There are two kinds of people in this world. There are people who see a snake and go running for the hills trailing screams all the way, and there are people who will pick the snake up and treat it like their favorite pet.

If you are the former, you’ll probably want to avoid the Jamil Shrine Temple on Jamil Road this Saturday and Sunday. If you are the latter, you’ll want to be there for sure. And that’s because Repticon is coming.  

Repticon is a two-day reptile event featuring vendors offering reptile pets, supplies, feeders, cages, merchandise and much more. It’s meant to be exciting, educational, family-oriented fun for everyone, but you’ll definitely need to love all things reptilian to truly enjoy it.  

The Repticon organization is a recognized leader in hosting reptile and exotic animal expos throughout the United States, curating a fascinating mixture of vendors, breeders and educators. There are plenty of breeder vendors on-site who are always willing to teach, and throughout the event, there will be seminars on animal-related topics by experts in the field of herpetology. 

And if the convention gets you in the mood for a new cold-blooded pet, guests can also choose from hundreds of reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, spiders and small exotic animals.  

And don’t worry if you don’t quite have all the necessary equipment to raise Sonny the Snake at home. Repticon is also the perfect place for merchandise, cages, supplies and both live and frozen feeders, and to get expert advice about caring for your new household member. In fact, many of the vendors allow live interactions with the pets during visits to their booths.

The interesting thing is that if you can’t attend the Columbia edition of Repticon this weekend, you won’t have to wait too long to find another one to attend. Repticon is an exhibition that is held around the United States in over 20 states and 50 cities, and they work a great deal in S.C., running shows in Charleston and Greenville in addition to the Midlands.  

What’s more, Repticon works hard to be as transparent and high-quality as possible. It’s not always easy to know the quality of the animals that you purchase, but Repticon requires that vendors only sell animals that are in good health and legal.  

And that doesn’t apply just to reptiles; the convention often has vendors with amphibians and other exotic species up to and including tarantulas.

To some of you, this probably all sounds terrifying. But if you love creepy crawlies, serpents and lizards more than you love some of the people in your life, Repticon is where you’ll want to be this Saturday and Sunday.