In 1903, Milton S. Hershey went back to his hometown. He went there with the intention of building the country's first modern chocolate factory, and he ended up doing so much more. Hershey built an entire town where his employees could live and thrive, and at the heart of that town now sits Hersheypark, a deliciously grand place for families to come and enjoy quality time with one another. When I knew that we needed a stop for a night in between our visit to Connecticut and our stop at our family reunion in West Virginia, a trip to Hershey, PA. was a no-brainer.


I had heard amazing things from friends who lived near Hersheypark and visited often, but I had never been there myself. I really had no idea what to expect when we arrived in the parking lot. I mean, what do you imagine you will find at a theme park created by a chocolate company? What we found here was an entire day of thrills. The park offered so much more than we could have possibly imagined, and we ended up wishing we could stay longer when we headed out the park gates just a few minutes before closing.






First of all, the entire park is themed brilliantly with candy, candy everywhere, which is no less than you would expect from a park with the namesake Hershey. Let's discuss the ride categories for a moment shall we? The rides are divided into height categories, and at the front of each ride, you can see the different categories that qualify to ride that particular ride according to their height. Hersheypark has devised an easy to follow system with their candy colored height system which begins at Miniatures, which are those guests under 36" and goes up to Jolly Ranchers, which are those guests over 60". How neat is that?




What kind of rides do you like? Because, Hersheypark is sure to have them. From old time favorites, to kiddie rides, and really incredible thrill-seeker roller coasters, there is most certainly something for everyone. I really appreciate a theme park that has just as much for smaller guests as it does for thrill-seeking teens and adults whose stomachs may not be equipped to handle some of the faster rides anymore. The Boardwalk area even sports a full range of water rides for those who don't mind spending some time in the water. The water park area is included with regular admission, which is also a unique aspect of this theme park over others.




Also included in park admission at Hersheypark is entrance to ZooAmerica, which we did not have the opportunity to visit, since we were only there for an afternoon. In addition, you can also enter Hershey's Chocolate World at the entrance to Hersheypark with your admission ticket, where you can have access to an incredible gift shop with the ability to build your own bars, take an informational your to see how Hershey chocolate is made, and enjoy a meal in a full food court. Don't forget to get your free sample of chocolate after taking your tour in Hershey's Chocolate World.




Hungry, there are plenty of places to grab a bite in the park, from simple concession stands to full sit down meals. We highly recommend picking up a big bag of freshly popped kettle popcorn, and enjoy dinner at Hersheypark Place at the park's entrance, their meatloaf is fantastic!

Hersheypark is open seasonably, with availability most days in May-September, select days in April, October, November and December. Find a complete list of available days and hours at Hersheypark.com. One day admission for adults is $63.95 and for children it's $40.95. Multi-day tickets, sunset tickets, and other discounts are available on the website.

If you are near Hershey, PA. and are looking for something to enjoy for a day or an entire weekend, be sure to visit Hersheypark.com to start planning your visit.