OK, dads … we all know that long before you settled down, long before you had wild animals of your own at home — you know, those ‘animals’ you call your kids — we know you wanted to hop on a plane with only your passport and a backpack and tackle the great outdoors. To test your strength among the toughest and most feared creatures alive… We also know that you most likely never did. You settled for fishing on the weekends, the Discovery Channel on the weeknights, and a trusted subscription to National Geographic to let you know exactly what you missed. And there’s nothing wrong with that. However, if this situation sound familiar, I’ve got the perfect solution for you — that is, if you don’t mind leaving the plane tickets and the passport at home. If you’d like to indulge yourself in a little adventure, pack up your ‘animals’, full up your tank, and prepare yourself for an afternoon of great family fun.

Located only 30 minutes from Harrisburg, Lake Tobias began thirty-nine years ago as a hobby for park founder J.R. Tobias. Since then, the park has become a well-known attraction, averaging 60,000 visitors a year – among them thousands of school children, and, of course, adventurous, devoted dads. The park is home to more than 300 wild and exotic animals, many of whom come from such distances as Africa, South America, Europe, and Asia. And while the park offers a wide variety of animal-related activities — a petting zoo, fishing, and a walking tour — the featured attraction is undoubtedly the Safari Tour.

From the moment I stepped aboard the specially designed ‘convertible’ safari bus, I knew that the tour was going to be unlike anything I’d ever been on. And I was right. The tour of Lake Tobias is not like the average trolley rides that are offered at the zoo. For approximately 45 minutes, this tour takes you out into the great wide open, crossing 200 acres of flat and forested land, and bringing you nose to nose with those animals usually kept in cages or seen in picture books. Believe me, dads, there’s nothing like this around here!

This park is not your average zoo. Nor is it full of your average animals. On our tour of Lake Tobias, we saw deer from the Orient, buffalo, 1600 pound Watusi, and rhea — a breed of birds in which the males — get this dad — hatch and raise the herd on his own!

To be sure, one of the most amazing facets about the trip to Lake Tobias is watching the animals interact so well with their human counterparts. This was never more noticeable than when our tour guide, Ray, called one of the elk up to the bus — a practice that he assured us was somewhat routine and posed ever so gracefully for the MODE cameras. While there was no mistaking that the climate was typical of Pennsylvania, the personal interaction, fun, and adventure offered as part of the Safari Tour at Lake Tobias is sure to please not only you thrill-seeking dads, but your second generation of adventure-seeking ‘herds’, as well

Following our visit to the Petting Zoo and the “Walk Around” Tour — a tour of on-site caged and roaming animals — Heather and I decided to take part in the newly added Reptile Show. Located a stone’s throw from the petting zoo, this show lasts approximately 30 minutes and features the very slimy and slinky creatures akin to those found in the Amazon adventure of your dreams. As part of the show, there are pythons and boas and exotic birds and lizards and a few park employees thrown in for good measure. While the show’s roster wasn’t exactly my idea of cute and cuddly, it was very informative and would be tons of fun for those daring souls that are trapped within the bodies of you domesticated men out there. The exhibit is held in a great, up-close environment and relies on audience interaction, knowledge — and long forgotten dreams of wrestling alligators — to heighten the show’s excitement! Be sure not to miss it!

To finish the perfect day at the park, the best thing to do would be to rent a pedal boat or a canoe and enjoy the calmness of the on-site lake. While it may not offer the fast pace, daring skills needed to brave the Amazon, floating along the property and idly watching the patrons, the workers, and the water creatures should serve as a spectacular ending to any day. But, if you’ve decided that that’s still not the perfect way to close out the day for you dads, there’s always fishing. That’s right. At Lake Tobias, for a small fee you can bring your own equipment and take your chances along the banks of the water. What more can a man ask for? You’ve got adventure, you’ve got a taste of the exotic, you’ve got family fun, and, last but not least, you’ve got fishing, all in one place and on one tank of gas — and it’s affordable, too! Sounds too good to be true … luckily, it isn’t.

Lake Tobias is the perfect family fun park and would be a perfect way to honor both the responsible family man and the wild man that is found in the heart of every father. At Lake Tobias, there are no long lines or outrageous prices and, to be sure, the loudest noises you’ll hear will be from the animals, not the rumbling of the roller coasters. And, once you’re there, there is no need to leave the park. Picnic facilities, refreshments, and a gift shop are located on the premises and the park’s unlimited time constraints allow its visitors ample time to enjoy the grounds at a relaxed and uncompromised pace. While it may be different from the commercialized theme parks and over-hyped zoos that are common to the average consumer, Halifax’s Lake Tobias is certainly the place to be on this Father’s Day or any day. It’s educational, entertaining, a guaranteed good-time, and the perfect enactment of dear old dad’s wildest imaginations — so don’t be alarmed if the guy behind you on the tour bus is decked out in full safari gear. Just take caution — you never know where he imagines himself to be or what safari he’s planning in his mind!