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Gator Sights and Bites

Alabama’s gulf coast if full of adventures, but one of our favorites starts at the Delta.

A must stop on Alabama’s gulf coast is the 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center.  It’s a spankin’ new facility right where the Mobile, Spanish, Tensaw, Apalachee and Blakeley rivers flow into Mobile Bay.  It’s like a water family reunion!  The center is for all things outdoors and big on conservation and education of the over 250,000 acres of waterways, woods and wetlands.  They host a slew of activities, programs and classes but we wanted to see some Gators!

Wild Native (at 5 Rivers Delta) hosts kayaking expeditions that allow you to get up close and personal with alligators!  We were escorted by Captain Michael Dorie and his crew.  They are not your typical tour guides.  They know the local flora, fauna and wildlife but most importantly they’re FUN!  Our mission is to see as many alligators as possible!  We lost count around 7 or 8.

There is no hard schedule or set route, if you see something you want to explore, they are happy to check it out with you.  It’s more like paddling with  friends and by the end of the trip, you will be!   Our paddle ended at one of the restaurants on the canal with local gator brew and gator bites.  The best part is…it’s included in the kayaking price!  These guys know how to host a trip and this is one of the coolest paddling trips we’ve ever been on!

If paddling isn’t your thing, the 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center is still worth the stop and most everything they offer is free!

Interested in more of Alabama?

Deep Sea Fishing:  Our First Time

Best Grub:  Gulf Coast Foodie Breakdown

Where to Camp:  Gulf State Park

Best Island Getaway: A Weekend at Dauphin Island

Childlike Adventures:  A Cautionary Tale

Famous for my "how-not-to" videos, and typically the man behind the camera, sometimes I’m forced to be here in the “spotlight”. When you see my face you’re probably reading something more technical than adventurous, but either way I do my best to tell it like it is and infuse my opinions into the commentary…after all this is a blog and not MSN.

Comments (8)

  • Hohmann

    Alligators are much better to observe in Florida

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  • I did try some gator! Loads of emails and messages on facebook telling us Gator isn’t a vegetarian food. For us it’s kind of a grey area. Good news is we didn’t get sick! This tour is so much fun, and crazy affordable so if you’re near Mobile, AL you gotta stop in!

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  • Thanks for the great coverage guys! We had a lot of fun and appreciated the time you were able to spend with us at 5 Rivers.

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  • mary van

    Pretty cool. How close to them did you get? Did Jason try any gator? Just wondering!

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  • Stacey SpendLove

    Very cool…I want to see Alabama now….^_^ Thanks for sharing your adventures with all of us!!

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  • paul van

    That kayak is a little lw to the water for my taste if you are in alligator country.

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