Let’s Take a Family Vacation to Hershey Park – Mmmmm Good

Take your family for a summer vacation to Hershey Park or just for a just week-end. Hershey Park, located in Hershey, PA is about 2 hours from Washington, DC and two to three hours from cities such as Baltimore, Annapolis, and New York. Hershey Town was established in 1907 and today is billed as “The Sweetest Place on Earth.”

The park is open daily during the summer and week-ends and certain days during the fall and winter holidays. They are also open most Friday nights, beginning at 5pm. Visit www.hersheypa.com for specific hours of operation, pricing, special events and other information. At Christmas time, the park and town are decorated with over a million twinkle lights, a Candylane and a KISSMAS tree.

The park has over 60 rides, including Comet, their classic “woody” (wooden roller coaster). There are 10 roller coasters, six water rides and 20+ kiddie rides. In addition to the rides, there is live entertainment, Hershey characters wandering around, gift shops to explore, casual to more formal dining and, of course, chocolate! Every meal ends with Hershey candy and, well, it seems like everyone is constantly passing out chocolate. MMMmmm!

You’ll know you’re getting close when you start to smell chocolate. Look for the Hershey Kiss lamplights as you drive through town.

Just outside the park entrance, is “Chocolate World,” an educational center for the whole family to enjoy. In addition to various exhibits, there are also gift shops and eateries here. It also features a 3-D film about the life of Milton S. Hershey, the founder of the company. There is a fee for this exhibit. Here you can also purchase tickets to Hershey Trolley Works which takes you through Hershey Town itself and to the birthplace of Milton S. Hershey.

Be sure to take the free chocolate factory tour. Since you can’t go into the factory itself, this tour takes your through the steps of creating and wrapping various Hershey candies. At the end of the tour, you’ll get, of course, chocolate! – but sometimes a new product not yet on the market.

The Factory Works Experience lets you be a Hershey employee for a short time. You can try out a couple of jobs and even get a picture taken. There is a fee for the picture.

There are several types of accommodations near the park, most of them run by the Hershey Corporation. The Hershey Hotel is a luxurious (recipient of AAA 4 Diamond & Mobil 4 Star Awards) hotel with a lot of fun extras, and, of course! Chocolate!). There is also the Hershey Lodge, and, for campers, the Hershey Highmeadow Campground. The campground is on 55 acres and has 300 open and shaded campsites; pets are allowed at the campground only.

The hotel is situated at the top of Hershey Town and has golf courses, restaurants, and, a spa – of course, a chocolate! spa. Check their menu out for the spa specialties – at least it’s all calorie free – it’s one of the few places that doesn’t give you chocolate candy when you leave. There is also a Cocoa Kids Club for the little ones and you’ll see the Hershey characters wandering around the grounds. You’ll be able to get a “SWEET ACCESS PASS” allowing you “first in line” opportunity on all attractions. Hotel guests may also get in the park one hour before the general public, get free transportation to the park, and get free admission to the museum and Hershey Gardens (seasonal days/hours apply here). Check with the hotel to see if their park ticket price is less than what’s available either online or at the park ticket office.

The Hershey Lodge has 650+ rooms and suites and each is decorated with a chocolate theme. There is a special check in desk just for the kids so they can register for different activities. The lodge has a basketball court, miniature golf course, several restaurants, with, of course, chocolate! at the end of every meal, plus access to all the amenities of the larger hotel. Pennsylvania’s largest convention center is located at this property.

There are also many other hotels and motels in the area. Many use the chocolate theme and d�©cor and may offer, of course, chocolate!

Now, I’m going to go have, of course, some Hershey’s chocolate! And, you too, should go have, of course, a piece of Hershey’s chocolate too.