Anyone been to Hershey Park recently?

[roliepolieoliefan]

We are thinking of taking our then 5 yo DS to HersheyPark this September when we venture out to Strasburg to see Thomas the Tank Engine. I just have 2 questions: Is Hersheypark age appropriate for a 5yo? And we are thinking of staying at the Hershey Lodge but its kind of pricey, almost 200 a night. Is it worth it to stay at the Lodge or are there cheaper just as nice hotels near by? Thanks for any info.

 

[chelsea&austinsmom]

We went this past summer to Hershey Park with dd8 and ds 4. DS had a great time on the rides. It's definelty appropiate for a 4 y/o. Many rides for his age. We stayed off site so I can't help you with the hotel part.

 

[katerkat]

I went last summer (DH's family lives nearby and his mom works at the medical center!) I don't know about age appropriate, though they did have "kiddie" areas. I don't know what's in the area because we don't utilize it.
My parents stayed at the Sleep Inn down the road. I don't know what they paid, but they liked it. It was right off 81, about five miles (or less) from the park. DH says most of the area hotels are good.

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

what I liked about the Lodge was that they provied bus transportation to the park, so you don't have to drive there (it's about 2 miles) and you don't have to pay for parking.

they also offer package deals at the Lodge. and I think they still do Breakfast in the Park --- a character breakfast with Mr. hershey Bar, Miss Kiss, etc.

my girls were 4 1/2 and 3 the first time I took them there, and they loved it.

 

[stevenpensacola]

We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast in a 200 year old house on a working family owned dairy farm. Kids had a ball. I think we paid about $80 night (included hearty breakfast). There are many B & B's in the area. The one we stayed at was the Walnut Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast in Lancaster county.

www.walnuthillfarmbandb.com/

 

[disneygals]

I went this summer with 4 adults and 4 kids. We stayed at Addey's Inn..a 3 br level of a house for $200 a night. It was cute, but not luxurious. They have a couple of cats that hang out on the property and my kids loved seeing them.

Hershey Park was really fun...we had 6, 8,9,10 year old girls.

Check into the Picnic deal they have at the park...dinner, characters etc, Hershey lunch box...very fun

It's easy to get around there, even I didn't get lost

The park offers a free night before preview which is a great idea if you don't try and park there the same night the Who are playing...lol. We did get to hear a couple of songs!

Have fun

 

[Melrosgirl]

Hershey will be great for that age. It's not DisneyWorld, of course, but it's fun.

I haven't stayed at any of the Hershey hotels, but I have used the Spa at the Hotel Hershey...lovely hotel! (I'll be at that Chocolate Spa in a couple of weeks!)

 

[TiggerPiglet]

We've been to Hershey Park a lot. Our kids are 7 and 3 and there is plenty to do. They have a ton of kiddie rides and about eight rollar coasters, I believe, and a few water rides. They also have Chocolate World right next door where you get to go on a free tour and receive a free chocolate bar at the end. They also have a 3-D movie at Chocolate World, I forget how much that is. We've never stayed at either of the Hershey Hotels. We usually stay at the Springhill Suites by Marriott or the Hilton Garden Inn, both of which are under $200 and are about a mile away.

 

[married2grumpy]

We went to Hershey last summer with our then almost 5 DD and 3 year old DS. They have a great selection of kiddie rides scattered throughout the park. Some look ancient but my kids still loved it. They have a tram that my kids thought was a monorail. We stayed for 2 nights at Hershey Lodge and enjoyed our stay. The bus service reminds you of Disney and the rooms are really nice, hershey kisses on the wall paper and pillow cases. We didn't find the on site restaurants to be that great. You also get a full size hershey bar for each guest at check in. They have a kids check in area as well. It is pricey but I think we will stay there again in July. We looked into other places to stay but for $20-30 more a night it was worth staying "on site". You can do the park in one day and the gardens(boring), chocolate world and zoo the next day. The hershey park web site has descriptions of each ride so you can see how many things there are for a 5 year old.
We didn't get to Strasburg to see Thomas but would like to do that next time. Have you been there before and how was it?

 

[TimeforMe]

We were there a few years ago and stayed at the Hershey Lodge. I recommend it. I would look into package deals as I think they worked out better. I think the Hershey Hotel is nicer, but also more expensive. If I remember correctly, the Lodge had an indoor/outdoor pool which was neat. They also had an outdoor poolside bbq, which was fun. The Park itself was a bit "hilly" to walk through.

 

[charlie,nj]

We (DW,DS5, DS10) when last summer it was fun. I agree it’s not WDW but it was interesting to see. I must say they do have a monorail like ride that takes you around the park and zoo. It is nice to walk around and check everything out. I liked the zoo the best. We stayed off site for that stay. I can’t remember the name of the hotel.

We also just went the weekend after Christmas. We stayed at the Lodge I think it was $139 a night. It was great it sort of reminded me of the WDW WL. Nice lobby with a big fireplace to sit by and have hot drinks. They have a nice gift shop, coffee shop, and 4 or 5 restaurants in the Lodge. We ate in “the Den” a sports themed place with big screen TV’s all over. We happened to eat there during the Eagles / Giants game. The place was going crazy..mostly Eagle fans but it didn’t stop my sons and me from cheering for the Giants. (we got some nasty looks) We also ate in “the Grill” a smaller diner type place.

They had some nice Christmas activities (crafts and movies) for the kiddies in the Lodge. We went to the park Saturday evening. It was free to get in but you had to pay for tickets if you wanted to go on any of the few rides that were open. It was nice to see the Christmas lights but that was about it. We all agreed that the CW ride is the best…we when on it 4 times.

Have fun!