This was my first trip back to Hersheypark since 1985. They have made a few changes since that time. It was clear they didn’t want us to miss it.
We stayed at the newly renamed Hersheypark Camping Resort, just a couple of miles away from the sweetest place on earth. It was well maintained although a bit nerve wracking to get in and out of. The access roads in the campground are narrow and there is no clear direction on how to exit. Plan your exit strategy in advance and hope you don’t encounter an oncoming vehicle.
One big benefit of staying at the campground, as well as any of Hershey’s onsite properties, is the discounted tickets to Hersheypark. They were cheaper than tickets I was able to find through any other source.
One unique feature to Hersheypark is that you encounter various shops before you come to the actual ticketed entrance.
We ate dinner at Hersheypark Place. Reservations are recommended but we were able to get right in. The room they put us in was extremely loud but it got better after one family left. The decor was nicely done, unique and appropriate for the park.
The food was pretty good and I had the chocolate BBQ burger. It tasted like a mild BBQ sauce mixed with unsweetened chocolate. The freshly house made potato chips were very tasty.
Hersheypark is home to 11 roller coasters. While the park was busy, we were easily able to get a ride on all of them including some re-rides.
Some notable coasters at the park are Farenheit, my favorite steel coaster in the park. While I have been on a few other coasters with a vertical lift and a beyond vertical first drop, this one offered the best balance of speed, air time, and overall was just a great, fun ride.
Next is Storm Runner, a launched coaster that takes you from 0 to 72 MPH in 2 seconds flat. We expected a bit more from this coaster and found it to be somewhat rough and lacking a bit in excitement throughout the course. It is still a fun experience.
Skyrush is the park’s newest coaster. It has an exciting, smooth ride with the possibility of some good air time and intense twists. What kept this coaster from being my favorite in the park was the restrains. The ride operator bucked me in much tighter than I ever would have done myself. Then, disappointingly, the restraint continued to get tighter during the ride so that my feet were tingling by the end of the ride due to lack of blood flow. If they find a way to improve the restraints so you can actually experience all the forces on the ride, this would unquestionably be my favorite coaster at Hersheypark.
One thing that I did appreciate was the big fans in the station.
That was needed due the the unseasonably high temperatures in central Pennsylvania. This wasn’t even at the hottest point of the day. Great timing to schedule a trip during a heat wave.
If you are a fan of inverted coasters, then Great Bear is a must do. We loved the unique layout and it had a nice mix of elements that is sure to please all the coaster lovers on your list.
I have to mention Sooperdooperlooper. While I don’t want to take anything away from this classic 36 year old coaster, we implied from the name that it was going to be full of loops. And here, I present to you the single loop. Aside from our humor at the name, it is a decent family coaster.
A family favorite of ours was the Comet. It has all the elements you expect in a classic woody that is sure to continue to please families and thrill seekers for years to come. Jeffrey is particularly fond of the classic woodies and I tend to share his sentiment.
I regretfully missed a few pictures, probably while suffering from heat exhaustion. My favorite wooden coaster in the park is actually a twin coaster with two trains racing each other, called Lightning Racer. We managed to get a few rides on this coaster right at nightfall and enjoyed every moment of the ride. Combining steel and wood coasters, this tops the list as my favorite overall coaster in Hersheypark.
But Hersheypark isn’t all about roller coasters. It has a nice selection of other rides that are fun for the entire family.
A day at the park isn’t complete without a spin on the dark ride, Reese’s Xtreme Cup Challenge. FYI, Peanut Better > Chocolate.
Don’t overlook the carousel, reportedly the last ride that Milton Hershey himself purchased for the park before he died.
Hersheypark is probably one of the only parks in the world where you can buy a Smores with the marshmallow freshly toasted over an open fire.
When you’ve explored all of Hersheypark that you can handle, you’ll want to head across the parking lot to Hershey’s Chocolate World.
From gift shops, to restaurants, and the ability to purchase enough chocolate to put you in sugar shock, they have it all. You won’t want to miss the free tour of their simulated chocolate factory to get a unique rendition of how they make chocolate. I’d say it is cheesy but this is a chocolate factory.
If you have the budget and time, you’ll want to custom make your own chocolate bar and wrapper. You should leave yourself an extra hour or two for this. I found it a bit pricey but what are memories with the family really worth?
A trip isn’t complete without stopping by the bakery for some gourmet Hershey cupcakes. While the cupcake isn’t stuffed with filling, it does have pieces of candy mixed in with the batter. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum.
Hersheypark and Hershey’s Chocolate World is a lot of fun for families of all ages. If you haven’t been, make sure you put this experience on your upcoming list of things to do.
Check out our Facebook page for more pictures of our trip.
Happy camping!