Inside Hershey

This Weekend in Hershey

There are so many events, we could hardly keep track of them all! But here's an attempt to list *most* of the fun events around Hershey for the upcoming weekend. It's the final weekend to enjoy our town before the AACA Eastern Region Fall Meet brings tens of thousands of visitors to Hershey, so get out there and have fun!

Friday, September 30

Hershey Homecoming

• Hershey High School Athletics Hall of Fame luncheon, noon at the Hershey Country Club
• Alumni Association Tailgate begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Hersheypark parking lot
• Parade begins at 6 at Tram Circle 2 in the Hersheypark lot
• Football game (Trojans vs. Mechanicsburg) begins at 7:00 p.m. at Hersheypark Stadium

It’s the final scheduled evening for Jazz on the Veranda at the Hotel Hershey. Fretwork is the featured artist at this relaxing event, which takes place on the Hotel’s front veranda from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Paula Deen appears at the Hershey Theatre at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are still available at the theatre box office: 717-534-3405

 

Saturday, October 1

Inaugural Chocolate Tour bike ride (with 5-, 25-, 30- and 65-mile rides) and six-mile run/walk event to support cancer research. Sign-ups and registration begin near 30 Hope Dr. at 7:30 a.m. The ride and run/walk will impact traffic, according to the Derry Township Police Department: Although the run will follow the pedestrian/bicycle trail it will cross Centerview Rd, University Dr, and Bullfrog Valley Rd. Motorists traveling in the area during that time should expect heavier than normal pedestrian traffic and possible short delays. 

Hershey Gardens presents "Go Dutch: Take Your Spring Bulbs to a New Level" with horticulturalist George Weigel at 10:00 a.m. This program will show you how to take your bulb use to a new level and introduce you to some of the best under-used bulbs. Plus, learn how to force bulbs for indoor color in winter The program is $20 for non-members, $10 for members

The annual Hershey Soup Cook-Off runs from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Hershey Fire Company. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids 10 and under.

Picasso’s Place Grand Opening. This interactive art school opens its doors to the public from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with art projects benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network. Location: 513 W. Chocolate Ave, Suite 100. 

ZooAmerica is offering the adult version of its popular ZooCamp. Wild Workshop at ZooAmerica runs from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for adults ages 18 and over. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about endangered species, experience hands-on animal encounters, enjoy a guided tour of ZooAmerica and the Animal Health Center, build a birdhouse, dissect owl pellets, watch a skunk paint works of art and more! The workshop comes complete with a T-shirt and catered lunch, and is offered for $85 (members) and $95 (non-members). Call 717-534-3900 for details.

Hershey hosts the Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins at the Bears' preseason home opener: at the GIANT Center, beginning at 7:00 p.m. 

Hershey Homecoming Dance begins at 7:00 p.m.

 

Sunday, October 2

Hershey Gardens Gardenfest, a free community day, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Friends of the Hershey Library presents the program “Our Changing Climate” at 2:00 p.m.:  “You are the Future!” is the message Dr. Exhaustus delivers to children in this kid-friendly and interactive program. For details, contact the library at 717-533-6555.

 

Planning Your Visit to Hershey

Most summertime visitors to Hershey have one destination in mind: Hersheypark. But there's so much more to Hershey than the amusement park! Here are some tips for making the most of your visit to our community, with a few tips for accommodations, dining and other attractions. To get the latest news and event information about Hershey, follow us on Facebook.

Accommodations
In addition to operating Hersheypark, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts runs the luxurious Hotel Hershey and the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center.

If you want to be pampered on vacation, the Hotel Hershey is the obvious choice. With its acclaimed Chocolate Spa and a recent $75 million dollar expansion (featuring new cottage-style accommodations and a brand-new outdoor pool), the hotel is a destination itself. Room rates during the summer start at $400, but there are often special packages offered and the room rate includes a number of perks, including complimentary admission to the Hershey Gardens and The Hershey Story museum, local shuttle service, access to golf and kids’ activities and more.

The Hershey Lodge offers family rooms starting at $300 in summer, with many of the same perks as the Hotel Hershey, in a slightly less luxurious setting. Hershey bar characters roam the lobby and family-friendly activities abound.

There are plenty of alternative accommodations in the Hershey area, including many newer suite hotels. We like the Spring Hill Suites by Marriott, just a few miles north of Hersheypark on Route 39. Within a half-mile, you’ll also find a Quality Inn & Suites and a Country Inn & Suites. A Hampton Inn & Suites is located on East Chocolate Avenue, and another suite hotel is planned for the downtown.

If you’re not planning to bring the kids, there are some impressive bed & breakfast accommodations in the surrounding area as well. The Annville Inn and The Inn at Westwynd Farm come highly recommended.

