Hersheypark
add photosHERSHEYPARK is closed in January, February and March.
39 Reviews for Hersheypark
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'12, '130 families found this helpful
"Hershey in the Spring"
My family visited in the spring during “Springtime In The Park” which takes place three weekends in April. The benefit to visiting this time of year is the discounted admission tickets and cooler temperatures. Unfortunately this also means the waterpark area is closed and also there was less staff so a handful of regular rides were also closed.
It was a pretty crisp 53 degrees the day we visited and I was surprised that regardless of the weather the amusement park was packed. There was long lines all around. Many visitors could have been spring breakers just like us.
There are more than enough rides to spend a full day here and I could see spending two days here during the summer when all the water rides are open. However this park is very expensive and to spend two days here may not be worth the additional cost. It is not much more expensive to add a second day when purchasing admission but other expenses really do start to add up. I could not believe the prices of food, snacks and drinks. This may be because my family is yearly visitors to Knoebels Amusement park and we are used to their prices. To save on costs I would suggest packing lunch to eat in your car.
Despite the expense it was worth the visit because it was sentimental for me. As a child I would visit Hershey Park quite often. A lot of things have changed since then but a lot has remained the same. This is not something I would consider doing every year but I am sure we will visit again in a few years.
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"Fun time"
I would give it 5 stars but it is very expensive. You can buy discounted tickets at any of the local giant food stores. There are also coupons in fast food restaurants. We have always had a great time at Hersheypark! They still have a ton of rides for little kids and also a ton of rides for us adults. You can also use the kid swap for rides that your kids may be too scared or little to ride on. There is a lot to do in the park. The zoo is also included in your admission so you could spend a good two days at the park. Food is not cheap so if you have the time I would eat a big breakfast before you enter the park and leave for the afternoon. Have a late lunch/early dinner. Then head back into the park in the late afternoon/ evening. The lines should be shorter at the end of the day as well.
Tip.... Get to the park when it opens and If your kids can get past the rides at the front of the park go to the back of the park, the midway area. You will be able to get on the rides w/o waiting in long lines.
They also have a lot of water attractions on those hotter days.
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"We're still talking about it!"
For Memorial Day Weekend, my husband and I decided to take our kids to Hershey Park. We were only going to buy the sunset pass, but decided instead to go for the full day, and we were glad we did. There is so much to do there, and you can't get it in in only one day (let along only a few hours). The park is very family friendly. Each ride lets you know who can go on, and that's shown by candy. When you first get into the park you can measure yourself and see what candy you measure up to, from Hershey Miniatures, Kisses, and Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, up to Twizzlers and Jolly Ranchers. There are some rides that even have special seating for certain age groups. The pirate ship, for example, has seating in the middle just for the Reece's PB Cups. They seem to know what they're talking about too, because my daughter was almost up to the Hershey Bar, and one ride that she went on only went up to the PB Cups which she was at. She was almost too big for the ride!
I was so thrilled that my kids were able to go on rides that at other parks they may be considered too small for. My 5 and 6 year olds went on their first upside-down roller coaster (the Sooper Dooper Looper). I was apprehensive at first with my son because he had a central port in his chest, but I let him on and I didn't regret it. Now they tend to get bored at other parks we go to because there's not much fir their age group!
There's a lot of walking, a lot of hills, but to counter that there's a lot of places to eat and drink. Make sure to grab a map, because that will help you navigate the park very easily.
I could go on and on about the park, but I'll just leave it with, "we can't wait to go back again!"
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"Hershey Park"
A great place to spend the day for any family! There are lots of kid-friendly activities, such as rides and shows. Plus, lots of chocolate for all! You can also take a tour of the chocolate factory (maybe not the best for the really young kiddos, but it is interesting). There are fun characters for the kids to meet, too! You won't be bored at Hershey Park!
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"Chocolate, Chocolate & More Chocolate"
My daughter, age 9 at the time, and I went on a trip to Hershey park many years ago, from New Jersey. We rode there in a school bus. In those days, they didn't have A/C in the buses yet. With the windows on the bus open, the smell of the farms in the area wasn't so great. But, once we got to Hershey Park, and experienced all the fun and yummy chocolate, we found out the ride wasn't so bad afterall! I would recommend this park to families, especially if you have children.
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"Chocolate Park? Yummy :)"
Hershey Park Is About 2 hours from where I live so you can be sure we have been here many times. With a wide range of shops that sell your favorite hershey candy, also cookies and fudge. Also rides for all ages and many activities to get you and the kids involved. Don't be suprised if a hershey kiss walks passed you as they are around every corner, or maybe one of your favorite candy bars. This park is so cute and you can always smell chocolate, I think they make it all on site. Hershey park also offers many shows and summer concerts. They have a water park with many water slides for adults and children, I believe admission is seperate for the water park.
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"Day for the Kids"
Hershey Park is a very unique, clean and well kept amusement park and is not totally overwhelming like some of the larger chain ones around. The chocolate theme runs throughout and you definately want to take in the free tour of Chocolate World before leaving to see just what that chocolately smell is comeing from. Lots of variety of rides and coasters. The lines can be long at times which always takes some of the fun away. They also offer Candy Lane in the winter which is covered with lights. I think it is free admission to just walk around of course the food and few rides that are running are extra.
