Lion Country Safari

A 300-acre drive-through safari park in Loxahatchee, with a 4-mile preserve loop and a walk-through zoo area called The Gardens.

Checked October 2026

For families with a hard-top car and a full day to spend. It's a long haul from Miami and the drive can crawl on busy days, but herds roaming outside your car window is hard to find anywhere else nearby.

The 4-mile drive

General admission buys unlimited loops through a 4-mile drive-through preserve, where large herds roam open, naturalistic habitats and you stay in your car. Windows and sunroofs stay closed the whole way, no exceptions. On busy days the drive alone takes an hour and a half or more, so the unlimited part matters less than it sounds. Selfie sticks and camera poles can't go out the window either. The upside: if your first pass was mostly brake lights, you can loop back around. The last car enters the preserve at 4 pm, an hour before the park closes, so do the drive first and save the walking for later.

Check your car first

Convertibles, motorcycles, soft-top Jeeps and any open-air vehicle get turned away at the preserve. So do low riders, cars with low ground clearance, broken windows, hanging bumpers or exposed wiring. Truck beds have to be empty with tailgates secured, nothing can be tied to the outside, and nothing can be in tow. Pets can't ride along, and emotional support animals don't count as service animals here. If you picked a convertible rental for your Florida trip, this is the day to swap it. It's also a smoke-free park, with smoking allowed only in parking lots or inside your own vehicle.

The Gardens and the long day

Past the drive, The Gardens hold more animal habitats, feeding encounters and habitat talks, and the park suggests at least three and a half hours there. Add it up and you're looking at four to six hours total, which makes this a real day trip, about 78 miles north of Miami. Strollers rent inside The Gardens for $15, doubles for $18 and wheelchairs for $16, plus tax, first come, first served. The whole park is cashless, cards and mobile pay only. It's AZA accredited, holds a Certified Autism Center designation, and sits at 4.6 from about 14,700 Google reviews.

Getting there

1. From I-95, take Southern Boulevard (Exit 68) and head west about 15.5 miles; the park is on the right.

Good to know

The park is cashless, so bring a card or phone for tickets, food and rentals.

Questions people ask