Repticon Grapevine: An Honest Visual Guide of the Vendors, Species, and Tips

As a DFW-based animal lover and photographer, I’m always interested in the best ways to experience exotic animals in the area—this time lizards. I recently spent several hours at Repticon Grapevine (aka Repticon Dallas) at the Grapevine Convention Center in early 2026, exploring every room, scouring the vendor tables, and handling reptiles.

If you’re considering attending a future Repticon event in Texas, this first-hand review covers the layout, pricing, vendors, species variety, photography challenges, and practical tips. Whether you’re hunting for a specific morph, looking to stock up on terrarium supplies, or just want to spend an afternoon surrounded by incredible creatures, you’ll know what to expect.

Location, Tickets, Parking, and Entry

Repticon Grapevine was held at the Grapevine Convention Center, 1209 South Main Street, Grapevine, TX, a spacious venue that comfortably housed a large number of vendors and animals.

Tickets

Tickets were sold online only through Reptilium. Pricing at the time was:

• $12 adult (one day)
• $15 adult (two-day pass)
• $10 adult after 1 PM
• $6 child

The online ticket system worked but had minor quirks. Adding tickets to the cart required creating an account, which reset the cart once, and I received multiple confirmation emails. Nothing broke, but the process could be smoother. Plan a few extra minutes when purchasing.

Parking & Check-In

Parking was simple and directly in front of the building with no confusion. Check-in was immediately to the right upon entering. With a QR code ready, the process was fast.

Entry & Facilities

The expo takes up the entire convention center—one huge central room, plus several smaller side rooms connected along the main hallway. Some of the side rooms were easy to overlook, so be sure to walk the whole perimeter so you don’t miss hidden vendors! The venue had three sets of restrooms, all clean and well-maintained.

The Crowd & Vibe

Most vendors and visitors had a friendly, welcoming Texas demeanor. However, a small minority leaned into dark and pagan themes, which was uncomfortable but avoidable. It is family-friendly, but a word of warning to parents: navigating a stroller through the crowded aisles can be very challenging!

If you want a relaxed experience, go early (9:00am – 10:00am) or late on Sunday. By 11:30am the first event day, it becomes very crowded, warm, and difficult to navigate.

Vendors and Interactions

There was an impressive number of vendors. Vendors were friendly and happy to answer questions and let you handle reptiles. Many snake breeders were transparent about feeding habits (live vs. frozen rodents), which is valuable for new owners.

There were no scheduled talks, shows, or educational presentations, and I did not see printed care sheets. Vendors verbally explained care setups when asked, but they were often busy during peak hours. Thus, doing research beforehand is strongly recommended.

Species Variety – Strengths and Limitations

All the animals I observed were alert, visibly healthy, and kept in clean enclosures with no signs of distress. However, it’s worth noting that the expo leans heavily toward a few specific species.

Dominant Species

The expo was heavily dominated by Ball Pythons, Crested Geckos, Leopard Geckos, and various Turtles, in that exact order. Ball pythons dominated the event and felt like roughly 70% of the expo.

If you are searching for a specific morph among those top four reptiles, this event is excellent. Here’s highlights of some morphs you’ll find:

• Ball Pythons: Orange Dream, Yellow Belly, Pied, Pastel, Albino, Chocolate, Cypress, Ivory, Spotnose, Fire, Mystic, and many more.
• Leopard Geckos: Jungle, Albino, Mack Snow, Clown, Tremper, and more.
• Crested Geckos: Harlequin, Flame, Dalmation, Pinstripe, Tricolor Lilly, and more.
• Aquatic Turtles: Red-Eared Sliders, Sidenecks, Red Cheeked Mud, Reeves, Stink Pots, and more.
• Tortoises: Hermann’s, Redfoot, Yellowfoot, Pancakes, Brown Mountain, Marginated, etc.

Sparsely Found

If you’re looking for species outside of the “Big Four”, it requires some serious hunting. I noted a complete lack of monitors, Leachianus Geckos, Chuckwallas, Hognose Snakes, Brazilian Rainbow Boas, and Garter Snakes. However, the sheer volume of vendors means you can still find hidden gems if you scour every table.

