Anyone been to Hershey, PA?

[tinkfan4ever]

Just curious when the best time to go to Hershey is and what are the must do things? Also, any suggestions on hotels around that area?

Thanks!
Steph.

 

[Otto's Doll]

We are staying at the Hershey Lodge at the end of the month, and the Hershey/Harrisburg Best Western too. Do a search on Hershey, there have been lots of threads regarding things to do in the area. FYI ~ they offer a preview plan where you can get your ticket 2.5 - 3.5 hours before closing the night before you plan to go, and you can enter the park then and do lots of rides, and then return the next day for the full day. We plan to do this, as I have heard it is not as crowded then.

 

[Pooh67_68]

You could also pm palmtreegirl, she recently got back.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

Nope, never been there!

 

[Douglas Dubh]

If you've got small kids, you've got to do Chocolate World. It's free, and they give you samples. It's just a dark ride attached to a gift shop, but my kids enjoyed it. We rode the ride twice.

 

[canwegosoon]

Haven't been there since I was a kid, but have passed by recently, and know that Crayola is also close by. FYI

 

[kpgclark]

We were just there less than two weekends ago. Sundays are the least crowded days at HersheyPark. When you get your tickets for one day you can go to the park for free the night before for 2.5 hours. This is the best deal. We did a lot Saturday night and then went to the park on Sunday. We had a great time. We stayed at the Hershey Lodge which has a couple of pools, shuffleboard, free miniature golf and other organized activities. Have a great time!

 

[N.Bailey]

Originally posted by kpgclark
We were just there less than two weekends ago. Sundays are the least crowded days at HersheyPark. When you get your tickets for one day you can go to the park for free the night before for 2.5 hours. This is the best deal. We did a lot Saturday night and then went to the park on Sunday. We had a great time. We stayed at the Hershey Lodge which has a couple of pools, shuffleboard, free miniature golf and other organized activities. Have a great time!

I've gone to Hershey Park a couple of times a year, for I couldn't tell you how many years and I really find myself (my husband agrees) wondering if Sundays are the best day to visit? I have found mid week to be the best time to visit. You might be right, but anytime we've been there on a weekend, it's been wayyyyyy to busy for us.

 

[kpgclark]

I can't speak for the weekdays but Sunday is definitely less crowded than Saturday. The folks who work there claim Sunday is always slow. I'm not an expert or anything.

 

[N.Bailey]

Originally posted by kpgclark
I can't speak for the weekdays but Sunday is definitely less crowded than Saturday. The folks who work there claim Sunday is always slow. I'm not an expert or anything.

I'm certainly no expert either, nor do I mean any offense to you by my reply. I hope you did not take it that way.

We've just been there every day of the week at one time or another. I find Friday's and Monday's to be fairly busy times because of so many people using vacation time for long weekends. I thought Saturday too were the busiest, followed by Sunday. Tuesday thru Thursday, IMO seemed to be the best times to visit. Sometimes, we can't go during those times though, so we're forced to go at busier (like I said, in our opinion) times or not to go at all.

Just because it's been busy when I've been there during those times, does NOT mean that's always the case.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Here's the link to my review, we just went to Hershey last week!

http://130.94.75.33/showthread.php?s=&threadid=577754&highlight=+Hershey++park++review

 

[disneycrazed139]

We've been there a few times and stay at the Hershey Lodge. It is a little overpriced, and the service isn't stellar, but there are a lot of dumpy motels in the area, and this is one of the nicer ones.

Chocolate World is a must do. It is adjacent to the park. There is a 3-D show that is new and sort of compares to something like Muppet Vision at Disney. You have to buy tickets to see it.

There is also a free ride in Chocolate World that takes you in a car through a talking show (sort of like the Great Movie Ride or Spaceship Earth). There is no charge and you learn about how chocolate is made. You also get free chocolate bars at the end of the ride!

Inside Hershey, there are lots of rides and attractions, but I wouldn't say anything really stands out as being a must do at Hershey--not to me anyway. It is a nice, clean theme park like Disney (NOT like Six Flags) and has a mix of newer rides and older, more carnival-like rides. Overall, it is a one-day tour and there is something for everyone.

It is a little known fact too that there is a mini-zoo at the back of the park with a separate entrance and the price of admission is included in your regular Hershey Park admission ticket. I think most people miss this, and it isn't really very crowded. It is called ZooAmerica and is themed to different areas of the United States, so there are no exotic animals here, but it is still a good chance to get close up with some bears! The zoo isn't very crowded either.

Also at Hershey--next to the park across from Chocolate World is the Hershey Museum--educational and fun.

Also, at this time of year, you would want to check out Hershey Gardens. You can grab a free bus there from either the Hershey Lodge or the park and stroll through gorgeous landscaping and collections of rare plants and flowers. There is also a butterfly exhibit in the summer. We haven't seen that, but it is supposed to be very beautiful.

At the Hershey Lodge, there is an indoor swimming pool, outdoor pool, miniature golf, a few restaurants (pricey), gift shop, and organized games for kids (although they aren't all that organized).

 

[poohbear2]

We went during 4th of July week a few years ago and had a blast! We stayed at The WhiteRose which is a family run motel. My mom has allergies and is very picky where she stays. She thought it was very clean and had no complaints.

 

[kpgclark]

N.Bailey, absolutely no offense was taken. Sorry if it sounded that way.