If you're tired of the crowds at Six Flags, and Disney World is a bore, a Minnesota-based adventure company can put you in command of a behemoth tank that's capable of annihilating just about anything in its path.
Located in Kasota, a small city situated about 70 miles southwest of Minneapolis, Drive A Tank caters to individuals interested in military-tank driving and car-crush adventures.
The company, owned and operated by Tony Borglum, has an impressive number of demilitarized vehicles and tanks at its disposal. Some of the more notable models include an FV432 armored personnel carrier, an FV433 Abbot self-propelled Gun, an FV43x armored vehicle and an FV 4201 Chieftain.
The Chieftain, which sports an intimidating 22-foot barrel, was the main battle tank of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s. The mammoth 60-ton tank is one of 90 left in the entire world. It's capable of pulverizing a car. It's also one of Borglum's most prized possessions.
The Huffington Post recently visited his 20-acre compound.
"It's the most badass tank the world has ever seen," Borglum said.
Borglum started Drive A Tank after a 2006 trip to England. His original intent was to collect surplus British war tanks with his father, the owner of a local concrete-recycling business. However, the idea of collecting quickly evolved into a business that now caters to about 1,600 visitors a year.
"What we're doing here is military awareness," Borglum said. "Most civilians are never going to come into contact with this stuff."
Customers of Drive A Tank are given a history of the vehicles and a crash-course on safety. Afterwards, depending on which package they purchased, they can drive various military vehicles and tanks around a wooded obstacle course.
The most coveted package add-on is the car crush. Those who opt for this smashing adventure get to drive a Chieftain over the top of a salvage vehicle.
But that's not all. There's also a veritable arsenal of machine guns.
Drive A Tank offers customers whose drug of choice is adrenaline an opportunity to shoot a number of weapons, including a .9 mm Sten and a .50 Caliber Barrett long range rifle.
"This is the only place in the world where you can drive tanks and shoot fully automatic machine guns under one roof," Borglum said.
Whether you're a thrill seeker or someone who is harboring a secret ambition to play G.I. Joe, you can now have your fantasy fulfilled. The rarity of the experience is definitely something you'll savor.
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