The Gator Chateau is a worthy stop when you’re in Louisiana – especially if you find yourself on I-10. It’s free, fun and a great rest stop with information, restrooms and a park to stretch your legs.
Even better? It’s dog-friendly, which we didn’t realize on our first visit so we made it a point to stop back in so Truffles could experience all the fun too!
Anna was our guide for both visits and she did a great job. She was kind, patient and had all the answers for us about the alligators of Louisiana. I used a lot of our photos and footage for an Alligators 101 virtual field trip class and she was enthusiastic about helping me educate my students.
We met Petite on the first day. He was so cute and small. With tiny teeth, little claws and tiny pink dots to identify him, he was born to make you smile. I could’ve just held him all day.
Gator Fact: The distance in inches from the tip of their nose to their eyes is approximately how many feet long they are from nose to tail. Petite is about 1 inch from nose to eyes, so about 1 foot from nose to the top of his tail.
The smallest gators are used for education programs. They don’t bite but are kept in such a way they can still be safely released into the wild when they’re older.
The gators that are at The Gator Chateau move from the handling tank to the pool area when they’re too big to handle any longer. They’re then fed a different diet and not handled to help preserve their natural instincts. When they’re too large, they’re given to The Fish and Game Rangers who find a safe place to release them in the wild.
There are two large Alligator Snapping Turtles that live at The Gator Chateau. You can see how large they are – the platform above the first one is about 2.5 feet long. You can also see the smaller gators below hanging out with the male who’s in his 80s.
The second day we returned with Truffles. The Gator Chateau is dog-friendly, however, you need to be able to pick your dog up to take them into the gator room. Petite was out on assignment at a school, so Truffles got to meet Ethel. Truffles was more skeptical about this experience than I was.
We had a great time on both days at The Gator Chateau. Pull in, bring a lunch to eat by the pond in the park outside and get to hold a baby gator! Ethel (and Petite) would love to see you!
And finally, what NHJR animal experience would be complete without a few selfies!?
Gator Chateau Cost
It’s free to visit the Gator Chateau, but they do accept donations.
Address
Gator Chateau, 100 Rue de l’Acadie, Jennings, LA 70546
The doggy expression is priceless and the whole Gator Chateau name is pretty great as well.