Part One of our 2008 family vacation was to spend a day and a half and Hershey Park. I had heard lots of good things about Hershey Park Pa. It was also right on the way to my next article called New York vacations which was Part Two of our vacation. The “Big Apple” is just three hours east of Hershey. I had done some research online and found there would be fireworks at Hershey Park the night of July 4. We decided to leave the morning of July 4 to take advantage of a free preview to the park that evening and to watch the fireworks.
Discount Tickets
We headed out at 7:30 a.m. and arrived in Hershey around 6 p.m. Rather than stay in one of the Hershey Park hotels, we opted to stay in one of the hotels near Hershey Park – the Hampton Inn. After checking into our hotel, we headed to Giant Food Stores to get Hershey Park discount tickets to the park. You can also pick up Hershey Park coupons at Cabelas, Panera Bread, Rita’s Italian Ice, Quizno’s and CVS. Coupons can be redeemed online using the promotional code on the coupon or at the Hersheypark Main Entrance. You can purchase tickets online through the Hershey Park website, but as we had just planned for one day at the park, we wanted to take advantage of the discount available at Giant Food Stores. Hershey Park offers several admission plans with Hershey Park deals given the more days you attend. If you want a park package, you need to go online. Giant Food Stores only have one day regular admission tickets. Now through September you can save $11 on tickets purchased at Giant Food Stores.
Welcome to Hershey Park
Sneak Peak
With the tickets we just purchased for the following day, we had a sneak preview to the park. Hershey calls it the Preview Plan. Just present your ticket for the following day at the gate, and you will be admitted FREE the 2.5 hours prior to closing that evening. It’s actually 3.5 hours for those days the park stays open until 11 p.m. We used this time to get the lay of the land. We grabbed some hot dogs and kettle corn – our little guy’s favorite – and had a snack while we looked over the map of Hershey Park. We marked rides and things we wanted to see the next day. We did have time to ride a few rides including a fabulous wooden coaster called The Comet. At closing, we bought some chocolate and headed back to the car to watch the fireworks. The parking lot is probably not the best spot to view the fireworks, but we wanted to be at the car so we could get out quickly. Unfortunately, that plan backfired. It took a very long time to get out of the park. Finally, we made it back to the Hampton and called it a day.
Measure up to determine which rides at Hershey Park you can ride.
Measuring Up
We got up, grabbed some breakfast at the hotel and headed back to Hershey Park. Hershey Park has a really fun way to determine which rides at Hershey Park you can ride based on your height. They call it “What’s Your Brand?” At the entrance, they have stations where you can stand and check your height. The “brand” break down is as follows:
Jolly Rancher: Over 60″
Twizzlers: 54″-60″
Hershey’s: 48″-54″
Reese’s: 42″-48″
Hershey’s Kisses: 36″-42″
Miniatures: under 36″
After you measure yourself by standing up against the big ruler, you are given the corresponding candy. Our son was thrilled to be a Hershey bar. We thought he was going to be a Reese’s so he was able to ride much more than we thought he would. I recommend measuring your child at home and preparing for what he/she will be able to ride.
Hershey Park Pa features many cool coasters.
Mild to Wild Rides
Hershey also places rides in five categories “From Mild to Wild.” The rating of one being kiddie rides. Twos are mild thrill rides. Threes are moderate thrill rides. Fours are high thrill rides with fives being aggressive thrill rides. Hershey also offers a “Kiddie Swap” program. If you have smaller children in your family and would like to ride height-restricted rides, let the ride attendant know you would like to take advantage of Kiddie Swap. The Kiddie Swap program allows for two parents to take turns riding while the other parent stands to the side with a child who is too short to ride, or when one parent has two children who need to be accompanied by an adult on a ride, the children may swap places.
The Sidewinder at Hershey Park goes upside down several times.
