Don't be surprised if you see groups of yellow-helmeted Segway riders around the Hotel Hershey — it's a new way to tour the hotel grounds!
Marc and Moire Brandt of York own the business, which takes guests around the Hotel Hershey's 280-acre property for 90-minute tours (after a one-hour training session on the Segway). The cost is $90 per person, and tours are offered daily at 9:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
See Segway Tours of Hershey for more information.
The Hershey Company has announced that it will close its Hershey's Gifts online store and catalog, effective July 31.
Philly.com has more details on the decision to shutter Hershey's Gifts here. And the Harrisburg Patriot-News reports that 12 jobs will be eliminated as a result of the closing.
The good news? From now until July 31, Hershey's Gifts will offer automatic 25% discounts on all gift items.
One month after the official opening of the Hotel Hershey renovations and new construction (officially titled "The Grand Expansion"), we're still getting used to all the changes. It's almost like an entirely new property on Pat's Hill!
The finishing touches have been put on the hotel's new entrance, which includes new signage, a new access road, new parking lots, and an expanded porte-cochere.
A sparkling new lobby now leads to new boutique shops:
The Jeweler (open now)
Featuring exclusive jewelry, watches and gifts, including Le Vian® Chocolate Diamonds™,
Roberto Coin, Tissot, and Monica Rich Kosann.
Shine Swimwear (open now)
Featuring designer sunglasses, cover-ups, and luxurious straw totes and hats, as well as "Hot Chocolate!," the hotel's signature swimsuit collection
Cocoa Beanery (open now)
Offering specialty coffee by the fireplace, as well as snacks, espresso, gourmet teas, Hershey’s Hot Chocolate, freshly baked pastries, and delicious chocolate desserts.
Signatures (open now)
Showcasing signature apparel and gifts available only at The Hotel Hershey, Signatures
offers select logo apparel for men and women, and a special line of
kids' clothing featuring swimwear, hats, t-shirts, and more.
Holidays (scheduled to open in September)
Each year from September to December, Shine Swimwear by The Hotel Hershey will
transform into Holidays, a store containing limited edition and
one-of-a-kind holiday furnishings, Christmas wreathes, richly detailed
nutcrackers, holiday angels, Santas, candles, traditional Christmas
art, and hand-crafted ornaments by Christopher Radko.
The Spa Boutique (scheduled to open in November)
Offering elegant yoga-wear, relaxation tapes, motivational books,
aromatherapy candles, scented eye pillows, lovely sleepwear and the spa's
signature lotion and potion favorites.
A Storied Home (scheduled to open in December)
Shop here for elegant home decór, including decorative crystal bowls, picture frames, hand-painted
serving pieces, and beautiful sterling silver candlesticks.
Behind the original hotel, you'll find a whole neighborhood of family accommodations, meeting space, recreational opportunities and a new eatery.
The Hotel Hershey's Woodside Cottages anchor the new neighborhood. The six four‐bedroom cottages and four six‐bedroom cottages are named for the hotel's indigenous trees: Beech, Birch, Cherry, Dogwood, Hemlock, Hickory, Maple, Oak, Pine, Sycamore. The native stone structures are nestled in a lovely wooded and landscaped area.
As you might expect, these aren't rustic cottages and no "roughing it" is required. The ten cottages all offer luxurious hi-tech homes away from home, and include private outdoor entrances, large bedrooms and warm common areas for families to congregate.
Guests have the option of renting individual bedrooms or reserving an entire cottage, which includes a great room. Upper‐level great rooms feature cathedral ceilings, antique timber beams and a grand fireplace with hand‐chiseled Pennsylvania stone. A large dining table seats eight to 10 guests.
The lower great room at the six‐bedroom cottage is designed with fun and relaxation in mind and includes a classic card table that seats six. All great rooms include a fireplace, flat‐screen television, microwave, refrigerator/freezer and a sink at the wet bar. They also feature large French doors that lead out to a welcoming porch with casual seating.
Meeting planners will welcome the meeting and catering opportunities added in the Grand Expansion as well. The Meeting & Catering Cottage, named “Mountain Laurel,” is located among the guest cottages and provides groups with a convenient location that is deliberately removed from the activity of the
main hotel. Mountain Laurel is noted for its privacy, staff attentiveness, and easy access to the restaurants and accommodations of the main hotel.
The new restaurant, Harvest, is at the center of the new neighborhood. Offering a slightly more casual dining experience than the Circular Dining Room, Harvest features a menu rich with locally grown specialties.
Recreational opportunities abound in the cottage area as well. The executive golf course is no more, but in its place you'll find an all-weather ice rink, an expansive beach volleyball area, basketball courts, tennis courts, a playground for preschoolers and a much-needed outdoor pool and water park facility with cabanas. Also available to hotel guests are shuffleboard, bocce, croquet and hiking trails.
