The Serpent Center — Attraction in Vance

It was a hot day at our campsite in Santee State Park. I did a quick search of things to do in the area to try to escape the heat. That’s when I stumbled upon the Serpent Center. The Santee area does not cater to tourists much unless you’re golfing, which we were not. The Serpent Center is a little hole in wall place on the corner of nowhere with a grass parking area. We went into this with zero expectations but I was very impressed! The small establishment is run by a husband and wife duo who are extremely friendly and eager to share their 25+ years knowledge of venomous snakes. They have numerous displays of LARGE, LIVE snakes, including some hard to find and those that are endangered! The displays were set up very nice and neat! We are thankful for the A/C but even more so, thankful for the knowledge and experience! I would recommend to anyone stopping in the area; even on the...

My boyfriend booked the Intro to Venomous Snakes class for our anniversary and we were completely blown away. It’s obvious that Willy and Deena LOVE what they do and take great responsibility in sharing knowledge about venomous snakes. The class is long and full of information but goes by in a heartbeat. Each class is customized to fit the requirements of the students which I really appreciated. He really takes the time to make sure you are 100% comfortable. Willy was fantastic to watch work, handing rare and dangerous snakes with accuracy and ease. The facility is SPOTLESS, the tanks are PRISTINE, the knowledge is ENDLESS. They have truly thought of everything. If you book this tour I guarantee you are in safe and quick hands. Thank you again to Deena for your gracious hospitality. We will be back soon!...

I've been fascinated by snakes for most of my life and I've visited a lot of "roadside snake zoos" but these guys were a huge surprise. They are absolutely the real deal. They not only have a number of different species on display from all over the world, they are the most knowledgeable people I've ever met.

Deena and especially William spent well over an hour with us answering questions about the snakes on display but also about snakes in the area. They also train first responders on snake removal and bite treatment. They extract snake venom for pharmasutical research and they are breeders. All of this in the little town of Vance.

If you are interested in snakes or only snake curious, it would be well worth your...