Gps Coordinates / 26.7194485,-80.3256031
Florida Drive through Safari Lion Country Safari Tour Locations
Drive-Through Zoos and Safaris in, FL 33470, United States
Lion Country Safari is a drive-through safari park and walk-through amusement park located on over 600 acres in Loxahatchee (near West Palm Beach), in Palm Beach County, Florida. Founded in 1967, it claims to be the first 'cageless zoo' in the United States.
Gps Coordinates / 26.7134967,-80.3221316
Developed by a group of entrepreneurs, Lion Country Safari became a place where families could experience an African safari. Due to its year round climate, South Florida proved to be an ideal location for the park.
Link Gps Location Gps / Link Gps -80.322159 / Link Gps -80.3221529 / Link Gps -80.3221353
Gps Coordinates / 26.7148687,-80.322159 / 26.715511,-80.3221529 / 26.7159104,-80.3221353
In the beginning, the park had its own 2 ft narrow gauge railroad, the Everglade Express. The architects of Lion Country Safari based the design of the property on Jack Murphy Stadium. This attraction was eventually closed and the Crown Metal Products 4-4-0 locomotive was put on static display.
Link Gps Location Gps / Link Gps -80.322133 / Link Gps -80.3220857 / Link Gps -80.3208964
Gps Coordinates / 26.7160085,-80.322133 / 26.7172541,-80.3220857 / 26.7178045,-80.3208964
Later, the locomotive was donated to the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami before finally being bought and fully restored by the Veterans Memorial Railroad, located in Bristol, Florida's Veterans Memorial Park. It runs on that railroad to this day.
Link Gps Location Gps / Link Gps -80.3193849 / Link Gps -80.3194417 / Link Gps -80.3196426
Gps Coordinates / 26.7196226,-80.3193849 / 26.7174853,-80.3194417 / 26.7165335,-80.3196426
The original South Florida park is the only one remaining in operation. Lion Country Safari previously operated parks in Irvine, California (1970–1984); Grand Prairie, Texas (1971–1992); Stockbridge, Georgia (1970–1984); Mason, Ohio (1974–1993) and Doswell, Virginia (1974–1993); all of them subsequently closed.
Link Gps Location Gps / Link Gps -80.3150928 / Link Gps -80.3158011 / Link Gps -80.3202852
Gps Coordinates / 26.7208779,-80.3150928 / 26.7212087,-80.3158011 / 26.7223765,-80.3202852
The original park in Florida consists of over 1,000 animals, throughout seven sections in the 4-mile preserve as well as the 33-acre Amusement Park.
Link Gps Location Gps / Link Gps -80.3225852 / Link Gps -80.3200268 / Link Gps -80.3260066
Gps Coordinates / 26.7219345,-80.3225852 / 26.7214123,-80.3200268 / 26.7213402,-80.3260066
Visitors who purchase a ticket enter the park in their own vehicle (no convertibles or soft top covers), driving slowly at their own pace, and view the animals while listening to a recorded narration on audiotape or CD. Many of the animals, such as giraffes, southern white rhinoceroses, and zebras, are allowed to roam freely throughout the preserve, even crossing the road in front of vehicles. Others, such as lions or chimpanzees, are segregated behind fences or water barriers.
Link Gps Location Gps / Link Gps -80.3270203 / Link Gps -80.327182 / Link Gps -80.3272424
Gps Coordinates / 26.7207026,-80.3270203 / 26.7205815,-80.327182 / 26.7205033,-80.3272424
Visitors are warned to drive slowly and carefully, to avoid stopping too close to animals, and not to open their car doors or windows. The lions, whose ability to roam freely with cars was one of the park's original attractions, were separated from visitors by a fence around the road in 2005, due to visitors ignoring warnings and opening their car doors.
Link Gps Location Gps / Link Gps -80.326329 / Link Gps -80.3243546 / Link Gps -80.324955
Gps Coordinates / 26.7200797,-80.326329 / 26.7202892,-80.3243546 / 26.7197253,-80.324955
A unique aspect of Lion Country Safari is the chimpanzee exhibit. The chimps live on an island system where they move to a different island every day, replicating their natural nomadic lifestyle. The chimps live in complex social groups, as they would in the wild. Because of this, Lion Country Safari has been useful to those interested in behavioral studies of chimps. One of the chimpanzees, named Little Mama, recorded as the oldest known living chimpanzee, was born around 1938, died on November 14, 2017 from kidney failure. Lion Country Safari also serves as a retirement facility for chimpanzees who were once used in research laboratories and entertainment.
Link Gps Location Gps / Link Gps -80.3280476 / Link Gps -80.3276771 / Link Gps -80.3237152
Gps Coordinates / 26.7168779,-80.3280476 / 26.7163241,-80.3276771 / 26.7150116,-80.3237152
After visitors have driven through the park, they can visit Safari World, a theme park featuring exhibits, and amusement park fare such as an Animal Theater, a petting zoo, mini golf, paddle boats, 2 water slides, a small water park, and the popular giraffe-feeding exhibit. Food is available at Lion Country Safari's main restaurant.
Gps Coordinates / 26.7162399,-80.3241196
The Lion Country Safari franchise in Irvine, California, briefly featured a lion that became a celebrity in his own right. An aging circus lion from Mexico was given to the Irvine facility in 1970. Already 18 years old, analogous to a human aged 80+, the lion was toothless and ill. Named "Frasier," he became a major attraction at the park when, despite his advanced age, Frasier fathered litters totalling 35 lion cubs by the park's pride of six lionesses. As a result, T-shirts, watches, and other souvenirs were made featuring a photo of Frasier, which quickly became popular merchandise.
Visit their official website here
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