Welcome once again to my Travels in Real Estate Occasional Series. This adventure takes us to Lion Country Safari located in Western Palm Beach County in a town called Loxahatchee, ( pronounced Lox-ah-hatch-eee), Florida.
Lion Country Safari just celebrated its' 40 year anniversary! Come and have fun witnessing over 40 years of caring for wildlife.
The first time I came to Lion Country Safari was when I was 11 years old. I was living with my mother at the time in Menlo Park, California. My aunt (my father's sister) and her husband lived in Titusville Florida. I loved my Tante Jeanie, (that is what we called her) so much. Whenever I was with her I was able to be a kid. I did not have to make dinner for 3 other siblings and then myself, I did not have to do my laundry and I did not have to babysit my brothers and sister when I was with her. I flew all by myself at the age of 11 from the San Francisco airport to an airport in Florida. I can not remember which one now. It was 1969, before DisneyWorld and all that. I remember so vividly getting off of the plane in Florida because back then you walked outside of the plane down the rollaway stair case that is pulled up to the plane doors just like you see when the President gets out of Air Force One. The humid air hit me hard in my face as I struggled for a moment to breathe. I got used to the thickness in the air rather quickly. My Tante Jeanie had a fun and exciting summer planned out for me.
One of our excursions was driving from Titusville to Loxahatchee to Lion Country Safari. At that time Elsa's lion cubs were living at the preserve here. Do you remember the song, Born Free? That song was about Elsa's cubs and there was a movie made about the lady who took care of Elsa, the lioness. I grew up with Elsa and followed her life as a young girl. When she died I cried for days. The movie was my favorite movie. Her cubs were sent to live at Lion Country Safari. If you click on the first video on the left below you can see some beautiful pictures from the movie and some of the Adamson family who took care of Elsa and brought national awareness of conservation and respect for lions to the forefront.
The words to the song are in the video to the right of Elsa's video. This is a clip from an animated movie but it is the only place that I could find the words which are very moving.
If you have not been to Lion County Safari now is the perfect time to make a trip over there. The cool weather is upon us and that means we can feed the giraffes longer because we won't get so hot standing out there on the Safari plains. That is absolutely my favorite thing to do when we take the kids to Lion Country.You climb up this high tower that is like an observatory so that the giraffes be at the same level as we are. I will take pictures the next time we go of feeding the giraffes. You buy these special crackers that resemble graham crackers and hold out your palm with the cracker in the center. The giraffe has a really long tongue and she takes the the cracker right out of the palm of your hand! It is an such an incredible experience.
You drive through the Safari in your own car. The animals are all wild and roam free. There are rhinos, ostriches and lions crossing the road right in front you. You just have to go because my words can not explain what you get to see and experience.
After you drive through the Safari ( which you get to drive through as often as you wish while you are there) you can park your car and go into the park to eat at the little Safari cafe, buy souvenirs, feed the goats in the petting zoo, take a cool boat ride by the monkey island and see wildlife shows highlighting the different animals. I also love the bird feeding area. You get to feed nectar to the Lorikeets. They will land on your head and arms and play with your shiny jewelry!
Click here to find out more info on Lion Country Safari. You can download a coupon on their site. The year pass is very economical. If you plan on going more than once in a year, the yearly pass is the way to go. The Safari is open every day from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The best time to go is early in the morning so that you can see the lions before they go to sleep in the afternoon. The animals are all more active in the mornings.
The above map is courtesy of Lion Country Safari.
Contact Nestor and Katerina Gasset, CIPS, Realtors®, International Properties and Investments, Inc. Licensed Realtors® in Florida at 561-753-0135 to list your property for sale or to purchase a property in Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach and the rest of Palm Beach County Florida. We are accepting referrals.
Copyright © 2007 By Katerina Gasset, All Rights Reserved. *Lion Country Safari Born Free - Travels In Real Estate- An Occasional Series*
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