Tomorrow marks the grand opening of Harvest, the new restaurant at the Hotel Hershey and part of the hotel's $67 million Grand Expansion.
From the outside, Harvest reflects the architecture of the hotel's Circular Dining Room. Inside, it has its own warm (and more casual) look, featuring earth tones and dark wood.
Harvest will highlight classic American cuisine, using fresh local ingredients gathered in season. Harvest will serve lunch and dinner, with daily specials.
For additional information or to make reservations, call 717-534-8800.
The new Penn State
Hershey Cancer Institute—a four-story, 180,000-square-foot
building at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center—opened its doors to the public today.
From the outside, the building looks a bit cold and foreboding, but on the inside it's all uplifting, warm and filled with light.
The Cancer Institute will bring together cancer-related clinical and research
operations. The facility
houses: outpatient clinics with exam rooms for multidisciplinary,
cancer-related disease teams dedicated to patient care; infusion
stations and private treatment rooms for chemotherapy; state-of-the-art
radiation treatment space; research labs; and a healing garden to offer
a quiet retreat for patients and their families.
Pick up coupons at participating CVS stores in NY, NJ, MD, DC and PA (while supplies last) and your dad can enjoy the fabulosity of Hersheypark for free on Father's Day!
It's true, I haven't posted much about chocolate lately.
Nothing about the plethora of Easter goodies — the Reester Bunnies, the Bliss eggs, the white chocolate and dark chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs — and nothing about the new Pieces line, and nothing about the new Hershey Meltaway Kisses/Reese's Cremes/Thingamajig bars (see Cybele's Candy Blog for excellent reviews of all the new products) and nothing about The Hershey Company's stalwart earnings in the face of a global recession.
That's all good news, sure. But I've just been a little down about the company closing the iconic Scharffen Berger factory in Berkeley and discontinuing the line of Joseph Schmidt truffles. Call me a chocolate snob, but I was excited about Hershey's Artisan Confections and hoped it had a bright future.
Unfortunately, it looks as though Artisan Confections will be taking another hit. This week, there have been rumblings that Hershey's and Starbucks have decided to dissolve the partnership that produced those stellar Starbucks chocolates. I suppose it's no surprise — the Starbucks line has never been sold at Starbucks locations, and it really hasn't been supported by a lot of advertising. But this was good chocolate. Premium chocolate. REAL chocolate.
And I'll miss it.
I hope the Dagoba line survives.
There's a passel of prairie dog pups out at ZooAmerica — 16 of the little critters were born this spring, and they're adorable! The pups were featured at the ZooBorns site this week.
Don't forget that your Hersheypark ticket also gets you into ZooAmerica. It's a nice way to spend an hour or two when the park crowds get too heavy.
The Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus will perform at the GIANT Center from May 20-25 this year—as usual, over the Memorial Day weekend. Tickets to the "Over the Top" performances are still available from the GIANT Center box office, by phone at 717-534-3911.
The troupe's Blue Train is scheduled to arrive in Hershey on Tuesday, May 19 between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Having waited for the Circus Train to arrive in Hershey in previous years, I can tell you that the times are always approximate, and the train is often held up en route by freight traffic on the line. The train unloads just behind the Hershey post office, and there is convenient parking in the garage between the post office and the Hershey Press Building.
[photo courtesy of Feld Entertainment]
The concert season in Hershey is just beginning, and that means smart visitors will be checking the event calendar before making plans to enjoy a day in Hershey.
This Friday, Bruce Springsteen comes to town, and his Hersheypark Stadium concert is a near sell-out. If you're planning a day at Hersheypark...well, you may want to reschedule. The roads will have all the traffic they can handle, especially after the concert — and local restaurants will have all the traffic they can handle before the concert!
If you reschedule, you'll want to plan around the following dates as well:
Sunday, May 24 — Coldplay is at Hersheypark Stadium
Friday, July 3 — Aerosmith and ZZ Top concert scheduled for 7/3 was postponed as of July 2.
Friday, July 17 — Nickelback is at Hersheypark Stadium
Friday, July 24 — The Dave Matthews Band always sells out at Hersheypark Stadium (Jason Mraz opening)
Friday, July 31 — Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd reprise the "Rock and Rebels Tour"
Sunday, August 9 — Creed is at Hersheypark Stadium
Wednesday, August 12 — Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy with Panic at the Disco, which should fill Hersheypark Stadium
Saturday, August 29 — Rascal Flatts is at Hersheypark Stadium
Demi Lovato is scheduled to perform at Hersheypark Stadium's Star Pavilion on August 21 and Keith Urban will bring his tour to the GIANT Center on August 18, but those concerts are expected to draw fewer fans. Still, if you'd prefer to enjoy Hersheypark without the Demi Lovato demographic, you may want to avoid the August 21-23 weekend.
