Have Son, Will Travel: Lake Tobias Wildlife Park

Next up on our Summer Bucket List Weekend tour was Lake Tobias Wildlife Park! Lake Tobias is a popular attraction in the mid-state. Between fieldtrips, summer camps and visits with family, I can guarantee 99% of the people who will read this, have visited Lake Tobias at least once before. I will keep this simple because of that, more of the experience of our most recent trip. Enjoy!

This past Saturday, we woke up early and headed to Lake Tobias, which is located about 30 minutes from where we live in Harrisburg. We arrived about 30 minutes after the park had opened for the day, and it was already crowded. We parked where directed, the furthest lot from the main park and made our way to the admissions booth. Buy one, get one coupons are fairly easy to find in the Valpak mailer and Clipper magazines that are sent to homes throughout the mid-state. Lake Tobias is a great value, at 6$ per person for this amazing safari park located so close to home. We also purchased the Safari Tour option, which is an additional 6$ but is beyond worth it for the experience!

We hiked our way from the parking area to the Safari Tour loading platform, and decided it would be best to take the bus first, before the crowds got heavier and before it became warmer throughout the day. We waited around 20 minutes to board a bus, and we were able to snag front-row seat! If you are not familiar with the Safari Tour at Lake Tobias, it is an open-air school bus that takes you through 150 acres of land, from wide open fields to rolling hills and shaded streams. This tour takes around 1 hour, as your guide will stop along the way, giving information on the animals an allowing you to hand feed them! Crackers and Popcorn for feeding is available to purchase. Some of the animals you may see include Asian Water Buffalo, Bison, Rhea's (large emu like birds), Alpaca's, Zonkeys and more! This is a must when visiting Lake Tobias! You and your family will never erase the memory of a huge buffalo walking right up the steps of your bus!

After our Safari was over, we returned and noticed the line was MUCH longer, I'm talking about, this line was stretched farther then the eye could see. Tip: If going on a weekend, earliest is always best! We hopped off the bus, then made our way to the exhibits scattered around the park. Throughout the park you will find exhibits that feature Lions, Bengal Tigers, Bears, Zebras, Alligators, different types of Monkeys, and many, many more!

Next up was the petting zoo. This was my favorite part of Lake Tobias when I was younger. I remember always coming back with holes in my summer camp shirt from the goats chewing on it! Now, the petting zoo is more a showcase of fat lazy goats. Not so impressive anymore. This asked to buy a few more crackers, and the employee told me he advised against it because the goats were already full. It was only 1! It was true though, because the normally greedy, in your face goats just laid around and turned their noses up when you held out a cracker.

Our last stop was the new reptile building, which houses the reptile show and a bunch of creepy crawlies! We were lucky enough to catch a Reptile show, I think this is the first time we have caught one in the new building. You will be shown snakes, a snapping turtle and even a sloth! I recommend it for kids who could sit through it, you do see some neat animals you may not notice while strolling through the park! In the reptile building you also have the chance to pet a snake and small alligator that are handled by employees.