Hersheypark Amusement Park, Hershey PA

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Admission was provided free of cost to me in order to facilitate this post. This post has not been monetarily compensated. Please note that, as always, any personal opinions reflected in this post are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

A couple of weeks ago we took a little family vacation in Pennslvania. Hershey, Pennsylvania to be precise. I hadn’t been to Hersheypark since I was a teen and the rest of my family never had been. Boy had it changed! It wasn’t tiny when I last visited it but I can honestly say now it is huge! It’s got something for everyone.
With more than 70 rides and attractions, including 12 exhilarating roller coasters and The Boardwalk at Hersheypark included in the one-price admission, Hersheypark was founded in 1907 by chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey and has grown to be a world-class theme park located on 110- clean, green acres.

Hersheypark has really become a destination in and of itself, rather then just a place to visit while you’re away. I suspect that’s a big part of why the park was recently ranked in the Top #5 for Best Theme Park in the 10 Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest sponsored by USA Today.

As soon as you enter Hersheypark you’ll see an official measuring area. This is where you can find out which rides your child is able to go on. The minimum height for a ride is displayed on every ride using a candy bar system.  Once the system was explained to me it made a lot of sense. No need to get measured at each ride like some parks, you know which rides your child can and can’t go on just by looking at the sign. If you have children I highly recommend you take a few minutes and stop there to have your children measured, in order to save time and potential disappointment. We didn’t stop there when we entered the park. We discovered that my youngest is too big for the younger kids rides by literally about an inch. If your child is too tall, no matter by how much, they will not be permitted to ride. This actually broke his heart when he discovered he wasn’t allowed to go on the kiddie coaster. Had we stopped to get him measured when we entered the park we never would have waited on the kiddie coaster line and would up feeling disappointed after being turned away.  Which is how we got to the “adult” coasters.

My youngest kept looking at the roller coasters and wanting to go on one. He’d never been on an “adult” roller coaster before, only a children’s roller coaster in a kids park. I decided to take him on The Comet, a classic wooden roller coaster that doesn’t invert. It’s the white coaster track you see there in the photo above next to the yellow track. He had actually specifically asked for the “yellow one”, but I wasn’t sure how he would handle that coaster since we wouldn’t be able to share a seat and it inverted.

That’s the face of a boy after his first real roller coaster ride. He had a blast!
Here’s what the ride looks like.

He started out a bit unsure. After the first big drop he realized he was ok and started really having fun. It didn’t take long for him to be howling in delight like all of the other passengers.

So the roller coasters. The lines for those were long. Very, very, very long. We waited about 65 minutes to ride The Comet.  Other lines had an even longer wait. I thought about doing other things in the park but my son desperately wanted to go on a coaster. I thought it was great that misting fans were posted in the area where people waited to help keep them a bit cooler. There is a Fast Track Pass option if you want to avoid the lines. I tried to get one but discovered that there are only a limited amount of them sold each day and even if I’d been willing to spend the money they were already sold out for the day. So if you are planning on riding lots of the coasters then get there very early and get the Fast Track Pass right away.

Another “adult” ride I took my son on for the first time was the swings. He’d been on kids swings once before but the Wave Swinger was the real deal.We had lots of fun on the swings.

Hubby got on rides too. The two of them went on Scrambler, which spins, and had a blast.

Continuing the spinning theme, the pair went on the Mini Himalaya, which goes around a track with some relatively mild ups and downs.

And of course no amusement park is complete without a Tilt A Whirl. I can’t do this one for the same reason I couldn’t do the Tea Cups, my belly just doesn’t sit too well with the spinning.

You don’t have to be on a ride to have fun at Hersheypark. For example, we encountered a live band playing. People were really enjoying the show. At least one person in the audience (you guessed it, my son) found himself in the mood to let loose and dance. It was awesome to watch.
Summer is ending but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to do in Hershey, PA. Consider Hotel Hershey for a September weekend getaway:
· Hersheypark September Weekends – Open from 10AM-10PM (Saturdays) and 10AM-8PM (Sundays).
· The Spa At The Hotel Hershey – Relax with fall-inspired treatments including a Pumpkin Soufflé Wrap, a Pumpkin Spice Scrub and a Pumpkin Latte Mani & Pedi.
· Remember September Package – Includes Hersheypark tickets, milk & cookie delivery and more!
And the fun doesn’t end there. There are special holiday happenings at Hersheypark, such as for Halloween and Christmas. Be sure if you’re going to be in the area near one of those holidays you visit the website to see what’s happening at the park.
Guests of The Official Resorts of Hersheypark can also take part in the Hershey Resorts Advantage, offering early access to select rides and attractions, complimentary shuttle service and more.
Hersheypark is located at 100 W. Hersheypark Drive, Hershey, PA 17033. Hersheypark is seasonally so check the website before heading over. There is an entry fee for admission. Ticket prices vary and there are different combination tickets, packages and even season passes available.
HELPFUL LINKS
Hersheypark Ticket Prices –  Hersheypark rides – Hersheypark map – Hersheypark Hours

Have you ever been to or thought about going to Hersheypark?

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