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"Chocolatey family fun"
Mmm, Hershey park is delicious!! They have a great variety of rides and roller coasters for everyone. Our whole family loved this vacation. The whole time you are at the park, you smell chocolate! My kids really enjoyed meeting the candy bar characters and being assigned a "candy" (height restriction) for the day. It made determining which rides were for us and which weren't very easy. We stayed at the campground and loved the free shuttle back and forth.
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"Great Park!"
We try to go to Hersheypark every year. It's a wonderful park for children of all ages.... and adults! They have tons of roller coasters as well as tons of children's rides. I'd suggest going during the week since it won't be nearly as busy. The food is very expensive, and so are the games, but we pack our own lunch (go out to the car to eat it), and don't play the games, which makes it more affordable.
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"Rollercoasters, Dancing Chocolate...What's Not To Love?!"
Well let me start by saying WOW, this was definitely one of my kid's favorite parks that we've been to so far! When you mix chocolate & fun rides, who can resist? We loved seeing all the chocolate bars dancing around, it was very entertaining :) & whoever loves a good roller coaster should definitely take the time to go here! I would even go back & visit just to smell the chocolate swirling around you in the air, it's great!
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"Hersheypark is great for the a family trip."
Hersheypark is a nice choice for a weekend trip. The park offers a wide variety of rides that family members of all ages can enjoy.
The park was very crowded in July, when my family visited. One word of advice, if you plan on staying overnight, make your hotel reservations far in advance! The hotels near the park fill up quickly.
I would recommend spending one day or maybe two days at the park.
If you are really interested in the latest greatest rides and coasters, Hersheypark is probably not the best place for you to visit, but if you want to enjoy average rides and coasters, Hersheypark it is a great deal of fun. Hersheypark is no Busch Gardens, but it is a really nice park.
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"Chocolate and coasters - can you say FUN?"
We go to Hersheypark each year as it is not a long drive from our home in MD. It's amazing. Getting out of the car you can SMELL the chocolate and cocoa in the air from the factory. It's not strong but it's noticeable; always a nice welcome.
Hersheypark is full of rides, good food, dancing candy bars, and rollercoasters! My kids love figuring out which type of candy they are so they know what kind of rides they can get on each time we go. The food is great as are the various little concession stands spread throughout the park. My kids love the section where you can play games and win prizes. We somehow always seem to be lugging home a huge stuffed animal!
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"Nice family trip"
Hershey park is one of many attractions in the town of Hershey. The park has rides for young kids as well as great roller coasters for older kids and adults. The entire park is themed to Hershey candy so be sure to bring your appetites. You can also visit the Hershey chocolate world located next door to the park.
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"Fun, but not my favorite. "
The Rides and Attractions throughout Hershey Park were fun and my kids really enjoyed it, but all together if I were to make a trip to an amusement park, this would not be my #1 choice. Dont, get me wrong, we had a blast and laughed the whole time, but I've been to better. If you are in the area I do recommend visiting though!
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"family friendly"
great amusement park, but can get busy. recommend you bring towels for the water park side, and a change of clothes. Strollers are good for little ones AND to carry all your stuff! Easy drive from Washington, dc. Hershey Lodge is nice to stay in b/c there is free transportation to and from park. But there are cheaper hotels down the road.
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"Loved it"
We love amusement parks and roller coasters. Hershey Park was the cleanest theme park I've ever been to. The rides were great. We saw a show to get out the the heat for a few minutes and weren't crazy about that. Food prices weren't terrible. We got a pizza to feed all four of us for about $20. Definitely going back! One of the best things about the rides is that each kid gets labeled a different kind of candy based on their height. Then at each ride there is a list of the candies that are tall enough to ride. This was so much better than standing at the measuring stick at every entrance.
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"Go out of your way to visit Hershey Park!"
We live in Nashville but have family in upstate New York and Boston, so we often trek through Pennsylvania on the way somewhere else. We had stopped at Hershey Park about 9 years ago, and at that time it was fun but nothing spectacular. Then summer before last we went again, now that both our kids are big enough for "big" rides ... all I can say is WOW! This is now a MAJOR theme park, I think they have ELEVEN roller coasters! And it's nowhere near as crowded as Disney parks or even Six Flags parks usually are. It is not to be missed. My kids had an amazing time, and still talk about how much fun they had. We'll be going back again on the way to Boston this summer for sure. If you're anywhere on the upper East coast, I'd recommend fitting this into your trip - you will not be disappointed.
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"Christmas in Hersheypark - Kid Friendly & a Good Bargain"
I want to share a rather humorous story with you. A few months ago, I contacted Hersheypark and requested a pair of media passes to the amusement park’s annual Christmas attractions, something that I have never attended and I thought would be fun to showcase for all of you. A very polite PR rep replied back to me and let me know that they were working on my request. After a couple weeks of run around, someone finally got back to me and told me that they were sorry, but they could not give me tickets. She went further to explain that there were a very small number of media passes available and that they did not feel that my website was a great fit, as they do not consider their park to be a “bargain” park. Hmmm…
This surprised me, as I had not intended to write a “bargain” attraction piece, rather a “here’s something fun to do in PA at Christmas time” piece.
