In the St. Augustine part of the atrium’s Gatorland exhibit, the part with the three waterfalls and the sunlamps for the alligators, just outside of Castillo de San Marcos (the fort thing), dangles a scared holiday gnome who looks like he just parachuted in and luckily got stuck in a tree rather than plunging into the gator infested swamp. It’s one of the big gnomes, and he’s out in the light, so this roaming gnome is one of the easier gnomes to spot. One of the kids found this one while we were looking at the alligators, and was so thrilled with himself that he was actually able to find a gnome all on his own.
This Travelocity gnome’s clue in the Hidden Holiday Gnome Hunt at Gaylord Palms is probably #2 – “If you don’t come soon, I’ll surely be gator bait.”
Just in case you were curious why alligators would be in the St. Augustine part of the atrium, rather than in the Everglades, it might be helpful to realize that one of Florida’s oldest attractions, the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park has been open on St. Augustine Beach since 1893. This exhibit, however, is run by Gatorland, which is local to Kissimmee. That way Gaylord Palms gets to entertain their guests with Florida wildlife and Gatorland might entice a few yanks staying at Gaylord Palms to come over to visit their 110 acre theme park and wildlife preserve. For those of us living in Florida for more than a year, most of us have seen our share of alligators already.
