Gatorland reopens after being closed for 17 days due to Hurricane Ian

ORLANDO, Fla. — Here in Central Florida, hundreds of homes and businesses are still impacted by Hurricane Ian and in Orlando, Gatorland is one of them.

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But after weeks of repairs, the park is back open to the public.

As recovery continues, you can expect to see a different environment during your next visit.

The park looks completely different than it did two weeks ago as Hurricane Ian flooded the area, with gators floating overtop a small, submerged island.

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The Buckland family is visiting from the United Kingdom for the first time in three years.

There are dozens of guests that lined up well before the gates opened, eager to get a glimpse of the gators.

It’s a welcome sight for CEO Mark McHugh, who was forced to shut the park down for 17 days due to Hurricane Ian.

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“They’re the reason we continue to survive 73 years,” he said.

McHugh said it took hard work and a pretty penny to open back up. Gatorland spent more than a million dollars to drain the floodwaters while also ripping out drywall and pressure washing the floors.

“Gatorland hasn’t flooded since the 1960s, so we don’t have flood insurance,” he said. “Never floods. I’ve been through a dozen or so hurricanes and we never even got close to flooding in a hurricane. This was just an incredibly historic rain event.”

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McHugh said he’s confident they’ll make up their losses.

Opening day comes the same day as their Halloween event, “Gators, Ghosts and Goblins.”

The park has special costumed characters and music for the festivities, along with the parade. For some people like Derrick Wenger, scaly skin and pointy teeth do the job just fine.

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“Gators are creepy enough,” Wenger.

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Halloween Gators, Goblins and Ghouls: Gatorland reopens after Hurricane Ian After weeks of repairs, the park is back open to the public. (WFTV/WFTV)

If you couldn’t make it out to the event, Gators, Ghosts and Goblins will be going on the next three weekends.

But in the meantime, you’ll notice not all repairs are done.

The snack bar is closed down for the foreseeable future while they take care of water damage.

For more events in Central Florida, visit our event calendar here.

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