If you are in the Daytona area and want to visit somewhere slightly different consider going to Reptile Discovery Center which is located just 15 minutes from Daytona Beach. The address for the Center is 2710 Big John Drive (U. S. Hwy 92).
This Center was only opened a few years ago and a visit here is relatively inexpensive. The facility is open Thursday - Sunday 10 a. m. - 5 p. m. adult admission is $8. 50 children 4-17 $5. 50 and seniors $5. 50, children under 3 are free and I feel this is good value.
There is a picnic area here should you want to take your own picnic and all the family will enjoy the unique gift shop at the end of your visit.
You will see a wide variety of Reptile and Amphibian species in a controlled environment. Close up you study turtles, tortoises, lizards, alligators some of the worlds most dangerous snakes. The Center aims to combine nature and education as well as being a zoo museum and working farm it really is fascinating. You need to be aware that only safety glass separates the viewing public from expert handlers and some of the world’s most dangerous snakes including a 14 foot Burmese python and 13 foot king cobra! The Sepentarium is home to dozens of the worlds most dangerous and exotic snakes including the python and cobra.
You can enjoy the Nature trail where Alligators, Lizards, Tortoises and other reptiles can be seen close by in their natural environments. New here this year are a ' family' of prehensile tail skinks. These unusual lizards come from the Solomon Islands off the coast of New Guinea and are one of the largest skinks and are very unique.
Also new this year is ' Naja' a six foot Asian Water Monitor. This lizard can be found on the Nature Trail and was donated by a private owner. Naja is apparently about twenty five pounds and very gentle.
The Florida Pine snake is another new addition as is a strawberry dart frog the latter I will be intrigued to see.
Because of time pressures the day we visited we did not go to see the Venom Extraction Programme which take place twice a day at 11. 300am and 3. 00pm. We aim to go next time as this seems very interesting.
Apparently “Venom Extraction is the process of obtaining venom from a variety of venomous snake species by capturing and then allowing the snake to bite into a collecting receptacle in order to harvest the snake’s venom. ” This process can only be witnessed in a few places throughout the world and the venom is then used for research and by pharmaceutical companies.
If you want to do something different in Florida the Reptile Center is well worth a visit.