How many days at Hershey Park?

[Maggie Ann]

Hi everyone! Our family is thinking about going to Hershey Park this summer. If we go, my husband and I will be taking our children (ages 5 and 6) during the week (I heard the weekends are extremely crowded) Can we do the park in one day, or would you recommend two?

Also, can anyone tell me how crowded summer weekdays are?

Thanks for any information. Have a great day!!

 

[mjkacmom]

I would go to Hersheyworld in the afternoon, and then take advantage of the free preview hours, and then plan to go the entire next day. You might not get in the waterpark. If that is a must, do that first thing in the morning. Hershey has some great coasters, but your 5 year old might be too small. My twins were 6 1/2 when we went last, and they just made the height requirements.

 

[my4devils]

Hello! Season pass holder here at Hershey Park. Yes- weekends are very busy- I think it is smart to avoid. The weekday crowds can be hit or miss- a day that is gloomy or chance of showers is going to be much less crowded. I would recommend hitting the water activities- Boardwalk at the Beach- right at opening as it tends to get really crowded in the afternoon heat. We followed this plan this past Memorial Day and we walked on all the rides in the afternoon. The crowds are usually fairly light in the evening as most of the tour groups and little ones have gone home. If your kids can make it to closing- its a great time to tour.

A little hint- if you go to the park the evening before and either purchase or show them your next day's pass they will allow you to preview the park for a few hours that night. This is a good way to get some extra time in the park without buying a 2 day pass. Personally, I think the park can be done in one day. However- there is alot to do in Hershey in addition to the park such as Chocolate World, Hershey Zoo, Museum, trolley ride, etc... You certainly can make a 2 day trip out of Hershey.

Also, Hershey sells a pass that gets you one day admission at their park and another admission for Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster. Might want to check that out too- its great for the 5-6 yr old crowd!

Hershey's food is expensive and not good- doesnt hold a candle to Disney food. You can either grin and bear it (Minetown Village is at least air conditioned) or leave to eat. There is a Red Robin and Wendy's really close by.

If I can answer anymore questions- please let me know! We have been going to HP about 3-4x a month for the past 8 years!

 

[Maggie Ann]

Thank you both for replying. I had no idea that you could review the park for a few hours the day before. I think that will meet our needs perfectly!

My4devils - thank you for offering to answer more questions for me. I might just have to make you my Hershey Guru because I'm sure there might be a few more questions along the way.

Thanks again and have a great day!!

 

[MsEsty]

A couple more tips,

Try to go to a "Turkey Hill" (like a 7-11) or a Dunkin Donuts before - they sometimes have coupons for a couple dollars off admission.

 

[my4devils]

No problem! I am glad I can help. If you come into Hershey on Route 39 there is a Giant grocery store a few miles before the park. They sell discount tickets there for, I believe, 34.95.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

You and your kids might enjoy Zoo America as well. From their web site:
"Same day admission to ZooAmerica is included in the Hersheypark one-price admission plan during the Park operating season, when entered from within Hersheypark. (Hersheypark admission tickets are not valid for admission at the ZooAmerica off-street entrance.)"

While it's not the largest or most spectacular zoo I've ever seen, the exhibits are good and the staff are knowledgable and great with children. With that in mind, I'd allow yourself at least two days to explore Hersheypark and Zoo America without turning into a theme park comando.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

Is there much to do if no one likes roller coasters or really fast rides? My kids are too old for kiddie rides but don't like fast ones.

 

[my4devils]

For kids that are not big thrill ride fans- they would probably enjoy most of the water activities at the Boardwalk. There is a huge wave pool and lazy river ride that keeps my kids happy for hours. You could spend the afternoon at the zoo and then catch some of the rides they would like in the evening. Our fav family ride is the Reese's Extreme Cup Challenge- its similar to Buzz in the MK. We go on that 2-3 times a visit!

 

[shelby101301]

We did the water park for the firs time last year and it chewed up a lot of time. Yes they have a wave pool, but they only let X number of people in at once. so we waited and waited and waited - about an hour, for our turn. Incredibly crowded, but it's still new so maybe that was it? dunno

It was a great water section, but I was shocked at how much time it ate up.

Web site has the rides listed so you can see what they have. My kids don't do fast, but they also like the kiddie rides still so there is always plenty for us to do. Last year we bought AP for Dutch Wonderland but this year I felt they had outgrown so we bought AP for Hershey.

Food is outrageous. One s'more - exactly like you would make at home, goes for about $3.75! They don't allow food in the park, but guest services will hold a cooler for you if you have medical reasons (my youngest has severe food allergies) which is better than going all the way back to the car.

 

[Maggie Ann]

Hi everyone. Thanks for the great tips. Sorry for the delay in replying but I have been without the computer for a couple of weeks.

I'm starting to get excited about our family trip now.

 

[lighttech]

Hello! Season pass holder here at Hershey Park. Yes- weekends are very busy- I think it is smart to avoid. The weekday crowds can be hit or miss- a day that is gloomy or chance of showers is going to be much less crowded. I would recommend hitting the water activities- Boardwalk at the Beach- right at opening as it tends to get really crowded in the afternoon heat. We followed this plan this past Memorial Day and we walked on all the rides in the afternoon. The crowds are usually fairly light in the evening as most of the tour groups and little ones have gone home. If your kids can make it to closing- its a great time to tour.

A little hint- if you go to the park the evening before and either purchase or show them your next day's pass they will allow you to preview the park for a few hours that night. This is a good way to get some extra time in the park without buying a 2 day pass. Personally, I think the park can be done in one day. However- there is alot to do in Hershey in addition to the park such as Chocolate World, Hershey Zoo, Museum, trolley ride, etc... You certainly can make a 2 day trip out of Hershey.

