Hersheypark

[WDWJonasGirl]

I have never been to Hersheypark before. I'm going for the first time this summer. What's it like?

 

[mjkacmom]

Depends. During the summer, especially on weekends, it's packed, with long lines. It has some great coasters, good (but very expensive) food (not allowed to bring in food/drinks), some shows, nice family atmosphere. I only go in the the spring, during the week, and it's very managable. A little hilly.

 

[Daddee]

Hershey is my home park basically.
everything the PP said is dead on. The food is ok, but expensive.
Also at Hershey is The Chocolate factory, good to waste about 3 hours if you do everything there. The chocolate tasting school is pretty cool. (once) A huge chocolate world shop can easily burn up an hour.

Inside the park there is a waterpark. not huge but its big enough to enjoy
The Coasters are pretty good. There will be a new coaster opening end of May. The lines will be huge tho. If you are with young ones, the kiddie rides are plentiful.
And last is Zoo America. again not huge, but always have a great time at the Zoo.

If you have any questions about the area or the park, let me know.

 

[puffkin]

Yup, agree with PP's.

The lines can get very long, but we actually have had good luck going holiday weekends. We went Saturday of July 4th weekend this year and it was great...a coworker went Sunday and she said it wasn't bad either.

The water park gets VERY crowded. Insanely so. It is NOT like a Disney Waterpark. You have to wait in lines to get into everything including the wave pool and lazy river. I am talking 30-45 minute lines if it is busy. It is ok, but not worth those kinds of waits. Crazy!

The good think about the waterpark is it funnels off a lot of people from the other rides. You have to hit the big coasters early (Fahrenheit, Storm Runner, the new one, Great Bear). I always think it really clears out about dinner time as well, so evenings are a great time.

Speaking of evenings, they do a pretty good deal where if you buy your admission for the next day they let you into the park that night for a preview. I forget what time that starts, but you can get a lot done in a few hours in the evenings.

We enjoy Chocolate World and ZooAmerica. Definitely great little breaks during the day. Food is very expensive. They do offer a refillable mug though that is a great deal. It is like $7 and it is good the entire year. Refills are about $1 all over the park. We always pack a lunch and picnic out near the car. There are lots of picnic tables and grassy areas in the parking area and it saves us a ton of money. There is also a Wendy's, Red Robin, Pizza Hut and other chains really close if you want to leave and come back.

The park is extremely hilly and stroller pushing (especially for larger kids) can be challenging. Just be prepared.

 

[disny_luvr]

Hersheypark admission is expensive. I'm pretty sure a one-day admission is close to $60 now. Check out the local Giant grocery stores. They usually have good discounted tickets. You'll also pay to park. I'm thinking it is around $15/car but I could be wrong; we have season passes so I don't pay attention to this stuff anymore.

I'm not sure when you are planning to visit but if possible try to visit earlier in the summer or after Labor Day. I find June to be pretty empty and weekends are even do-able. Once July 4th hits it is full everyday, weekends and even weekdays, until Labor Day.

If going to the water park, head there early as it gets insanely busy and finding a seat to sit and/or put your stuff down is next to impossible.

Food is expensive and mediocre. Whatever you do don't bring food into the Park with you. Security is pretty fussy about this and will either make you throw out your food or take it back to your car. There are plenty of near by restaurants if you want to eat outside of the Park.

We love going to Hersheypark. We can see the Kissing Tower from our driveway and since it is so close we spend a large part of our summer there. Please feel free to PM me if you have anymore questions.

 

[Daddee]

10 bucks a car 20 for vip parking. VIP is bit closer. I do just because I hate losing my car

If you are a coaster person, The WildCat is a very rough wooden coaster.

ticket prices:
http://www.hersheypark.com/tickets/index.php

 

[stairstepmom]

We went last summer and I have to admit I wasn't a big fan. The layout of the park is just so strange compared to what I'm used to from Six Flags parks and even my one WDW trip, it felt like you had to walk FOREVER just to get to the next cluster of rides. At our usual Six Flags, all the kiddie rides are in one section, one right after another, making it very convenient to plant yourself in a spot and then get the kids through all the rides in that area before moving on to the next (kinda like the "lands" of WDW).

I also really didn't like the "waterpark" area - having to wait in a line and get into an area through a turnstile, then being trapped in there without access to your stroller, diapers, etc., we ended up having one adult go in with the kids and communicate over the gate - it was very weird, but maybe Six Flags waterpark sections have just spoiled us. And yes, it was PACKED and HOT, and waiting in line for an hour for a rollercoaster is not something my kiddos were used to. Basically in 5 hours there our kids rode 5 or 6 things.

We also went to Hershey World and we loved that much more than Hersheypark.

Oh and our last day we went to Indian Echo Caverns - that was the best part of the whole trip, the kids loved it and it was the only time we didn't feel stressed and rushed.

 

[mjkacmom]

We went last summer and I have to admit I wasn't a big fan. The layout of the park is just so strange compared to what I'm used to from Six Flags parks and even my one WDW trip, it felt like you had to walk FOREVER just to get to the next cluster of rides. At our usual Six Flags, all the kiddie rides are in one section, one right after another, making it very convenient to plant yourself in a spot and then get the kids through all the rides in that area before moving on to the next (kinda like the "lands" of WDW).

