HERSHEYPARK (Hershey, PA)

[HPCrazy]

We live in Palmyra-which is the next town over from Hershey- and we are about 2 miles from the park. I can see the Kissing Tower from my front yard. Needless to say, we are season pass holders and are there about 3-4 times a week during the summer season. We always attend every day of Springtime in the Park and every day of the Halloween and Christmas season. We love it!

Nice to meet a fellow park-goer who enjoys Hershey and Disney! I know where Palymra is located, we don't make it up that way too much but I've been through there before. Maybe I might see you at Springtime in the Park! I'll be there next Sat and April 6th!

 

[DisneyFanInPA]

Who's in for a Disney meet at Hershey this summer!?

Count us in! We live close to HP and have been season pass holders for years. Can't wait for it to open again this year!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[HPCrazy]

^ DisFaninPA, I just sent you PM so be sure to check your Inbox when you have a chance.

Besides my love for Disney and Hershey, I'm also an artist. I've done this pencil drawing of Hersheypark over the years and continue to update it as the park changes and evolves:



Everything is as close to scale as I could go. Let me know what you think of it.

EDIT: I'm organizing a meet-up at the park (for Springtime in the Park) on Saturday April 6th. I have it set up for my Facebook friends but am opening it up to DIS-board members who live around this area and near the park. If you plan to be at the park that day, send me a PM or post below. Would love to have you join up and be able to meet some more fellow Hershey/WDW fans! We plan to meet outside Chocolate World's front entrance at 9:30 a.m. Maybe I'll see some of you there!

 

[CynBeth]

Which pet friendly hotel do you stay at?

The Day's Inn. I believe it is on W. Chocolate Avenue.

 

[GraysMom]

I've only been to HP for Christmas Candyland when the coaster weren't open (which is what I would be most interested in at HP). It's okay, but we skipped it this year because DS8 is really in to coasters and bigger rides and didn't want to ride the little kid rides.

Like Marcy, we live about 15 min from Dorney Park/Wildwater Kingdom and were season pass holders for several years when DS was in preschool/kindergarten. My two best friends and their boys who were the same age as DS would meet their once or twice a week to spend part of day riding and hanging out since our kids were too young for camps and such in the summer (you can only go to neighborhood parks so many days a week). DS is too big for the kiddie rides but too little for me to feel comfortable with him not flying out of the bigger rides w/o DH there to hold him in, so we haven't had passes for the last several years.

Even though Knoebels is almost 2 hrs away from us, I grew up going there and worked there during college, so it's my "home" park. We still go several times every summer and it's more of an old time amusement park with lots of trees, award winning and very varied food choices, and rides for all ages to enjoy. Helene-we need to have a meet there this summer. Maybe Marcy wants to join us?

 

[HelenePA]

I've only been to HP for Christmas Candyland when the coaster weren't open (which is what I would be most interested in at HP). It's okay, but we skipped it this year because DS8 is really in to coasters and bigger rides and didn't want to ride the little kid rides.

Like Marcy, we live about 15 min from Dorney Park/Wildwater Kingdom and were season pass holders for several years when DS was in preschool/kindergarten. My two best friends and their boys who were the same age as DS would meet their once or twice a week to spend part of day riding and hanging out since our kids were too young for camps and such in the summer (you can only go to neighborhood parks so many days a week). DS is too big for the kiddie rides but too little for me to feel comfortable with him not flying out of the bigger rides w/o DH there to hold him in, so we haven't had passes for the last several years.

Even though Knoebels is almost 2 hrs away from us, I grew up going there and worked there during college, so it's my "home" park. We still go several times every summer and it's more of an old time amusement park with lots of trees, award winning and very varied food choices, and rides for all ages to enjoy. Helene-we need to have a meet there this summer. Maybe Marcy wants to join us?

Yes we'll need to meet! Only 35 days until opening day!! Lets hope the weather is a little warmer for that I'm so excited since Ant will be able to go on the Phoenix this year! he's going to love it!

 

[mlktwins]

Would love some advice on Hershey Park. I have not been in many, many years. Dh and I are taking the kids (will be almost 8 by then) the week before Memorial Day for a couple of days.

Is opening day (in the middle of the week - Wednesday) a horrible day to go? I was thinking no because school is still in session. We homeschool are try to go to places like this when it is less crowded.

Will we need 1 or 2 days there to get it all in? The hours on Wed and Thurs are 10-6 and Friday 10-10.

Can you tell me about Chocolate World. What is there to see? We are planning to make our own chocolate bars. Is the trolley ride worth doing?

Any restaurants you would recommend for dinners?

Thanks so much. We were already planning to go before this thread started, but have really enjoyed reading.

TIA

 

[HPCrazy]

Would love some advice on Hershey Park. I have not been in many, many years. Dh and I are taking the kids (will be almost 8 by then) the week before Memorial Day for a couple of days.

Is opening day (in the middle of the week - Wednesday) a horrible day to go? I was thinking no because school is still in session. We homeschool are try to go to places like this when it is less crowded.

