Just west of Lake Okeechobee, you'll find a Glades County tradition.

"We're kind of in the middle of absolute nowhere," said Patty Register, Gatorama owner. "This is the place to be."

Everything is alligator-related at Gatorama. Earlier in the summer, people can hatch baby alligators in their hands.

Now, Register invites you to cross a boardwalk, pull of your socks and climb in.

There's a fence with holes big enough for iPhones, but on the other side, people are reaching in and grabbing one.

"Well, it is a redneck touch tank," Register said.

Logan Portela, a second-grader from West Palm Beach, had no fear.

"They tried to slap me with their tail a little," he said

Uncle Waders at Gatorama allows kids like Logan the chance to get up close and personal with the gators.

"I tried to pick it up, and it's foot went on my arm right here," Logan said. "And I was like, 'OK, I will let you go.' Because I didn't want him to fall out of my arms."

Added Register: "Oh, honey. It's the most fun you've had since I don't know when."

Before you gasp, mom says it's OK.

"Everything here has been very, very safe," said Nicole Fuson, of Inglewood. "We've been here for hours and still haven't seen everything."

Fuson's daughter, Cami, got her feet wet picking up 2-year-old alligators.

"Gators can be really stinky sometimes," said Cami, a third-grader. "You lift them up and make sure their head is higher than their tail."

Hands-on experiences like these make quite the impression.

"If you're reading a textbook, you really don't get the feel of what you're doing," Cami said.

Like Register said, the name is experience. "Education and experience," she added.

For more information on the hands-on experience at Gatorama, go here.

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