ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Fire destroyed part of Gatorland a year and a half ago. Tuesday, visitors were at the entrance when it opened to see the renovated park and the famous gator mouth that's a landmark for the attraction.

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SLIDESHOW: Images From The Scene Of The Fire
ARCHIVE: Read Previous Reports On Gatorland
TIMELINE: History Of Orlando's Gatorland

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The CEO is worried declining attendance and a tough economy will make it hard to bounce back, but they're hoping for local visitors and international tourists.

It's hard to believe Gatorland survived a year and a half after the fire. The intense flames burned the admissions area, the famous gator mouth entrance, every office and even the survival plan the family-owned business came up with in case of a disaster.

"Eighty percent of businesses that have fire like this never recover from it and I understand why. It's been a tough year and a half," said Gatorland CEO Mark McHugh.

Before the fire, Gatorland saw about 350,000 visitors a year. Attendance dropped 15 percent in the last year. Executives hope $4 million worth of renovations will help revive Central Florida's oldest attraction.

Several dozen visitors were at the ticket gate when it opened Tuesday to see the famous gator mouth that's been re-furbished and the main building is triple the size of the old one.

"We have passes to every park, Disney, SeaWorld, and we come here the most," said visitor Amy Baker.

Baker and her 2-year-old visit twice a week and her husband wanted the little one at the park Tuesday morning for the grand opening.

"He told me, 'Take her, take her,'" she said.

Gatorland is relying on local visitors to get attendance up during a tough economy and with rising gas prices. They also hope to lure international tourists taking advantage of the weak dollar, even though there are so many parks in town competing for the same business.

"If you think like a big park, you'll be unsuccessful as a little park. We've created a niche," McHugh said.

The family-owned park has been part of Central Florida for nearly 60 years.