Coasters
Now that we had our “brands” we were ready to hit some coasters. Our son definitely takes after me in the rides department – the faster the better. Upside down – no problem. Around and around – bring it on. This is great for me as my husband gets sick on rides that go upside down or around & around. Aaron and I rode every coaster he was tall enough to ride. The Sooperdooperlooper is a cool wooden coaster that goes upside down one time. We rode one called the Sidewinder that went upside down six times! As if that isn’t daring enough for a 7-year-old, he even chose to sit in the front car every time. We thought the Trailblazer was pretty tame, but the last two wooden coasters we rode – the Wildcat and the Lightning Racer were awesome.
Our little dare devil recovering from one of the many rides at Hershey Park.
Our son definitely wants to go back to Hershey Park in a few years when he’s a little taller to hit the three coasters he was not yet allowed to ride – who knows maybe they’ll be even more then. The Fahrenheit has a 97 degree drop from 121 feet. It even looked a little scary to me! The Great Bear looked pretty cool as well. It is an inverted steel coaster where the cars actually hang from the track. You know the coasters where your feet dangle. If you plan to ride a lot of coasters Hershey Park suggests only bringing things you can safely put in cargo pockets, a waist pack or a zipping jacket pocket. To secure loose articles, a cargo pocket must fasten with a Velcro or button flap or a zipper, a waist pack should fasten around the waist and have a zipper closure, and a jacket pocket must have a zipper closure. Loose articles are not permitted on most rides and should be left with non-riders or secured in lockers. Loose or hand-held articles include but are not limited to cameras, cell phones, pagers, purses, stuffed animals, basketballs, prizes, radios, hats, loose fitting jewelry, glasses, backpacks, ect. I even recommend not wearing big earrings. I was once on a coaster at another park and had large breakable earrings on and you guessed it, one of them was broken when I got off the ride.
Areas of Hershey Park
Tudor Square: You see Tudor Square before you actually enter the park. Grab some Dunkin’ Donuts or have lunch or dinner at Tudor Square. Pick up some souvenirs at one of the gift shops. I bought a silver Hershey kiss charm for my charm bracelet. If you need to rent a wheelchair, you can do so in Tudor Square.
Milton Hershey fountain in Hershey Park.
Founder’s Circle: This is basically the kiddie area featuring the Carousel and other kid-friendly rides. Be sure to take a family picture in front of the fountain with the Milton Hershey statue. There is a Crustano’s Deli which features made-to-order allergen friendly wraps and sandwiches. The Craftbarn Kitchen is air conditioned with indoor seating and features burgers, chicken stripsm corn dogs and garden burgers.
Comet Hollow: The main attraction here is The Comet an awesome wooden coaster we all rode several times. Another good wooden coaster, The Sooperdooperlooper is there as well. It is the only wooden coaster I’ve ever rode that goes upside down. The only other two rides here are the Tilt-a-whirl and the Wave Swinger. My husband enjoyed waiting at the Paddleboat Cafe while waiting for us to ride the coasters.
Family pic with Reese at Hershey Park.
Minetown: This area has a little something for everyone. Smaller children will enjoye The Red Baron, The Convoy and The Frog Hopper. You can drive the Sunoco Classic cars here and ride the Great Bear coaster. There is also an abundance of food choices including pizza, burgers, salads, fries and even a Dippin’ Dots Sundae Shop.
Music Box Way: This area features several kiddie rides including Busy Bees, Ladybug and Dizzy Drums. You’ll also find the Monorail here and the Reese’s Xtreme Cup Challenge. Cool off with a tasty treat from the Cold Stone Creamery or a cold drink from Planet Pepsi.
Pioneer Frontier: This is the place for daredevils! Here you’ll find Farenheit, Storm Runner and Sidewinder – three high thrill coasters. The Claw and The Howler aren’t too tame, either. Grab a bit and enjoy entertainment at the Hatfield Country Grill. Find something for everyone at the Pioneer Frontier Food Court including Subway.
Weeeeeeeeeee! Another one of the fun rides at Hershey Park.
