In July of 2017, I had the chance to visit Hershey Park Pennsylvania with my mom. I had been wanting to go for many years, but kept putting it off each year. Something always came up that prevented me from planning the trip (lack of funds, timing, work, etc…). So this year, I was determined to make it happen and I did.
Since I’m an adult taking my mom with me to Hershey Park, I decided to plan an adult trip to the park that we could both enjoy. A trip that didn’t require us to get on rides or be in the amusement section of the park. Since I had visited the website several times over the years, I already had a good idea about what activities we should do while we were there.
Armed with some prior knowledge and input from some family members and friends who had been there several times before, I was ready to plan my trip. First, I decided it would be an overnight trip. We needed plenty of time to do the many activities that I wanted to try while we were there. Therefore, I needed to find a cheap hotel near the park that was clean and convenient. Fortunately, after searching travel websites and reading many reviews, I discovered the Super 8 Hershey on Hockersville Road. It was clean, cheap, and located near the park. My mother was skeptical at first, but once we arrived, she was pleasantly surprised. We had a very nice room and the staff was friendly.
We arrived at our hotel around 2 pm. Once we were settled in, we hit the road running. I had planned three activities for the afternoon and we didn’t have time to waste. Our first stop was the botanical garden. We paid the admission fee and started our tour in the butterfly garden. It was absolutely beautiful.
After spending 30 minutes observing the beautiful butterflies, we headed outside to the garden. The garden had several sections and a trail. It took us about an hour to walk the entire garden, take in the sites, and photograph the various displays. It was a lovely and peaceful place to visit.
Next on our Hershey tour was the chocolate tasting class at Chocolate World. I thought it would be fun to learn about the various types of chocolate and how it is made. During the class, the presenter talked about the chocolate making process and explained how the chocolate employees taste the chocolate and recognize the flavors in the recipes. The class was very interactive. We were given chocolate to taste, watched educational videos, and voted on the various flavors. My mother and I enjoyed the experience.
Our final stop on day one was the trolley tour of Hershey Pennsylvania. The tour was located right outside of Chocolate World. So we didn’t have to walk very far to our last activity of the day. The trolley tour consisted of a driver and two lively conductors. The tour took us all around Hershey, PA. The conductors gave a history of the area, entertained the audience, and passed out treats. It was fun as well as educational.
At the end of day one, we were pooped. We retreated to our hotel room, ate snacks, and fell asleep.
On day two, I only had one activity planned before we left for the ride home. Our last stop was to the Hershey Museum. The museum itself is located in the heart of Hershey City. We started the tour on the upper level. We read about the history of Milton Hershey, viewed pictures and videos, and learned some fun facts along the way. At the end of the tour, we did a tasting of various hot chocolates from around the world. Some were better than others, but it was definitely fun to taste them all.
After lunch, we drove home armed with lots of chocolate and fun memories. So If you ever have the chance to visit Hershey, PA, definitely try some of the other attractions that are available. You won’t regret it.