Also, Hershey sells a pass that gets you one day admission at their park and another admission for Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster. Might want to check that out too- its great for the 5-6 yr old crowd!

Hershey's food is expensive and not good- doesnt hold a candle to Disney food. You can either grin and bear it (Minetown Village is at least air conditioned) or leave to eat. There is a Red Robin and Wendy's really close by.

If I can answer anymore questions- please let me know! We have been going to HP about 3-4x a month for the past 8 years!

What a great tip about the preview! I've lived in PA all my life and didn't know that.

OP - I agree w/ most of what My4Devils has said. Hitting the waterpark in the morning is a must if you are going to go.

I'd say, decide on the waterpark, yes or no. If you want to do it, then 2 days might be the way to go, if you are going to skip the waterpark, then 1 day should do it. It also depends a lot on how busy the day is, and if you and DH want to hit the big roller coasters. The kiddie rides, and older coasters don't have lines that are as long, but the hot new coasters can have quite a wait. So, you'll have to account for a longer visit if you want to hit all of those.

 

[rozac]

We're planning a visit in April (so no Boardwalk) - should we do the park on a Monday of Friday? Which is less busy? Thank you.

 

[turtlebean]

We are season pass holders aswell and agree w/what My4Devils posted. If you do the preview and next day only, then I would do all the rides on your preview night and use the next day for the Boardwalk and ZooAmerica. We would regularly go up in the evening (around 4 pm-ish) and close down the park. The weather was wonderful b/c it wasn't so hot and the lines were pretty much walk on. The most we would have to wait was 5-10 mins max. During the week your best bet for days would be Tuesday or Wednesday. The food there can be pricey, but you can purchase food vouchers inside the park at the Hospitality center. They ranged in prices, but all of them came w/refillable mugs. I would definitely get the refillable mugs, they are 7.99 (unless you get the meal vouchers then they are included) and then you can get refills for .99 cents. We love going to Hershey Park. I have heard from several guests while there that they rank them close to WDW in regards to cleanliness and customer service. While no one can top Disney, I tend to agree. All the people there are very nice and the park is extremely clean compared to others we have visited. There are some great restaurants in the area too. We've eaten at Cocoa Grill (it's an old diner w/great and cheap food), Devon Seafood (pricey, but really great food and great cheddar biscuits), Red Robin, and not too far away Sonic (We looovvee Sonic but it's about a 10 min drive. We always go b/c we don't have one near us). We also like the Bears Den @ the Hershey Lodge (It's Hockey themed and I live w/a house full of hockey nuts), they serve mostly american fare and not too badly priced.

 

[turtlebean]

We're planning a visit in April (so no Boardwalk) - should we do the park on a Monday of Friday? Which is less busy? Thank you.

It's going to be hit or miss b/c it's Springtime in the Park. During this event, it's never nearly as busy as it is during the summer. You would probably be fine either day. If you can, purchase your tickets at Giant. They usually have discount tickets for Sprintime in the Park, Hershey Park in the Dark and their Christimas Candylane. It will save you time and money, since you won't have to wait in line to buy tickets. I want to say they are generally 23.95 for adult tickets. We used to go all the time during their special events when we didn't have season passes b/c all the rides were open and it was much, much cheaper than regular season. Last year we went on Easter and it was great, minimal lines and beautiful weather.

 

[es45]

Would anyone advise paying for sunset admission if you can't spend an entire day at the park?

 

[lighttech]

Would anyone advise paying for sunset admission if you can't spend an entire day at the park?

I've never done this before - and don't know the price, so I can't give you a complete answer. But, if crowds aren't bad, you could definitely get a lot of the good rides in in an evening. And, its a really fun park at night. All the rides are lit up and it has that carnival kind of feel. We tend to do Boardwalk during the day when we go, and hit a lot of our favorite rides around sundown or after.

Did you skim back through this post? There are some tips about actually using one day's pass to get in for free a few hours the night before. I don't know if you plan on being there more than one day, but if you are, that might be a great option for you.

 

[es45]

I've never done this before - and don't know the price, so I can't give you a complete answer. But, if crowds aren't bad, you could definitely get a lot of the good rides in in an evening. And, its a really fun park at night. All the rides are lit up and it has that carnival kind of feel. We tend to do Boardwalk during the day when we go, and hit a lot of our favorite rides around sundown or after.

Did you skim back through this post? There are some tips about actually using one day's pass to get in for free a few hours the night before. I don't know if you plan on being there more than one day, but if you are, that might be a great option for you.

The adult sunset admission price is $27.95. From the Hershey Park site:
- When the Park closes at 6 PM - Enter Park at 3 PM
- When the Park closes at 8 PM - Enter Park at 4 PM
- When the Park closes at 10 & 11 PM - Enter Park at 5 PM

We are only in Hershey for the day and our time to visit would be the afternoon and evening. We are going in early May so I don't think the crowds will be too crazy.

Thanks!

 

[shelby101301]

Would anyone advise paying for sunset admission if you can't spend an entire day at the park?

We,ve done that a bunch of times, both as "date nights" or when the kids were younger and couldn't really a whole day in the heat. We always go a little earlier to do the free chocolate world - our kids never seem to get tired of this.

I do second the suggestion of Dutch Wonderland. Only one roller coaster so n o teenagers there. Awesome for little kids.

 

[emmawebb]

Hershey park is one type of amusement park who located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. This is best place for kids. In this park have most of rides for kids. Hershey chocolate world is amazing. Its more enjoyable park.