Living in Pennsylvania has been an educational experience – there’s so much  history here, though we haven’t even begun to explore every possible historical area (read: tourist trap fun), but one of the places we made sure to visit when my sister and her family paid us their first of several visits, was HersheyPark:

Hershey, PA  is known as “The Sweetest Place on Earth” and has been a go-to vacation spot for so many families because of the variety of activities that cater to groups of all ages and stages.  Chocolate Town U.S.A. boasts Hersheypark, a 110-acre theme park that offers more than 65 rides, 11 coasters, family friendly attractions and entertainment. 

2013 brings premier entertainment, concerts and shows plus exciting new updates to many of Hershey’s main attractions like a new interactive 4-D show at Chocolate World and The Boardwalk at Hersheypark with its new Shoreline Sprayground – 7,000 square feet of water play for all ages plus two new water slides!

And of course, chocolate.  Lots and lots of chocolate.

Our ‘must see’ was of course Hershey’s Chocolate World:

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 10 years since our first visit – Princess Nagger was just a little thing then:

Even though she didn’t quite understand the importance of this trip (and chocolate), she looks excited, doesn’t she?  Then she saw the chocolate characters:

I think she understood more than we thought she did at the time.  Ahem.

I had planned on sharing all the fun pictures from that day, but those are securely stuck on my dead hard drive that suffered my great computer crash of 2003-2004.  I’m hanging on to the drive just in case I manage to pull all the precious images off of it, but at least I still had a few saved in old emails (the one time it totally pays to save everything, including old emails from 10 years past.  Yes, I do tend to justify my pack-rat ways. heh. )

My nephews were particularly excited to go on the free 10-minute Omnimover-style dark ride tour that shows a simulation of the chocolate making process. Princess Nagger’s attention was immediately captured at the beginning of the ride because of the animated cow:

And of course giggled at the wagging cow tails:

This ride is fun and educational, all about the making of all the various types of chocolate.  But Princess Nagger’s favorite at that age was obviously the fun cows:

Since we’ll be moving across the country later this year, we’d better get in one last visit while we’re still local.  Because we are local, we didn’t have to worry about where to stay – but when we do come back to the area in the future, you can bet Hersheypark will be at the top of our tourist to-do list. 

I’m already plotting how to convince the hubby we’ll need to stay at the Hotel Hershey, built in 1933.  Not only would it make visiting all the attractions at the park convenient, but it has the world-famous Chocolate Spa.  Oh yeah, there’s a Chocolate Spa, people! 

Hersheypark is definitely a ‘must do’ if you’re traveling this way – with all the hotel options at Hershey, when you’re looking for the convenience factor for your vacation, they’ve got you covered.  Along with Hotel Hershey, there’s also Hershey Lodge and Hershey Highmeadow Campground, all of which allows you to participate in the Hershey Resorts Advantage. 

What’s the Advantage?  I’m glad you asked – it gives you the best prices on tickets, complimentary shuttles, and early admissions – all are something we always look for when planning our vacations. 

A trip to Hersheypark is definitely worth it, especially if you’re a chocolate lover.  And even if you’re not.  In order to have time to check out all the fabulous venues and rides, you might want to plan a few days to see it all. 

They even have fabulous entertainment – something for everyone.  You can scope out the event calendar to see for yourself.  I’m hoping we’ll get to see Journey playing with Rascal Flatts before we move – yes, they’re performing together! 

Check out this quick video that captures the essence of the Hershey experience:

For more information, call 1-800-HERSHEY (1-800-437-7439) or visit www.HersheyPA.com.

Have you ever been to Hershey?  If not, are you wanting to go, or are you planning a trip there?

.

.

.

.

Note: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Hershey Entertainment and Resorts.  I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.  As usual, all opinions are my own and not influenced by outside sources.  See my disclosure policy here.

Tagged as: Alert, Announcement, boardwalk, chocolate, chocolate world, educational experience, Fun, hershey, hersheypark, live entertainment, rides, sprayground, Vacation, water features

{ 2 comments }