Midway America: The main attractions here are the Wildcat and Lighting Racer wooden coasters. You’ll also find the Merry Derry Dip Fun Slides, the Ferris Wheel and the Music Express. The Music Express was pretty fun. You sit in three-passenger cars (kind of toboggan-style) and rotate counterclockwise while cool music plays. There are also several kiddie rides including Granny Bugs, Pony Parade and a Miniature Train. There is a Subway here and a Midway American food court.
The Boardwalk: This is the water ride area of Hershey Park. It is almost like it’s own park featuring East Coast Water Works, Coastline Plunge, Roller Soaker and more. Cabanas are available. While Hershey Resorts Guests’ have the opportunity to reserve Cabanas first, the possibility exists for non-Hershey Resorts Guests to rent a Cabana. If you can’t get a cabana, there’s always lockers to stow your dry clothes and other items while you enjoy the water attactions. There are multiple food options in this area including Dunkin’ Donuts, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, Shoreline Grill, Famous Famiglia Pizza and more.
Playing a game at Hershey Park.
We mainly rode roller coasters, but did ride a few others including one intense ride called The Claw. This high thrill ride swung back and forth pendulum style taking us 64′ in the air! As if that wasn’t enough, it also went around and around. Aaron and I both agreed it was a good thing Daddy was taking a break. We also rode The Falcon and The Rodeo, both round and round rides. The boys went down the big slide and played a few games. As you can see our little guy is over the kiddie rides – “been there, done that” – so I can’t tell you much about those. They seemed to have a lot of rides and attractions for smaller kids. We also opted not to do the water area this time. It looked like a great water park. If you want to ride the water attractions, I’d recommend staying an extra day. You’ll also probably want to rent a cabana or locker to stow your dry clothes and other items. We did, however, go to Zoo America. This zoo within Hershey Park features animals native to North America. (I will talk about Zoo America in my next post.)
Family pic on the Hershey Park trolley.
We left the park at 5:30 to walk over the Chocolate World. Here you can ride the Hershey Trolley Works and/or take Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour – a free interactive ride (kind of like those at Disney World) that explains the chocolate making process. There was also a huge chocolate gift shop. We went on the trolley ride which takes you around the town of Hershey. Period-costumed guides tell the story of Milton Hershey and the history of Hershey Park as you ride through the town seeing sites such as the Hershey mansion and factory. Be sure to look for the “kiss” shaped street lights. The guides were very funny and entertaining. There was also group singing…which we weren’t into so much; however, some really seemed to enjoy it. The ride was interesting, however, I think our son would have preferred more time on the rides in the park. Be sure to have a family picture taken on the front of the trolley before you leave. There is no admission to Chocolate World; however, you must purchase tickets for the trolley ride which currently run $12.95 for ages 13+ and $5.95 for children 3-12. Kids age 0-2, ride free. For complete details, visit the Chocolate World and Hershey Trolley Works site.
Don't forget your chocolate souvenir when you leave Hershey Park.
Tips for a Great Time
To maximize your time at Hershey Park, I recommend visiting the Hershey Park website and reading through their general information. Look a the special event section and see if there’s anything going on you’d like to do. Hershey Park has special seasonal activities like Hershey Park Halloween and Hershey Park Christmas Candylane. Peruse the rides portion online with your kids. Get them thinking about what they want to ride and see. Make a tentative game plan. If you are planning on staying more than a day, buy a ticket package online. Dress comfortably – especially comfortable shoes. Wear clothes with pockets. Use plenty of sunscreen and don’t forget to reapply throughout the day.
Oh, yeah…eat lots of chocolate!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Sorry, but you are mistaken – the SooperDooper Looper is not a wooden coaster. It is a steel coaster. The Comet is located right next to it and it is wooden – but it does not loop.
I checked on the Hershey Park site and verified that the SooperDooperLooper is in fact a steel coaster; however, it does have the feel of a wooden coaster. I think this must be because it is an older coaster. It makes since now that I think about it as I’ve never seen a wooden coaster with a loop and it does have one loop. I know The Comet does not loop because my husband rode it. He won’t ride anything that goes upside down.