Lion Country Safari doesn’t list a discount for individual teachers. What it does publish is a School & Youth Groups rate for booked visits: $13.00 per student and $17.00 per adult for admission only during the school-year season, with 1 adult chaperone free for every 10 paid students.
If you’re planning a class trip, the rate depends on the season and the day of the week, so it helps to pick a date before you ask. Here’s what the group visits page says about who qualifies, what each season costs and what to have ready when you request a reservation.
How To Get The Lion Country Safari Teacher Discount
The group visits page says the School & Youth Groups rate is for public and private schools, recreation center youth groups, camp groups, daycares and homeschool organizations only. It defines a school group as an accredited public, private or charter school, a homeschool, or a licensed day-care. All groups must submit a reservation request at least one week before their reservation date to receive the discounted rate (family groups are the exception), and a minimum of 15 paid guests is required.
For questions, the page lists Group Sales at (561) 793-1084 ext. 2270 or groups@lioncountrysafari.com. Every group reservation must pay with one form of payment, and the page says Lion Country Safari doesn’t offer rain checks or refunds for groups or take personal checks. If your school is tax exempt, you need to provide your Consumer’s Certificate of Tax Exemption with your reservation form to receive tax-exempt pricing.
What Each Season Costs
During the school-year season the rate is $13.00 per student and $17.00 per adult for admission only, Monday through Sunday. In the summer season it’s $14.50 per student and $18.50 per adult for admission only, Monday through Friday, and the page lists a Water Play Upgrade at $4.00 per person. Summer weekends are priced differently: Saturday and Sunday are $25.00 per person, which includes admission to both the drive through safari and the Gardens. The page adds that prices are subject to change without notice and group rates aren’t valid with any other offers.
The free chaperone rule is specific. For every 10 paid students, 1 adult chaperone (required, and 18 or older) gets in free, and additional chaperones are charged at the discounted adult rate. The page says the free chaperone must be an adult hired to take care of students or children who aren’t their own, and that chaperones must remain with their group and supervise children during the entire visit. So a parent coming along with their own children isn’t who that free spot is for.
School Programs
The school programs page says the programs are STEM compliant, follow Florida State Academic Standards, and are only available during the school-year season. On the group visits page they’re listed as an upgrade to the school rate. Programs are $125.00, and the page calls this a non-refundable experience. They’re for school groups with a minimum of 20 paying participating students (Grades 1-5) and a maximum of 100 students, and they require a three week notice and must be paid in full at the time of booking.
Two programs are listed. Habitats 1 is recommended for grades 1-2 and helps students recognize that all living things need food, water, shelter and space in order to survive. Habitats 2 is recommended for grades 3-5 and covers the transfer of energy through the food chain. The page also lists Supplemental Materials for Teachers, including a pre-visit activity, a post visit activity and an art activity.
If your class has more parent or guardian chaperones than school staff, the page says your group will be asked to encourage those parents or guardians to explore The Gardens independent of the program.
Visiting On Your Own
If you’re going with your own family instead of a class, we found no teacher price on the tickets page or the FAQ page. Regular admission (ages 10 and older) is $54.99 plus tax and child admission (ages 3-9) is $43.99 plus tax. Weekday value rates run Monday through Thursday, excluding select holiday periods and special events, at $50.00 plus tax for regular admission and $39.00 plus tax for child admission. The FAQ page says tickets may be purchased online or at the gate upon arrival.
The group visits page also has a 15% discount for unscheduled and family groups, offered at the ticket booths only. Another rate covers other non-profits, for profits, faith-based organizations, community organizations, travel groups, senior centers and clubs. It needs a minimum of 20 paid guests and gives 20% off for 20-99 guests, 25% off for 100-249 guests and 30% off for 250 or more. The page doesn’t tie any of these to teachers.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
The group visits page says program start times are 10:00 am or 11:00 am, while the school programs page says 10:30 AM or 11:30 AM, so ask Group Sales which one is current. The school programs page also says a $125 deposit is required to hold your booking, while both pages say programs are paid in full at the time of booking, so ask what you’d owe up front. We also couldn’t find a teacher price for a teacher visiting alone or with their own family, and the page doesn’t say what proof of school affiliation the group rate asks for. We didn’t find a Fluz or TopCashback page for Lion Country Safari, and Rakuten’s address for it loads a general page instead of a store page, so we found no cash back route. We didn’t submit a reservation request or call Group Sales.
Q&A
Does Lion Country Safari give teachers a discount?
We found no discount for individual teachers. The School & Youth Groups rate is $13.00 per student and $17.00 per adult during the school-year season, with 1 adult chaperone free for every 10 paid students.
How many paid guests does a school group need?
A minimum of 15 paid guests is required.
How far ahead do I request a group reservation?
At least one week before your reservation date to receive the discounted rate.
Can a parent bringing their own children get the free chaperone spot?
No. The page says the free chaperone must be an adult hired to take care of students or children who aren’t their own.
How much is a school program?
Programs are $125.00, for 20 to 100 paying students in Grades 1-5, with a three week notice and payment in full at booking.
Can I pay a group reservation with a personal check?
The group visits page says Lion Country Safari doesn’t take personal checks for groups.
Can I buy an annual pass?
The FAQ page says the annual pass program has reached capacity and passes are currently sold out.
More Information:
The details above come from Lion Country Safari’s own pages, plus Fluz, Rakuten and TopCashback, as they loaded when we checked, and rates and offers change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers.
