Kliebert & Sons gator tours run out of a family alligator farm on West I-55 Service Road in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, about 11 miles (roughly 17 minutes) from Fireside RV Resort. Walk-ins are welcome, an adult ticket is $20 and a kid’s ticket (ages 3 to 12) is $15, and the posted spring and summer hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
We point a lot of our guests down the road to the Kliebert gators, and it’s an easy afternoon win, especially with kids. The one catch is fall timing, and we’ll get to that below.
Quick facts:
- Address: 40511 W. I-55 Service Rd., Ponchatoula, LA 70454, near I-55 Exit 26 (LA-22)
- Booking: walk-ins welcome daily, or reserve online through the farm’s website
- Season: Louisiana’s state tourism listing for the farm says March 1 through October 31
- Visit length: 30 minutes to two hours, per WBRZ’s 2025 segment on the farm
What Is Kliebert & Sons Gator Tours?
Kliebert & Sons Gator Tours is a family-run alligator farm in Ponchatoula that has been open to the public since 1984, according to the Kliebert family’s history page. T-Mike Kliebert, grandson of founder Harvey Kliebert, has run the farm since 2009, and the family says Harvey started the first gator farm in Louisiana.
The headliner is Crush, a gator listed on the farm’s Gators & Friends page at almost 15 feet and 1,200 pounds, hatched in 1957 by Harvey Kliebert. The gators aren’t alone out there, either. A Kliebert & Sons tour guide told WBRZ in 2025 that the farm runs tours “for the gators and the tortoises.”
Gators are a big deal in this state, and the numbers prove it. State biologists at LDWF report that Louisiana’s wild alligator population has grown from less than 100,000 to more than 3 million over the past 50 years, with nearly 1 million more living on farms (LDWF alligator management). Mike Kliebert put the family’s side of it simply when WAFB’s Heart of Louisiana visited in 2023: “It’s something that’s in my blood. I love alligators. A lot of people have dogs and cats. I got alligators.” (WAFB)
Can You Feed or Hold a Gator on the Tour?
You sure can. WBRZ’s One Tank Trips segment from October 2025 reported that guests at Kliebert & Sons “even have the chance to feed or hold a gator during the tour,” and that a visit “can be as short as 30 minutes or as long as two hours, depending on your level of adventure.” (WBRZ)
WBRZ’s segment also called Kliebert & Sons one of Louisiana’s longest-running alligator farms. Our advice from sending a lot of families over there? Budget an hour, let the kids set the pace, and save your phone battery for the feeding. Trust us, that’s the photo everybody wants.
How Much Are Kliebert & Son’s Gator Tours Tickets?
Tickets for Kliebert & Sons gator tours run $20 per person for anyone 13 or older and $15 per child ages 3 through 12, while toddlers 2 and under always get in free, per the farm’s official admission page. Kliebert & Sons’ group rate for parties of 10 or more is $17 per adult and $12 per child.
Kliebert & Sons also offers military, law enforcement and senior citizen discounts with ID. Kliebert & Sons welcomes walk-ins daily, or you can reserve ahead through the Book Now button on the farm’s website. For birthday parties, field trips or private tours, Kliebert & Sons asks you to call 985-345-3617 or text 985-662-9300.
When Is Kliebert & Sons Open in 2026?
Kliebert & Sons posts spring and summer hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, and Louisiana’s official tourism listing for the farm (Explore Louisiana) says it’s open from March 1 through October 31. If you’re planning a visit in the last two weeks of October 2026, call (985) 345-3617 before you drive over.
Gators run on the weather, so timing matters even inside the season. The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management says alligators “stop feeding when the ambient temperature drops below 70” degrees and go dormant below 55 (ICWDM alligator biology). Hammond’s long-term NOAA averages (the 1991 through 2020 normals) show an October high of 80.6 degrees, so a sunny mid-October afternoon is still good gator weather around here.
Missed the window this year? Spring is the other sweet spot. NOAA’s Hammond normals put the average April high at 77.6 degrees. The next Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival runs April 9 to 11, 2027. Gators on Friday, strawberry shortcake on Saturday. That’s about as Louisiana as a weekend gets!
How Far Is Kliebert & Sons From New Orleans?
