About The Alligator Inn

While Florida natives are less rare today (with around 1,000 people moving to the state daily there are bound to be innumerable Floridians in the years to come), they weren’t at all common when I was growing up. Florida natives were indeed quite rare when my granny and papa were children—mostly because there was hardly anyone else here back then!

I look around at my life in 2022 Sanford, Florida, and the life my mama lived—never mind the way of living my grandparents and great-grandparents experienced—feels so very far away.

It’s not that I long for a simpler time—I like next-day delivery as much as anyone—but I want to be clear: Florida wasn’t always what you think of today.

Old Florida lake with cypress and palm trees

old photo of grandmother in pretty dress in the olden days of Florida

Come on in, make yourself comfortable and stay awhile.

• Come on in, make yourself comfortable and stay awhile. •

Now we’re known for Florida Man: crazy guys doing wacky things. But back then, some of my kinfolk were known for hunting gators, shooting rattlesnakes and burning the outhouse for firewood when the temperature occasionally dipped below 50. Florida Man of the past was far more wild than any Florida Man today.

I’m Sara Keeney, founder of The Alligator Inn, and I’m here to tell you those stories—with a little bit of modern mixed in.

Recreating this world by creating The Alligator Inn has brought me so much joy. It’s the perfect counterpart to my professional life as a marketing, communications & training director (in addition to a successful side hustle). I love to create and The Alligator Inn is my passion project.

I have a knack for writing just like I speak—something you’ll find that I inherited from granny—and most folks find that makes for enjoyable reading. I hope that these stories will captivate you as they have captivated me.

I invite you to leave your life behind and check in at The Alligator Inn.