Why Lion Country Safari Still Feels Like Jurassic Park—Even With Lions Behind Fences Now

Driving Through Lion Country Safari: Mouse Limo Edition

So there we were, a group of South Florida social media enthusiasts, piled into the back of the Truly Nolen Mouse Limo—a yellow limo decked out like one of those iconic mouse-themed VW Bugs, complete with black tail and ears—about to wind our way through Lion Country Safari in Palm Beach County.

We were there courtesy of a PR event organized by Tilson Public Relations, tasked with tweeting our experience to show followers just how much fun we were having. The goal? Maybe convince a few to hire Truly Nolen for pest control or head out to the safari themselves.

Check out the video for a glimpse of the Mouse Limo in action.
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It’s worth the trip—especially with kids—but things have definitely changed since my childhood visits. For starters, the lions are now safely behind fences (installed in 2005 after too many visitors ignored warnings and rolled down windows or opened doors). As a photographer, I get the urge to hang out the window for a better shot, but our host warned us to keep hands, legs, and windows secure because the lions are, well, a little dangerous.

I snapped photos of a majestic lioness through the tinted windows with my Canon 5D and 300mm lens. Once we left the lion area, the rules relaxed, and I could roll down the window to film and shoot the free-roaming animals—zebras, rhinos, giraffes, and endless herds of horned grazers. Yes, I even hung out the window a few times.

A Wild Ride in the Mouse Limo

The Truly Nolen crew wanted to see how the animals would react to their giant mouse on wheels. The giraffes seemed unfazed, but some of the others started off spooked before turning curious. Carly Sanders of Tilson PR said,

“If the larger sized animals are scared of the Truly Nolen Limo, then the smaller size animals are going to be scared of Truly Nolen,”

Truly Nolen has been a South Florida staple since forever—those yellow mouse cars always got me excited as a kid (I called them Mickey Mouse cars before realizing they had zero Disney connection). Now they’ve leveled up with limos and are promoting them hard.

An Unexpected Safari Adventure

About an hour north of Miami and west of Palm Beach, amid farmland and nature preserves between the Atlantic and Lake Okeechobee, lies this unexpected slice of Africa in Florida. Instead of alligators, you’ll spot lions, zebras, giraffes, elephants, impalas, water buffaloes, rhinos, ostriches, chimpanzees, and more—creatures from far-off lands that somehow call South Florida home.

I’d never visited this 42-year-old park (as a Miami native), so I wondered if the drive from Miami-Dade was worth it. I joined friends from Palm Beach—a single mom, her gay brother (both in their late 40s), and her seven-year-old daughter. Without the kid, our Chevy Equinox might’ve been dubbed the Chevy Cougar Mobile.

I expected the little one to be wowed by animals roaming feet (or inches) from the car—and she was—but the real surprise was how it brought out the kid in all us adults too.

Driving Through the Park

The four-mile drive-through safari starts right at the entrance. We finished in just over an hour, though others in our group lingered longer. The expansive territory—with sparse brush pines for shade and none of the usual tropical foliage—felt completely “out of Miami,” providing the perfect backdrop for observing over 600 animals in the drive-through alone (part of more than 900 total from six continents).

The preserve is divided into sections representing global grasslands, continental Africa, and India. The most thrilling? The lions’ territory, which felt straight out of Jurassic Park with its fencing and cattle guards.

Only the lions and tigers are fenced in—all other creatures roam free.

Security is no joke: You’re not supposed to roll down windows (we tried anyway, thinking the tall fences would hold). Instantly, a voice boomed from nowhere: “Please roll up your windows.” Turns out a staffer in a nearby truck with a megaphone was watching for rule-breakers like us.

The dozen or so lions and lionesses were majestic—yawning, preening, lazing about. I could’ve watched for hours. The other animals roamed freely: one-ton water buffaloes so close I could’ve reached out (but didn’t), their horns higher than eye level and spooking the seven-year-old a bit.

Nature didn’t hide the basics—peeing, pooping—which fascinated the kid (and sparked plenty of giggles and discussions among the mommy bloggers with children).

The zebras’ black-and-white symmetry on sinewy muscles drew “ahhs” from everyone. And the rhinos? Two charged across the road so fast I had to accelerate to avoid a horn collision. Who knew something that massive could move like that? No wonder there’s a giant sign: RHINOCEROS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY (Miamians might ignore traffic laws, but these beasts would command respect).

Giraffes greeted us at the end—one strolled so close we craned our necks skyward. Their orange spots looked like perfectly assembled puzzle pieces—Mother Nature’s artwork. We even spotted baby giraffes with moms in a fenced maternity pen.

After the safari, my friend took her daughter for rides while I test-drove a red Chevy Corvette (0 to 45 in seconds). I wondered if I could outrun a cheetah—but decided against tempting the Florida Highway Patrol.

A Bit of History

Opened in 1967 by South African and British investors, Lion Country Safari was the nation’s first drive-through safari park in Loxahatchee (near West Palm Beach). The goal: Make an African game park experience affordable and accessible to everyday Americans.

It exploded in popularity and expanded elsewhere (those locations later closed), leaving this as the surviving original. They’ve since added an amusement park, water slides, Ferris wheel, safari boat, camel rides, petting zoo, and more—enough to fill a full day for less than $26.50 per person (depending on age).

If You Go

Lion Country Safari is at 2003 Lion Country Safari Road, Loxahatchee, Florida 33470. Phone: (561) 793-1084.

Make it a full day with the walk-through areas: camel rides, giraffe feeding, lory bird aviary, carnival rides, petting zoo, and a safari splash playground with 23 water activities. There’s also a lake for boat tours or paddle boats.

(Note: An adjacent KOA campground once offered overnight stays, but check current status as things may have changed.)

Any vehicle is allowed in the drive-through (no soft tops or convertibles), but air conditioning is a must in summer—you can’t open windows. Rental cars are available on-site first-come, first-served.

For fidgety passengers, a roomy SUV like the Chevy Equinox works great.

Lion Country Safari is well worth the drive from Miami—a true adventure that thrills kids and adults alike. The drive-through alone is worth it, but the extras make it a full-day escape.

Editor’s Note: Originally published August 07, 2011. Updated in 2026; Carlos Miller's original writing remains unchanged.