaces, solitary species put in with many others of its kind, pools so filthy you couldn't see farther than a few inches, birds left on perches in the middle of ponds with no enrichment, bobcats sleeping on concrete floors. Honestly one of the worst “zoo’s” I've been to. Observed hyenas pacing back and forth repeatedly and birds with chest feathers ripped out showing the most obvious signs of severe boredom. Many birds had little to no enrichment other than a few twigs. The ones left over ponds wouldn’t touch their food and watched as crows and other wild birds took it right from them (especially concerning when bird diseases are raging.) Some of the largest gators or crocodiles were put into small confinement cages to (according to keepers) prevent cannibalism likely from severe overcrowding issues. Of course the keepers claim they are fed fully to prevent them from eating their piers but in the same breathe claim to feed their alligators significantly less than the average wild gator. Even though the amount of gators per pool was outrageous it was confirmed by the keepers that there was no breeding control, and instead gators were sorted by size and then eventually thrown into the “wilderness pond” when there was no room. Even though its the least of my concerns, there was no education to be found in this “educational center,” instead I found for example, a hilariously inaccurate diagram of “alligator evolution” and some incorrectly labeled species. Reading further reviews many have claimed to see mite infested snakes, monkeys with severe sores from bar chewing, etc. This place needs to be shut down immediately. Do not support, do not go, don’t give then the money...

I had my second visit to Alligator Adventure in Myrtle Beach during our recent trip there, and while it was the off season so there didn't seem to be as many animals in the main areas as there are during the middle of summer, there was still plenty to see.

The animals all seemed to be well cared for, and the facility was clean. Some parts of the wooden walkway definitely show some age, but everything is still accessible and easy to get around to see what you want to see. The giant tortoises are always a favorite of ours, and the huge old guys are just very cool to look at. The indoor reptile houses are very informative and have an excellent selection of different animals that would be hard to come across in many other places. From the stumpy, flat Gaboon Viper, to the King Cobra, to their new Basilisks, the enclosures all looked clean and well maintained, allowing for decent pictures even though the animals are behind a clear barrier.

Of course the main attraction is the literal tons upon tons of alligators at the facility. I've never seen so many in one place. Even with the crazy number of them, we didn't notice any that seemed sickly or malnourished at all, they all seemed as happy as a living fossil can be. While the vast majority are American alligators local to the area and much of the South, they have several examples of many other species of alligator, crocodile, and false gharials to be able to see. It's all very informative and educational.

While the price has gone up since the last time we were here a couple years ago, it's still worth the cost of admission, and doesn't seem at all like a cash grab to the detriment of the animals. The animals all look healthy and well taken care of, so the cost seems to be justified to me. Definitely check this place out, it's a very cool place to see some...