Halifax: Wildlife, Nature and History

This can help you decide in advance whether you would like to focus your stay on wildlife encounters, landscapes, or history.

Wildlife at Lake Tobias Wildlife Park

Lake Tobias Wildlife Park is located at 760 Tobias Drive in Halifax, just off Route 225. Its open-air vehicle safari travels through 150 acres of rolling hills, pastureland, and forest. Visitors can see more than 500 free-roaming mammals and flightless birds. The rolling hills, pastureland, and forest give the safari a landscape dimension in addition to wildlife viewing.

The interactive petting zoo focuses on close-up encounters: visitors can pet and feed domestic and exotic animals there. Examples include camels, alpacas, and llamas. This experience differs from observing animals during the safari: here, petting and feeding the animals are also explicitly part of the experience.

Through the Animal Care and Rehab Program, you can meet the young animals featured in the park’s exhibits. This adds a distinct look at the park’s younger animals to the encounters at the petting zoo.

The J.R. Tobias Museum & Education Center offers a different focus. Videos, photos, artifacts, and interactive exhibits provide information about the founding of Lake Tobias Wildlife Park, the founder’s love of animals, and the protection of endangered wildlife. A visit to the museum therefore connects the park’s wildlife themes with their history and conservation.

Nature and History Around Halifax

North of Halifax lies Fort Halifax Park, a 174-acre recreation area. Its features include picnic areas, the Susquehanna River, Armstrong Creek, walking trails, and gardens. By contrast, the Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area covers 803 acres. Extensive hardwood forests define the area, and its trail system connects to the Appalachian Trail. The direct comparison shows two different scales: 174 acres at Fort Halifax Park and 803 acres at the conservation area, whose forested areas and trail connection give it a different landscape focus.

History is another theme in the surrounding area. Fort Halifax became an important trading post where the Shawnee and Seneca exchanged goods with the British soldiers stationed there. This adds a specific regional trading history to the wildlife and nature themes.

In the Borough of Halifax, Veteran’s Memorial Park is located at the intersection of Rise St. and Park Dr. The playground is intended for children up to age 12. The park also includes a baseball/softball field, a basketball and street hockey court, and horseshoe pits. The volleyball court is under construction; check its current status before your visit, especially if this court is important to your plans.

Discover more destinations: Middletown, Dauphin, Oberlin, Grantville, Harrisburg, Hummelstown, Hershey.

Go to the main travel overview: Dauphin.