Kliebert & Sons is about 53 miles from the French Quarter, roughly 67 minutes by car via I-10 and I-55 to Exit 26 (LA-22). From Fireside RV Resort it’s only about 11 miles and 17 minutes, which is why so many of our guests turn it into an easy half-day trip.
Those are traffic-free estimates, so give yourself extra time at rush hour. Staying out here flips the math, because from Fireside the gators are practically next door.
Where Else Can You See Alligators Near Ponchatoula?
For wild gators, head to the Swamp Walk boardwalk at Joyce Wildlife Management Area, south of Ponchatoula and east of I-55 at Exit 22, about 20 minutes from Fireside. LDWF says “alligators and a variety of other reptiles and amphibians are common on Joyce WMA.”
One heads-up before you go: LDWF requires visitors ages 16 to 59 to carry a valid Wild Louisiana Stamp, Louisiana fishing license or Louisiana hunting license on a wildlife management area, and every WMA visitor must complete a self-clearing permit before entering (LDWF).
Heading into New Orleans anyway? Audubon Zoo’s Louisiana Swamp exhibit features native alligators, and the zoo’s Boo at the Zoo Halloween event runs October 16 to 18, 2026. For more ideas close to home, browse our Ponchatoula things-to-do roundup.
Where Should You Stay for a Kliebert & Sons Day Trip?
Fireside RV Resort (42053 Hwy 445) is near Robert, roughly one mile off Interstate 12 at Exit 47 and about 17 minutes from Kliebert & Sons. Between gator runs, cool off in the lazy river, the family pool with its shallow entry or the adults-only pool, right alongside our full-hookup RV sites and rental cabins. Fireside doesn’t charge a resort fee, and it skips site lock fees and reservation service fees, too.
Each of Fireside’s 165 full-hookup RV sites includes sewer and water hookups plus both 30- and 50-amp power. You’ll also have your own fire ring (it works as your grill, too) and a picnic table. Site types include pull-throughs plus double and triple sites, all on crushed-limestone pads, and the Wi-Fi is free resort-wide. No RV? Fireside’s 10 cabins near Ponchatoula sleep six (the accessible cabin sleeps four), with a queen in the private bedroom, twin bunk beds, a pull-out sofa and a full kitchen. Pack your own bedding and bath towels, and at least one guest has to be 21 or older.
Fireside adds an $18 cleaning fee to each cabin reservation. Fireside’s weekday special runs in September, November and December, with standard sites at $35 a night and premium sites at $45 on Sunday through Wednesday nights, holidays excluded. The full breakdown lives on our RV and cabin rates page.
Coming this month? Fireside’s Halloween Spooktacular fills every Saturday in October with a jambalaya cook-off, bingo, pumpkin carving, hayrides, a costume contest, trick-or-treating and live music. Fireside’s Spooktacular runs on five Saturdays in October 2026 (Oct. 3, Oct. 10, Oct. 17, Oct. 24 and Oct. 31), so a mid-October trip still catches the last three. Meet the gators in the afternoon and be back for the costume contest. Check the Fireside events calendar for the full lineup.
Frequently Asked Questions
No reservation is needed. Kliebert & Sons welcomes walk-ins daily, and you can also book ahead online through the farm’s website. Groups of 10 or more can ask the farm about its group rates.
You may get the chance. WBRZ’s One Tank Trips segment reported in October 2025 that guests at Kliebert & Sons have the chance to feed or hold a gator during the tour.
Probably not. Louisiana’s official tourism listing for Kliebert & Sons says the farm is open from March 1 through October 31, and the farm’s own website lists spring and summer tour hours. If you’re visiting after October, call (985) 345-3617 before you make the drive.
The Kliebert family’s tours operate today as Kliebert & Sons Alligator Tours at 40511 W. I-55 Service Rd. in Ponchatoula, LA 70454, which is the address on the farm’s website.
Plan on 30 minutes to two hours. WBRZ reported that a tour at Kliebert & Sons can be as short as 30 minutes or as long as two hours, depending on how adventurous your group feels.
Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula is an easy pick for a gator day trip. Fireside guests get full-hookup RV sites or furnished cabins, plus the lazy river and pools, and checkout comes with zero resort fees, zero site lock fees and zero reservation service fees.
Fireside RV Resort is about 11 miles and 17 minutes from Kliebert & Sons Gator Tours, close to I-12 at Exit 47. See open dates and reserve a site or cabin, then go say hi to Crush.
