City: New Orleans, LA

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (985) 345-3617, (800) 854-9164

Address: 41083 West Yellow Water Rd.

Description: This working farm, dotted with duckweed and clove-covered ponds, was opened to the public in 1984 and is worth finding nine friends who will visit with you. (Tours are now by reservation only for groups of 10 or more.) The Klieberts have been raising alligators and turtles for nearly 50 years and have thousands of the beasts living on-site. The most popular attraction of the guided tour is the alligator-breeding pond, where visitors can gawk at gators lounging at the water’s edge. The largest can be more than 15 feet long and weigh more than 1,200 pounds. Around June 1 every year the females begin building nests by piling dirt and grass in mounds 2 feet high. They lay eggs only once between June 15 and July 1. After hatching, the gators are sold for their meat and hides or to breeders in Florida. “By raising them and finding ways to market them,” say the Klieberts, “we contribute to their ultimate survival. ”More than 17,000 of the farm’s turtles produce more than one million eggs each year. Hatchlings are exported and sold for aquariums, children’s pets, and food. Special times to visit are Apr to July during turtle egg-laying season and June 15 to July 1 during alligator egg-laying time. The gift shop sells gator heads, teeth, feet, jewelry, back scratchers, and just about any gift you can imagine made out of alligator or turtle parts. The farm is open daily noon till dark, Mar 1 through Oct 31. To get to Kliebert’s, take I–55 north to the Springfield exit. Cross over LA 22 west, turn right onto the Interstate Service Road north, go one mile to Hoffman Road on left, then follow the sign.