Outside the dome are numerous shows, including the alligator and crocodile show, where brave lads wrestle alligators, the birds of prey show, the snake show, and Bewitched Village. There is a large prairie dog show, and I guess that if you reside somewhere other than the Plains states, it is a cute exhibit. For me, a resident of Colorado, where you can’t drive anywhere in the city and not see a million prairie dogs, the exhibit is kind of a joke.

The best exhibit and my personal favorite is the Giant Tortoises. You walk along a path through a grassy pasture where the tortoises are munching on grass, soaking in the mud, or moving v e r y s l o w l y. Some of the tortoises are over 120 years old and are from the Galapagos Islands. The experts there are very friendly and knowledgeable about these beautiful and ancient creatures. We spent almost 45 minutes with the tortoises.

The grounds at Reptile Gardens are beautiful. There are forty acres of landscaped grounds planted annually with over 50,000 flowering plants. There is also a "Jungle Outpost" where you can find authentic tribal art and T-shirts that say "Go wrestle a croc"--no joke. I enjoyed this attraction a lot, but I am petrified of snakes and had kind of a hard time on the walk-through in the dome. There are hundreds of snakes here--keep that in mind!

Though there are many different areas to view they are all within easy walking distance to one another. The grounds are neatly kept and there is a large gift shop that serves as the exit.