With careful searching, I managed to find an extremely small selection of the following:

• Bearded Dragons
• Uromastyx
• Iguanas
• Blue-tongue Skinks
• Red-eye Crocodile Skinks
• Poison Dart Frogs
• Cave Geckos
• Gargoyle Geckos
• Tegus
• Dwarf Caimans

There were also insects at the event, including jumping spiders, vietnamese centipedes, moon crabs, hermit crabs, tarantulas (Curly Hair, Stripe Knee, Ornamental Baboon, Bohemian Red Leap, etc.), scorpions (Emperor, Asian Forest, etc.), etc. A couple of non-reptile vendors were there too, including small mammals, exotic plants, and exotic rocks.

Pricing and Supplies

Pricing aligned with fair market value, but some vendors offered great expo discounts. The exact price depends heavily on the morph.

Typical Ranges Observed:

• Ball Pythons: $100 – $1,000
• Crested Geckos: $40 – $350
• Gargoyle Geckos: ~$400
• Aquatic Turtles: ~$50
• Tortoises: $140 – $500
• Corn Snakes: ~$65
• Mexican Black Kingsnakes: ~$200
• Tarantulas: $45 – $150

Supplies

If you need supplies, Feeder Source dominated a massive section of the room with tanks, cork rounds ($8 to $54), and grapevine branches (~$17). For jumping spider fans, Incredible Jumpers had some of the coolest pre-assembled habitats available.

Personal Highlights & Standout Vendors

• S & S Exotic Animals: They had two Dwarf Caimans (a baby and an adolescent). Crocodilians, including Dwarf Caimans, are one of my all-time favorite animals so I appreciated photographing these fearsome beauties.
• Skyward Snakes: Davina sells handmade snake crafts to support rescued snakes. She let me photograph her Mystic Potion Ball Python—a cream-colored snake with the most dazzling, dreamy, metallic-looking eyes I’ve ever seen on a snake.
• Cool, Calm, & Crested: I got to handle their gorgeous red Gargoyle Geckos. Feeling their smooth yet sticky feet climbing and jumping on my hands was an incredible sensation, cementing them as my #1 choice for visual engagement—even if they are a bit jumpy!
• Trophy Xotics: The vendor had a large and beautiful orangish-red Dominican Red Mountain Boa wrapped around his neck that drew attention and conversation. I love how these portrait shots turned out.
• Chain Reaction Exotics: They kindly let me handle a few Ball Pythons (an Orange Dream Het Clown and a Banana Pied). They were very gentle, and it was a fun experience feeling their muscular yet smooth bodies coil around my hand.
• Scaley Pets & Friends: As a fan of Uromastyx, I loved observing and holding a yellow Saharan Uro. Their scaley undersides feel smooth but their scaley backs feel like rough folds of skin. They were surprisingly handleable for being wild caught.

Photography Experience

From a photography standpoint, reptile expos are a nightmare. You are battling harsh fluorescent lighting casting major glare on scratched plastic and glass containers. Trying to get a clean shot through cloudy and scratched plastic container is incredibly frustrating. For very up-close shots of animals, I actually found that my iPhone 17 Pro Max sometimes handled the glare and awkward focusing distances better. For high-quality shots, your only sensible choice is to kindly ask the vendor if they are comfortable taking the animal out of the container. Thankfully, most were happy to oblige!

Overall Verdict

If you want to see an overwhelming number of reptiles, find great deals, and connect with fellow reptile enthusiasts, Repticon is absolutely worth the trip. You could easily spend a few hours browsing, or a whole day examining everything like I did.

The event excels for snake, gecko, and turtle shoppers and anyone wanting hands-on exposure to numerous morphs. While species variety outside those categories is limited, the sheer scale of vendors still offers chances to find rarer animals.

Just be sure to do your husbandry research before you arrive, as vendors are busy and care sheets are rarely provided. Ask about their current diet and whether they are captive-bred, buy your tickets online first, and get ready to enjoy the wild world right here in Texas!