Snake-A-Torium in Panama City Florida

Submitted by denny March 13th, 2011
Certifikitsch Winner

I have no idea if this place is still open or not but I sure love this poster.  I have no idea what “man milk” snakes are.  I don’t think I want to know.  I used to live in florida and snakes slithering about was something we always had to worry about.  I knew it was time to leave florida after doing yard work and scooping up leaves, only to find a big, black snake staring up at me.  He flopped out of my hands and slithered away.  Snakes creep me out.  Ewwwww.

9 Responses to “Snake-A-Torium in Panama City Florida”

  1. Allee Willis

    I’m not a snake person at all but I sure love those oddly shaped b/w cut-outs on the poster. Enough to get me to Snake-a-torium if the name of the place didn’t get me there first.

    Excellent kitsch poster.

    Is there any special tie between snakes, raccoons, skunks and whatever caymans are?

  2. BRBill

    Snake farms are/were all over the coastal South. There were at least 2 in this general area(South La.) but neither are there anymore as far as i know. Never did stop to check out any of them. I think a cayman is a kind of lizard and i’m guessing that’s one of the “pets” available for purchase. I think i’d pass on the snakes, caymans and definitely the skunk. I have racoons pass thru the yard from time to time along with possums and don’t want either as they bring fleas with them who do stay. I like cats but don’t think i’d want to play with Satan the friendly leopard as he looks like he’d be sizing you up for lunch. I do like that poster too and it would look good on any of my walls, so if ya ever want to get rid of it Denny…..

  3. Michael Ely

    I love all kinds of animals and critters, but I draw the line when it comes to snakes. They freak me out. We have lots of rattlesnakes here in Tucson and I almost stepped on one in our garage a few years ago. Think we both surprised each other and he slithered out the door. I almost had a heart attack! Having said that, I have always been fascinated by roadside attractions such as snake farms. As long as the snakes are confined, I’m okay.

  4. denny

    OMG! I can just see you doing a dance too, at least I would have! I had many encounters while living in Florida. I love most animals but I don’t do snakes. We found one in our pool, ran over them with the mower (by accident – they still slithered away), scooped them up with leaves…..no thank you.

    Ugh, making my skin crawl now.

  5. FloridaBoy

    As a boy, my brother and I would catch either Cotton Mouths or Rattlesnakes to sell to the the Snake-A-Torium. In 1962 they would pay 80 cents a foot for a cottonmouth over 3 feet, and a dollar a foot for a rattlesnake over 4 feet. We made more money than we could mowing lawns.

    They milked all the snakes to make anti-venom.

    Sorry to hear it’s now ZooWorld. Still it’s a great memory!

  6. FloridaBoy

    A cayman is a type of crocadile. The US mainly has alligators,
    but there is a Florida Crocadile, it’s endangered.

  7. denny

    Thanks Florida Boy. I sued to be a Florida boy at one time but thankfully never came across any of these reptiles.

  8. yoz1967

    I worked at the Snake A Torium back in 1988 and 1989. I was fresh out of NY state and the owner gave me a job and taught me how to handle/milk snakes and handle alligators for shows and I worked with all the other reptiles/animals at the place. It was an awsome place and I miss it, I still see the owner from time to time, he’s in his late 70s but still kickin around like a 40 yr old.