Hersheypark Tickets and the Free Preview Evening

If you plan on spending more than two days at Hersheypark, consider a season pass. It will pay for itself —not only does it cover your admission to the park, it also gives you free parking, a 15% discount off food and merchandise in the park and a coupon book with excellent deals (10% off purchases at Hershey’s Chocolate World, for example). If your time is more limited and you've purchased one-day tickets, make sure you get to Hersheypark for the Free Preview Evening : the evening before your full day at the park, you can get in a couple hours before closing for free, and it's well worth the trip. Crowds are lighter, and you have the chance to get a feel for the layout of the park.

 
Making the Most of Your Day at Hersheypark

If you plan to try the waterpark attractions in the new Boardwalk theme area, a good advice is to wear your swimwear under your clothes and be at the main gate right at opening time (10 a.m.) Then get to the Boardwalk (on the far end of the park, in the shadow of the Ferris Wheel) as fast as you can and send one person to get a big locker there—they go quickly, and they're essential if you want to stow your swimming suits and enjoy the rest of the park after the Boardwalk. Another person should go to the wave pool area and claim lounge chairs for the family—lounge chairs are very hard to come by after 10:30.

Whew.

Now you can enjoy the park!

If you like big water rides, do the Vortex and the Whirlwind at the Boardwalk first to avoid hour+ waits later in the day. Then enjoy East Coast Waterworks. The wave pool, where your lounge chairs are located, is a fairly central location and a good place to relax with a drink and a snack mid-morning.

By noon, the Boardwalk is elbow-to-elbow people and the rides have long waits. That's a great time to change, stow your swimsuits in your locker and head out to see the rest of the park. The rides around Midway America (just outside The Boardwalk) should have short lines just after noon. If you're getting hungry, a great recommendation is the Sidewinder food court area. There are several good food stands there—a favorite is Mixed Grille, where you can actually find healthy food, and it's made from scratch. But there's a good burger stand, a sausage concession, a smoothie place and an ice cream place there, as well as a Subway, and it's a nice shaded area that tends to stay quiet.

Another tip: Take a break in the heat of the afternoon and head to the adjacent (and air-conditioned) Hershey's Chocolate World. It's just outside the main gate of Hersheypark, but it's easy to get a handstamp for a quick return to the rides. Chocolate World has recently reconfigured almost everything in the building—there’s the chocolate tour ride, a revamped merchandise area, a fairly good 3-D show, a chocolate-tasting experience, the "Factory Works" (kids get to "work" on a Kiss assembly line) and a Create Your Own Chocolate Bar attraction. It's worth spending at least an hour or two here. The milkshakes in the food court area are excellent and there are often new products and other surprises to be found around the central garden area.

Once you've returned to the park, don't forget to take in the shows. It's a nice break from the crowds and the entertainment value is excellent, whether you choose the aquatheater or one of the music/dance productions.


But Wait, There's More...Now How Much Would You Pay?

If you're in Hershey for more than a day and you want to see some other attractions, there are countless options nearby:

• Take a trip on the Hershey Trolley Works (tickets and departures from Chocolate World);
• Have lunch on the veranda or afour-star dining experience at the Hotel Hershey;
• Take a stroll through the Hershey Gardens (don't miss the Children's Garden and the Butterfly House);
• Play a round of golf at one of the courses in the Hershey Golf Collection;
• Take in The Hershey Story Museum downtown and by all means, schedule a class at the museum’s Chocolate Lab;
• Catch a performance or take a Spotlight Tour of the Hershey Theatre, offered Friday mornings year ‘round;
• See the animals at Hershey's ZooAmerica, a small zoo that's perfect for kids or a two-hour stroll;
• Stop by Founders Hall at the Milton S. Hershey school, gaze at the dome and find out what made Mr. and Mrs. Hershey so amazing;
• Go back in time and see more than 100 historic cars, buses and motorcycles at the AACA Museum;
• Visit Adventure Sports on Route 743S (batting cages, mini sports cars and boats, miniature golf and an arcade);
• Cool down at Indian Echo Caverns, just a few minutes west of Hershey;
  Stop by one of the many great downtown restaurants (we love Bricker's Pizza on West Chocolate Avenue for an Old World Pizza);
• Don't miss the Kiss-shaped streetlights while you're downtown, and by all means, drive past the factory on East Chocolate Avenue to see the Hershey Cocoa hedges on the east side;
• Visit the impressive Pennsylvania State Capitol building, located just 10 miles west of Hershey ;
• Take in all the sights (and tastes!) of Pennsylvania Amish Country, located less than an hour’s drive from Hershey.

Down a Garden Path | The Hotel Hershey's Formal Gardens

The formal gardens at The Hotel Hershey are a joy to wander around on a sultry summer evening. Before the Hotel even existed, these gardens were here, built to beautify the town reservoirs. The reservoirs are still a highlight of the formal gardens today.

From the plaque at the hotel:

"In 1914, the Hershey Water Company broke ground for new water reservoirs to serve the growing community. True to Milton Hershey's style, the reservoirs were landscaped to become a focal point of a new picnic area, Highland Park, completed in April 1915. The reservoirs, bordered by a concrete balustrade, gazebos and wooden pergolas, looked like decorative reflecting pools. In fact, the reservoirs are thirty feet deep and hold one million gallons of water.