So here’s what I decided to do. We still wanted to check out Christmas in Hersheypark. It is a 2 hour drive from our house, totally do-able in one day. I decided to see just how cheap I could make a trip to this park- to see whether or not it is a bargain. (Keep in mind- I am NOT addressing regular park admission during the summer months- that admission is in the pricier category- around $60/ticket).
Food: Food and drink inside Hersheypark is typical of most amusement parks: pricey. We stopped at Wawa (regional convenience store chain) and picked up sandwiches and drinks. We planned our day to arrive at the park just after 12 p.m. (when they open) and figured on leaving around 5:30-6. Once we got within about 30 minutes of the park, we ate our lunches in the car. We brought snacks and drinks for Lily Bean, which we were allowed to take into the park.
Lunch cost: $10
We impulse purchased a funnel cake and small hot chocolate at one point.
Snack cost: $7
Admission: Hersheypark’s Christmas rates are only a fraction of their summertime rates. Tickets are $10.95 (ages 3+) and kids 2 and under get in free. Lily Bean was free, and Biker Bob and I used $2 off coupons that we picked up at Dunkin’ Donuts (also available at Giant grocery stores).
Admission cost: $17.90
Games and Rides: There were quite a few rides open- the majority of which were for young children. (The roller coasters were not open- too cold!) Rides are included with your admission ticket. Games typical of a carnival midway are scattered here and there- we played some skee ball and whack a mole.
Game cost: $10
Park Light Show: Beginning at 5 p.m. and playing every 30 minutes, the light show Noel features thousands of lights synchronized to several Christmas tunes. It was really neat, and included in the admission.
Light Show cost: FREE
Sweet Lights: This is a 2 mile wooded trail that you can drive through beginning at sundown. Tickets are $20/car, but there are several ways to bring that cost WAY down. 1) The same coupons that we found at Dunkin’ Donuts also had $2 off of Sweet Lights coupons. 2) When you purchase park admission, you can buy a discounted Sweet Lights ticket- $16. 3) Pack more than one family into your car and split the cost. We purchased the discounted ticket ($16) and split it with our friends who rode along in our car. Note- think carefully about Sweet Lights before purchasing your ticket. We were NOT impressed at ALL. :( We headed over to Sweet Lights around 8 p.m., after eating dinner at a local restaurant. It took us TWO ENTIRE HOURS to get into the lights. By then, we were so annoyed and tired (and still 2 hours from home!!), that pretty much all excitement that we’d had was lost. Once you enter the Sweet Lights, there’s no turning around- you’re stuck in there for at least another hour. My recommendation- get there as soon as it opens. Hopefully you’ll get through the lights while many people are still over at the park.
Sweet Lights cost: $8
Dinner: We chose to leave the park before eating dinner. Instead we went down the road a mile or two and ate at an Applebee’s. It was cheaper than eating at the park and less crowded.
Dinner cost: $30
Entire Day’s Spending: $82.90
Conclusion: Christmas in Hersheypark was really fun. We enjoyed the park rides and decorations. The event was well planned and everyone had a great time (minus the Sweet Lights debacle). I am still surprised that Hersheypark expressed concern about not wanting to associate themselves with the word “bargain.” That seems a bit silly to me. In our economy, and with so many people looking for entertainment without breaking the bank, I don’t know why they wouldn’t want to push their affordability. The bottom line- while their summer attractions are more expensive, Christmas in Hersheypark is a budget friendly option for holiday fun. And if you follow some of my advice above, you can maximize your savings and easily spend a great day with the family for less than $100- not bad for an amusement park.
1 family found this helpful
"Expensive, but tons of fun"
Lots of reviewers have already hit many of the great highlights of Hershey Park, so I'll keep my review short.
The top thing that comes to mind for me is that I love the set-up of the park. The kid rides aren't hidden away in one area. Instead there are many small kid sections, with 4-5 rides or so in each area. There is a somewhat enclosed, safe feel to the kid areas, so you don't feel as though your kid will be whisked away by the crowds at any second. At the same time, the areas are right among the bigger rides and attractions. As a result, a roller-coaster loving mom, a feet-on-the-ground dad, a trains-and-planes hunting 4 year old, and a wanna-touch-everything 20 month old all had a blast.
The chocolate didn't hurt either.
It is quite hilly, but fairly stroller and wheelchair friendly. Expect lots of crowds.
We all can't wait to go back.
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"The Sweetest Place on Earth"
HersheyPark is 45 minutes from my house. Driving into Hershey you can smell the sweet scent of chocolate. You can also go into Chocolate World which is a theme ride that shows you how chocolate is made. In the cafe you can get chocolate peanut butter milkshakes with a keepsake cup. There are thrill rides and kiddie rides along with intermediate rides that everyone in the family can enjoy. The other cool things is that they have a Christmastime event called Candylane where you can visit Santa and his reindeer. there is also a drive thru lights show.
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