Will we need 1 or 2 days there to get it all in? The hours on Wed and Thurs are 10-6 and Friday 10-10.

Can you tell me about Chocolate World. What is there to see? We are planning to make our own chocolate bars. Is the trolley ride worth doing?

Any restaurants you would recommend for dinners?

Thanks so much. We were already planning to go before this thread started, but have really enjoyed reading.

TIA

Memorial Day weekend may be crowded except Memorial Day itself (people off of work/long weekend)... I may be going right before the holiday weekend myself. Even if the crowds are a little larger, if it's hot out, most of them will flock to the park's waterpark area (The Boardwalk at Hersheypark) thus making waits for the other rides not as long. My advice to you is if you guys love major coasters to do Skyrush first thing or hit the Midway America section in the rear of the park as people don't go out there first thing (everything will be walk-on out there at the beginning of the day). Besides the water park area and their flume ride (The Coal Cracker), they also have a mini flume ride for the kids named Tiny Timbers. The park also has the Reese's X-treme Cup Challenge which is similar to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and Toy Story Mania (kind of a hybrid of both combining a ride on a track and shooting lasers at targets), plus is also one of the few parks left out there with a monorail (becoming a rarity these days lol).

Chocolate World also has a FREE tour ride (similar to the Disney dark rides) that explains and takes you through a simulated Hershey factory. They also will be debuting a brand spankin new 4-D show with the Hershey characters in the spring, not sure when the opening date is though. Never did the Create Your Own Candy Bar attraction but I've heard people say they like it and hate it. It all depends on you. I've done the Trolley Tour years ago and if you've never done it and enjoy historical stuff, then I highly recommend it. They ride you through the town and depending on the time of the year, they have different themes for it. More info can be found at the following links:

http://www.hersheypark.com

http://www.hersheychocolateworld.com

As far as eating goes, I know there is a Red Robin, several fast food places (McD's, two Wendy's, etc, a Bob Evans, Friendly's and Applebee's) all within a short distance of the park. The park also has a character themed restaurant called "Hersheypark Place" that seems like a lot of fun. I've never tried it but the place looks pretty cool on the inside. You can find more about it if you go to the food section of the park's website.

Hope you enjoy your visit and assuming you guys are also Disney fans, would be cool to meet up with you depending on when you go! I'm pretty much familiar with the park and know A LOT about it, so have any more questions, feel free to ask or PM me. Would love to make some more Hershey/Disney friends!

 

[Mkrop]

Would love some advice on Hershey Park. I have not been in many, many years. Dh and I are taking the kids (will be almost 8 by then) the week before Memorial Day for a couple of days.

Is opening day (in the middle of the week - Wednesday) a horrible day to go? I was thinking no because school is still in session. We homeschool are try to go to places like this when it is less crowded.

Will we need 1 or 2 days there to get it all in? The hours on Wed and Thurs are 10-6 and Friday 10-10.

Can you tell me about Chocolate World. What is there to see? We are planning to make our own chocolate bars. Is the trolley ride worth doing?

Any restaurants you would recommend for dinners?

Thanks so much. We were already planning to go before this thread started, but have really enjoyed reading.

TIA

You will probably get a lot done on Wed and Thurs, because I dont think many people will be there except possibly school field trips. But we have never had a problem with the field trips, we just went in the opposite direction. One group was funny one year, they were all high fiving oldest DS who maybe 9 or so at the time for going on Storm Runner and giving their scardey cat friend a hard time. DS thought he was so cool.

We love the ride in Chocolate World, it reminds us of Disney. The 3D movie is fun, once again sort reminds us of WDW. We have never done the trolley on my list.

There are tons of chain restaurant around. We really like Hershey Grill, it is next to the Hershey Lodge, not inside it. We usually stay at the Lodge, but even if we dont we still like to eat there, you dont have to stay there to eat in any of the restaurants.

Are you staying on Hershey property? They use to have a deal where you could get in an hour earlier (like EMH), they only had 2 locations open but we were able to knock those out and be the first in line for the roller coasters. There is also a preview plan, that let's you in the day before for like 3 hours or so. We also utilized this to get a feel for the park and maybe do a ride or two depending on rides. Being that it is still the beg of the season, I am not sure they are doing that but I would check. We usually go in June when my kids have had a random day off from school.

 

[HPCrazy]

Just informing everyone here who lives in the Central PA area and is familiar with Hersheypark:

I'm hoping to maybe meet up with some DISboard fans at the park in the coming two Saturdays for their Springtime in the Park event. I'll be there this Saturday (Mar 30) meeting up with some friends at 10 a.m. at the front gate.

I'll also be there organizing a meet-up on Saturday April 6th. Our group will meet-up outside Chocolate World's entrance at 9:30 a.m. and then we'll precede down to the front gate.

If anyone here plans to attend Springtime in the Park on either of these two days, feel free to let me know below or send me a PM so we can exchange cell numbers to stay in touch. Would love to meet up with some DISboard fans who are also Hershey fans as well! Maybe I'll see some of you there!