"The beds that hold today's formal gardens were laid out following the construction of the Highland reservoirs. The grounds were extensively landscaped with flowerbeds and hundreds of rose bushes cascading down the slopes of Highland Park. These gardens were restored beginning in the summer of 1990. The present gazebos were rebuilt, walkways repaired and circulating fountains were installed in the reservoirs."

The Circus Comes to Hershey —Today!

The Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus will perform at the GIANT Center from May 26-31 this year—as usual, over the Memorial Day weekend. Tickets to the "Funundrum" performances are still available from the GIANT Center box office, by phone at 717-534-3911.

The troupe's train is scheduled to arrive in Hershey on Monday, May 24 between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.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.

Christmas in Hershey

Although it may seem a little early to see Christmas lights and decorations, Hershey is beginning to show its holiday colors this week.

Festive displays are in place at Hersheypark and ZooAmerica, the Kissing Tower tree is up and Sweet Lights is lighting up the night (and the day, occasionally) as every bulb in this multi-million-light display is checked. Yes, it's almost time for Christmas in Hershey—in fact, the season officially begins here this Friday!

Hersheypark's Christmas Candylane opens on Friday, November 13 at 5:00 p.m. Many rides will be operating (no coasters and no water rides, obviously) and Santa will be there with his reindeer. New this year—N.O.E.L., a light show in Comet Hollow featuring more than 125,000 dancing lights synchronized to Christmas music. Christmas Candylane hours are typically limited to weekends until mid-December; be sure to check the schedule before you make plans.

Sweet Lights also makes its debut this Friday. It's become a holiday tradition for our family, worth at least one $20-per-car visit. And don't be fooled—the lights you can see from the road are only a small part of the Sweet Lights experience, which winds up and down the forested hill behind the Hotel Hershey as well.

The National Christmas Tree Walk at Hershey Gardens opens this Friday as well. Now in its third year, this display of Christmas trees decorated with ornaments of the 50 states is growing in popularity. It's open from 10-4 each day from November 13 through December 27.

Holiday decorations at Hershey's Chocolate World this year include a new attraction: a 13-foot-tall Candy Chalet, slated to open on November 20.

For more indoor holiday entertainment, check out "Christmas in Chocolate Town," a dinner show at the Hershey Lodge with performances running from November 20 through December 28. The GIANT Center has a full schedule of Hershey Bears games and public skating, as well as the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The Hershey Theatre has several holiday events and concerts (Wynonna Judd, Chris Botti) on tap as well.

There are more holiday offerings around town, many of which are included on the Christmas in Hershey weekly schedule of events.

Hershey Gardens for Free!

I just photographed a wedding at the Hershey Gardens yesterday, and I have to say the Gardens are as lush and gorgeous as I've ever seen them. The roses are in bloom, the annuals are blooming and the perennial grasses are spectacular!

So it's a perfect time to visit—and this Sunday, you can take your family to the Gardens free of charge, as the 14th annual Hershey Community Gardenfest at Hershey Gardens takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition to the amazing scenery, you'll enjoy performances by Hershey Area Playhouse, Hershey Gardens Puppet Patch Players and Central Pennsylvania Suzuki Association.

Several non-profit organizations will have exhibits, including the Hershey Horticulture Society, Susquehanna Valley Chapter of The Rhododendron Society, Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society, Hershey Christian School, The Garden Club of Harrisburg, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central PA and Dauphin County Master Gardeners.

And that's not all! From 1 to 3 p.m. local artisan Bruce Johnson will sign limited edition Hershey Gardens Children’s Garden posters as well as copies of the book “It's A Fine Line.”

The forecast for Sunday looks good, but the event will take place rain or shine!

Celebrating 75 Million at Hershey's Chocolate World

Hershey's Chocolate World is celebrating the 75 million visitors who have enjoyed the sweet chocolate tour since it opened in 1973. To commemorate the occasion, Chocolate World will offer special promotions and discounts during the month of September.

Download this Sweet Savings PDF for coupons (lots of great values and some freebies!) to use for your September visit.

Hershey Gardens Butterfly Festival

The annual Butterfly Festival at the Hershey Gardens will take place this Saturday, July 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Gardens will host a butterfly-themed art exhibit and offer special crafts and kids' activities, plus the Butterfly House is at its peak with many spectacular varieties of butterflies and moths. There's no extra charge for the Butterfly Festival—simply pay the regular Hershey Gardens admission.

Little Bits from Hershey | Twitter

If you'd like all those little tidbits of news that aren't quite big enough for a blog post, please follow The Hershey Insider on Twitter!

For example, if you're interested in knowing that the Calder Cup will be at Hersheypark today from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. — it's on Twitter!

If you don't want to bother creating a Twitter account to follow us, it's just as easy to check the right column for the latest tweets or subscribe to the Hershey Insider TweetFeed here.

Baby Prairie Dogs at ZooAmerica

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.