Oh, the good old days… No cell phones, no TVs, just kids playing outside and living in the moment. And riding crocodiles? Yep. Even if it doesn’t seem like the safest or healthiest choice nowadays (especially for the kids), the truth is that a few decades ago, Lincoln Heights was the epicenter of one of the most unusual attractions ever known.
The Los Angeles Alligator Farm opened in 1907 and became a popular tourist attraction, housing the astonishing amount of over 1,000 alligators. For just a quarter, visitors could enjoy alligator carriage rides, watch the reptiles wrestle with humans, perform tricks, or even slide down metal slides. But it wasn’t just kids who got to interact with the alligators: pets were welcome too.
The farm, which was one of L.A.’s top attractions decades before Disneyland’s debut, thrived during a time when alligator skin products were in high demand. Sadly, the farm capitalized on this by selling alligator-skin products in its gift shop, turning a significant profit. It also sold live baby alligators as pets, offering a trade-in program where owners could swap their grown alligators for smaller, younger ones.
Of course, today, such interactions are unthinkable. The absence of animal protection laws and safety regulations meant visitors could engage with the alligators in ways that are now unimaginable. By 1953, the farm relocated to Buena Park shifted from entertainment to education, but close a few years later in 1984. When the closing happened, the alligators were sold off to a private estate in Florida.