Also if anyone here who plans on traveling to the park this summer or lives in the area, let's try to maybe organize a DISBoard fan meet at the park this summer if we can! Feel free to let me know below if interested. Thanks!

 

[Li Li]

Hi there! I live in Hershey and can walk to the park. We bought a house here about five years ago. I also worked at the park for three summers during high school although a lot has changed since then! Funnily enough, my DH and I have not gotten season passes as we usually only hit the park once a year or less. Between working there and growing up in the area, I think we are just a little jaded on the park. We like it, but we are definitely more Disney obsessed!

I'll keep up with this thread to see if we can make a DIS-meet, but probably can't make the April one.

Parking tip! Park for free at the parking structure downtown next to the Hershey Story (the museum). Then, cross the walking bridge (elevated, walking over train tracks) and you can be picked up by the Chocolate shuttle which will drive you over to chocolate world. You could also just walk down the road and follow the macadam path next to the park fence which will lead to park. Sorry, I just hate how much they are charging for parking now! My DH and I remember when it used to be free to park!

 

[HPCrazy]

Awesome! The more people we can get together for a DIS-meet at Hershey at some point this year, the better! Would love to connect with you guys at the park at some point this year.

 

[HPCrazy]

Springtime in the Park opens tomorrow. As I had mentioned before, I'll be having a meet-up next Saturday (April 6th) beginning at 9:30 a.m. However, if you're unable to come out then, I'll also be there this Saturday as well (March 30th). Would love to meet up with any Hershey locals here who plan on coming out one or both days. Feel free to let me know below, thanks!

Also if anyone is also interested in planning a DIS-Meet at the park this summer, feel free to post below and when you plan to visit. Let's try to make this happen folks!

 

[PaulaSue]

We had season passes for years. Going back to work full time put a crimp on our free time so just do it once or twice a year with cheap passes from giant. Girls already asked about going this year so I put them in charge of reading the Sunday paper to find the deal.

 

[HPCrazy]

I was just at the park today. How many of you were there or are planning on being there next Saturday? Lots of cosmetic changes being done throughout!

We had season passes for years. Going back to work full time put a crimp on our free time so just do it once or twice a year with cheap passes from giant. Girls already asked about going this year so I put them in charge of reading the Sunday paper to find the deal.

I'm happy to see quite a few people on these boards who live in the area and are familiar with the park. Keep me posted whenever you guys may be there this year, would be cool to meet-up if I'm there at the same time as you guys.

 

[HPCrazy]

Wanted to inform any of you DISboard locals who may be heading out to Hersheypark this Saturday that I'm still planning to meet up outside Chocolate World although I am moving the meet-up time to 9:15 a.m. instead of 9:30. This is because there may be a possibility that the park may be opening up Skyrush by this weekend (found out through one of my friends who knows some of the higher-ups within the company and was informed about it). So anyways, if you love coasters and rides, and meeting great people, don't miss out on this opportunity....if you're interested in coming out at some point during the day, feel free to exchange cell #'s via PM so we can be in touch. "Hopefully" I'll see some of you locals on Saturday.

 

[jenny105]

Anyone hear anything about Mixtape Festival this year in Hershey? I had a blast last year and was hoping to go again. I haven't heard a thing about it though!

 

[HPCrazy]

Looks like Hershey is expecting Skyrush to open TOMORROW! Anyone who is planning to meet up with our group, be sure to be outside Chocolate World at 9:15 a.m. sharp. As soon as the gates open, we will make our way down to the Hollow. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

If you need to be in touch with me, now's the time to send me a PM and we can exchange cell phone #'s to stay in touch.

 

[HPCrazy]

As some of you locals may have heard, Skyrush officially opened yesterday for the 2013 season. Here are some pics I took:







The ride as of the morning before it's opening.




The line shortly after our first ride (me and a few friends were on the first train out in the front row)























Plus here are a few updates on the cosmetic changes in the park this year for anyone here who's familiar:

Skyview's gondolas received multiple colors which looks really nice.








The Kissing Tower received a refurbishment:






The new height measurement areas (outside the front gates and inside the park near the carousel):






And the Coastline Plunge set of slides in their waterpark area, The Boardwalk, will be receiving two new slides (orange and yellow) which can be seen in the following photos:







If you have a chance, be sure to get out and experience Skyrush this season!

 

[HPCrazy]

As some of you locals may have heard, Skyrush officially opened yesterday for the 2013 season. Here are some pics I took:







The ride as of the morning before it's opening.




The line shortly after our first ride (me and a few friends were on the first train out in the front row)

























Plus here are a few updates on the cosmetic changes in the park this year for anyone here who's familiar:

Skyview's gondolas received multiple colors which looks really nice.






The Kissing Tower received a refurbishment:






The new height measurement areas (outside the front gates and inside the park near the carousel):






And the Coastline Plunge set of slides in their waterpark area, The Boardwalk, will be receiving two new slides (orange and yellow) which can be seen in the following photos:







If you have a chance, be sure to get out and experience Skyrush this season!