I teach at a summer camp this week, so I haven't had as much time for blog entries.  My job this week coupled with J being away at camp means that K and Daddy get to spend some serious quality time together.  They kicked off their week together by going to Lake Tobias on Monday.  I don't have pictures available yet, but I'll try to post some later.

K is my animal lover (although sometimes she worships from a distance).  She is the member of the family who pays the most attention to our elderly cat.  She can identify more wild birds than her older sister and loves going to Zoo America at Hershey.  The last time we went to Lake Tobias she was still a baby in a stroller, but this time she was able to take in the action. 

Lake Tobias Wildlife Park is located in Halifax, PA (www.laketobias.com) and is a combination zoo, petting zoo, and safari tour.  There are animals in enclosures that you can walk around and see, as well as a petting zoo.  My husband said this was K's favorite part.  She was especially attached to a miniature horse in the petting zoo and returned to see it several times.  She was also highly amused by the goats in the petting area, which kept trying to eat Dad's shorts.  The highlight for Dad is always the safari tour.  Guests ride in a converted school bus--the top part of the bus is cut off, kind of like a convertible with a lot of seats.  The driver takes you through the fields, where you can see longhorn cattle, rhea birds, buffalo, elk, sheep and many other animals.  You can buy feed for the animals before the tour.  The driver stops the bus at certain areas and the animals will come right up to you!  The elk will literally climb the steps of the bus.  Dad knows this, so he always tries to sit in the front seat of the bus.  He reports that K nearly crawled under the seat when the elk showed up (hey, they are really huge, especially to a 5 year old!) but she really enjoyed it.  There is also a reptile house and special reptile show.

Admission to the part is $4 per person for ages 3 and up.  The safari tour is $5 per person (ages 3 and up), and the reptile building is $1 per person (ages 3 and up).  We had a buy one get one free coupon for the safari tour from an entertainment book.  There is a concession stand in the park as well.

We've visited Lake Tobias as a family several times in the past when J was young, and I'm sure this won't be our last trip there.  Getting so close the the animals is such a unique experience, one that's hard to duplicate elsewhere.  Lake Tobias is a family run business, and you definitely get the feeling that there is a lot of pride in the park about that.  It's a great place for families, and we all highly recommend a trip there.