Hershey Park (PA) - worth a visit? About This Page:

[Politzania]

DH and I are planning a mid May trip and are looking at visiting the Hershey, Pennsylvania area. He was in Mechanicsburg PA in Feb of 2005 for business & had a spare afternoon and visited Chocolate World and took the town tour, both of which he would like to do again.

We're questioning whether the admission price to Hershey Park ($41.95/person) would be worth it to us. We could arrange to spend a whole day there (a Sunday); however, we're not roller coaster fans - R&RC at MGM is about our limit. We did enjoy The Italian Job ride when we went to King's Island last summer, but didn't go on any of the other roller coasters.
I briefly browsed the map & it looked as if kiddie rides & coasters are their main focus, so am having some doubts. The Roller Soaker looks kind of fun, as does Canyon River Rapids & some of the other water rides - is it usually warm enough in mid-May to go on these rides?

I'd appreciate feedback from fans of the park or recent visitors. Thanks!

[Eeyoresmom]

I don't like roller coasters that go upside down, but I love Hershey Park. They have a few wooden coasters that are fast and hilly, but don't go upside down. Unfortunately, I haven't been there since the Supersoaker opened up, but it does look like a lot of fun.

There are usually some shows, like a sea world inspired dolphin or otter (can't remember which) show and sometimes they have some pretty big entertainment for free inside. Just double check their web site.

There are also some fun non-coaster rides. And check for discount tickets at Giant grocery stores, AAA and even from the PA turnpike. There's no point in paying full price, if you don't have to.

If you're going to be hanging out in the Hershey area, make sure to check out the Hershey Gardens up by Hotel Hershey. The grounds at the Hotel Hershey are worth a look too. And if you're feeling like you may want to pamper yourself, I highly recommend the Spa at Hotel Hershey. It's amazing.

Not far from Hershey is Lancaster, PA. That's another great area to visit. A lot of Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish places to visit. And 2 really nice outlet centers (there's outlets right by Hershey Park, too).

Have a great time in the area, I love it up there.

[BabieeMelly]

It's definitely worth a trip! We've been to Hershey Park and Lancaster, PA TONS of times, it's like a second home for us! The whole area is gorgeous.

Lancaster is one of my favorite places in the world. Coming from the city, I LOVE getting away to a place that's just so... simple. The area has been very touristy the past few years, but if you drive through the backroads the land is just beautiful. And it was SO interesting watching the Amish families go about their business. The children zipping through the streets on their scooters were too cute!

There are a tons of tours in Lancaster (both driving and buggy), as well as several attaractions. There's Kitchen Kettle Village (a small village with shops selling hand-crafted Amish souvenirs and fresh baked goods), Indian Echo Caverns (a tour of an underground cave... we've been to Indian Echo Caverns, Crystal Caves, and Howes Caverns, and this one was by far the best), and many one-room schoolhouses and Amish farms and homes to visit.

And you can't forget the outlet shopping. Both the Rockvale and Tanger outlet centers were GREAT... the best outlets we've ever been to. They literally had hundreds of store. I have friends who drive the 2 and a half hours to Lancaster each spring and fall, and spend a weekend just shopping out there!

Hershey Park is one of my favorite theme parks,and is located just about 25 minutes away from Lancaster. The visitor's center is great. The Hershey Chocolate ride is there, and is a great ride. It's a lot like Spaceship Earth, but it brings you through a replicate Hershey factory. There's also the Hershey's Really Big 3D show, which is right up there with Mickey's PhilharMagic. There's also a candy-making factory, a lot of shops, and a chocolate cafe.

Hershey Park itself is great. There are a ton of wild rollercoasters, but also a few mild ones. There are also a lot of classic rides. The flume here is great, and the Hershey's watch tower offered GREAT views. You can also see all of the shows, and take pictures with the Hershey characters.

We're actually planning on going back to the area again in the summer of 2007. We can't get enough!

[luv2sail]

Tanya and Melissa said everything I was going to say. That area of PA is definately worth a few days visit.

[RobDVC]

Yes, it is worth a visit! There's plenty to do in HersheyPark that doesn't involve hyper-thrill-rides, and the area is gorgeous.

[CaseyC]

I love Hershey Park! If you end up visiting, you won't regret it. It's ok to not be big on coasters there. There is plenty to see.

The only thing that I can add is that if you like the spa/salon scene, you can visit the Hershey hotel and get a chcolate wrap or massage. It is truly a one of a kind experience. The whole area surrounding Hershey is quite beautiful.

[TiggerTails]

We go every year DH gets cheap tickets through work, so we don't care if we ride much or not. We always ride the 'Kiss Tower' (very gentle) and make sure we get an ice cream sundae at chocolate world. It really is worth a visit. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[arielrocks]

I was rather disappointed with it on our last visit. I visited it in 73 and in 93 and was thrilled with it. When we took our daughter there 2 years ago boy was it commercialized. Not what it was 15 years ago. But, still it is fun to see the tour and et all. Go and enjoy it but don't expect much.
The best thing is the http://www.indianechocaverns.com/. That is about a mile or two down the ways from Hershey. It is still the same and still the best bang for the buck. Its in the tour book for the Hershey area. Go and have fun. Our daughter loved the rock tour better then Hershey. This did surprise us. If we had to do it all over again we would do Indian Echo Cavern vs Hershey. But this is just us.



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[CindyD]

I would recommend stopping by. There are many other things along with Hershey Park most are mentioned before. Go and have fun! Mid-May can go back and forthe with the weather. We should ahve pretty warm days in the mid-70's and into the 50's at night.

[arielrocks]

There is a pretzel and chocolate factory in Litz(?)
Their pretzels and chocolate are worth the drive and avoiding the Hershey pre fab chocolate that is not so good in my opinion. Plus they claim they had some secrets stolen from Hershey. Go figure. Plus you can see real chocolate and pretzels being made. Enjoy the trip no matter what.
Another fun thing to do is look for covered bridges. We found I think 20 and took pictures. Plus the scenery is beautiful in May. Some day we will try to find the rest.



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[BabieeMelly]

Are you talking about the Anderson Pretzel Factory? We went all the time when we were younger, but they closed it a few years ago. It may still be open for production purposes, but they no longer give tours.

And I LOVE Hershey chocolate, it's delicious [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] And they give you lots of free samples at the park! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/woot.gif[/img]