I also really didn't like the "waterpark" area - having to wait in a line and get into an area through a turnstile, then being trapped in there without access to your stroller, diapers, etc., we ended up having one adult go in with the kids and communicate over the gate - it was very weird, but maybe Six Flags waterpark sections have just spoiled us. And yes, it was PACKED and HOT, and waiting in line for an hour for a rollercoaster is not something my kiddos were used to. Basically in 5 hours there our kids rode 5 or 6 things.

We also went to Hershey World and we loved that much more than Hersheypark.

Oh and our last day we went to Indian Echo Caverns - that was the best part of the whole trip, the kids loved it and it was the only time we didn't feel stressed and rushed.

I LOVE how the park is set up, buy your kids are pretty young. We love the fact that, in each section, there are plenty of rides for all to enjoy, and when my youngest were little, they didn't have to hang around and wait for their siblings to finish the coasters, and the big kids didn't have to waste time on baby rides.

And the same thing would hold true if someone complained about going to WDW during the summer, and having to deal with lines and the heat.

 

[CarlisleMom]

Hershey is my home park. This will be the 3rd year that we have season passes. I work in a school so am home all summer with DD10. We like to go on a Tuesday or Wednesday about 1/2 hour after opening. In 2011, we very rarely had crowds at this time. Some weeks we got on the best coasters with only a 10-15 min wait. Other times the wait was 1 hour or more.

We love it.

 

[North of Mouse]

Stairstepmom, don't even begin to compare ANY park with WDW, 'cause it ain't gonna happen . We haven't been in quite a while, but we loved it for what it was - a smaller nice amusement park - We actually stayed at the campground (don't even know if they still have it) and it worked out perfectly because we didn't have parking issues. We loved the "smell" ahhhh - chocolate We do plan to go again when we go that direction again.

 

[disny_luvr]

Stairstepmom, don't even begin to compare ANY park with WDW, 'cause it ain't gonna happen . We haven't been in quite a while, but we loved it for what it was - a smaller nice amusement park - We actually stayed at the campground (don't even know if they still have it) and it worked out perfectly because we didn't have parking issues. We loved the "smell" ahhhh - chocolate We do plan to go again when we go that direction again.

Yes, the campground is still there. Sadly, most of it was flooded out this fall when Hurricane Irene passed through. They are working on repairing it though. This summer we plan on renting one of the cabins there for a weekend (even though we only live about 5 mins. away) because we enjoy camping and we think the campground is nice.

 

[North of Mouse]

Yes, the campground is still there. Sadly, most of it was flooded out this fall when Hurricane Irene passed through. They are working on repairing it though. This summer we plan on renting one of the cabins there for a weekend (even though we only live about 5 mins. away) because we enjoy camping and we think the campground is nice.

Oh, sorry about the cc flooding, hadn't heard that, but are glad they are still going to keep it open. We will definitely be going back - was an awesome mini-cation

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

Clean, safe, fun, wide variety of rides for all ages, shows, etc. We took my 3 yo this summer, on our first real family trip. Went with a large group of people and it was so fun. Stay at Hershey Lodge if you have the $$! It is simply the Sweetest Place on Earth as they say.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Hersheypark admission is expensive. I'm pretty sure a one-day admission is close to $60 now. Check out the local Giant grocery stores. They usually have good discounted tickets. You'll also pay to park. I'm thinking it is around $15/car but I could be wrong; we have season passes so I don't pay attention to this stuff anymore.

I'm not sure when you are planning to visit but if possible try to visit earlier in the summer or after Labor Day. I find June to be pretty empty and weekends are even do-able. Once July 4th hits it is full everyday, weekends and even weekdays, until Labor Day.

If going to the water park, head there early as it gets insanely busy and finding a seat to sit and/or put your stuff down is next to impossible.

Food is expensive and mediocre. Whatever you do don't bring food into the Park with you. Security is pretty fussy about this and will either make you throw out your food or take it back to your car. There are plenty of near by restaurants if you want to eat outside of the Park.

We love going to Hersheypark. We can see the Kissing Tower from our driveway and since it is so close we spend a large part of our summer there. Please feel free to PM me if you have anymore questions.

What?! I didn't know it was so expesnive. I'm new to it.

Hersheypark is phenomenal. I have been many times in my life, as a child and adult.

Clean, safe, fun, wide variety of rides for all ages, shows, etc. IMO, like a very very small Disneyworld feel. We took my 3 yo this summer, on our first real family trip. Went with a large group of people and it was so fun. Hershey Lodge, if you have the $$, is expensive but the way to go. Like Disney, you can take shuttle buses to the parks so you do not have to drive. It is simply the Sweetest Place on Earth as they say. Any ? I will answer if I can.

 

[burnurcomputer]

if you are going more then 1 day i would look into a season pass. When you add in the cost of parking and the "extras" that you get with the season pass, you will save some $. I havn't had a season pass the last 3 years because I was baking my last and my 2 smallest are still quite small, BUT I had a season pass since I was 8-9 and I am now 33

 

[ForAandA]

We used to go every year to Hershey. They are very hilly, and everything seems to go uphill . The kids enjoyed the rides and the shows. Always love going through Chocolate World. It is a nice weekend away.

 

[Disneykidsdad]

What does this have to do with Disney??

 

[suzyqsam]

What better way to get information than from fellow Dis'ers