Hey y'all! I know we haven't been traveling a lot recently, but because hotels and attractions are beginning to open back up with new safety restrictions, I wanted to share my most recent adventure: Hershey Park! If you're from the East Coast, you've certainly heard of the amusement park, but maybe you haven't been lately, or at all! And if you're from anywhere in the world, you've definitely eaten a Hershey bar at some point or another. But I am here to tell you that no matter when the last time you went was, or if it is a destination you've been wanting to take your kids to eventually, now is the perfect time. And let me tell you why.
Pictured above: The entrance to the park, all lit up and inviting for Hershey Park In The Dark.
First, the park itself. Hershey, as a place, is filled with different fun activities. This includes the amusement park, the factory tour and all of the small adventures within the factory, the zoo, downtown Hershey which includes a museum, as well as the outlet mall located right next to the park. We visited from Friday night to Sunday afternoon, and honestly I think five days would be the necessary amount of time to take full advantage of all that Hershey has to offer. However, the amusement park is the main attraction. The park is huge, and has two sections: a regular amusement park and a water park. Of course, the water park is only open in the summer months because Pennsylvania does experience all four seasons (unlike DisneyWorld and DisneyLand, where the weather is much more similar all year around). So if the water park is a necessity, then you would need to go in the summer. And probably set a day for the water park and a day for the amusement park.
But if you're going for the fall leaves changing and the crisp fall air, October is the perfect month to visit. Starting in the first week of October is Hershey Park In The Dark, which is when the park is decorated in Halloween lights and decorations. There is a walk through, themed, and lit path through the water park where your kids 12 and under can trick-or-treat (anyone can walk through but they won't give the adults or older kids candy). We were at the park the first weekend of October and there were a ton of kids wearing costumes and getting the whole experience. An additional tip for visiting in the fall, especially earlier like we did, was that the crowds were much smaller. Potential factors for that may include kids going back to school or a COVID-19 threat, but I think that the first weeks would be ideal.
Pictured above: Me riding the incredible carousel that you see as soon as you begin your day and end your night at the park. With a mask on, of course.
And of course, speaking of COVID-19, were there any special measures against the virus, and if so, what were they? Upon entry of the park, someone took temperatures of each person going into the park. If the temperature was above 100.4, they would not be allowed entry. There is also a requirement to make reservations ahead of time (no purchase of tickets at the ticket booths) in order to control the populations entering the park. This also goes for the other attractions, like the Factory tour, even if the attraction is free- a specific time is required. This is something to keep in mind while booking and planning. Inside the park, many restrictions apply- minimal cash exchanges, line spacing, etc. This really does not get in the way of the fun- at all. There are motion-sensor hand sanitizers at every entry and exit of rides ( as well as in many other locations throughout the park), and, of course, masks are required at all times (even on rides) with the mouth and nose fully covered.
Pictured above: The Hershey Factory at the entrance to the park (not the real factory; a cool one where lots of the activities are located like building your own chocolate bar or taking a trolley tour of the town).
There are still shops and food stands open, although some are not, and many games are still available. When you get on a ride with more seats than people in your group (ex., your two children sitting in a row of four seats), there will not be an additional, random two more people seated in the same row. This does lead to slightly longer waits because the rides are not filled to maximum capacity, but the park seemed less busy than normal, so this makes up for the wait time. Also, due to restricted hours, on Friday nights the park is only open from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This does not sound like a lot of time, but at least when we were there, there was literally not a single wait time. For any ride. Even the good ones. My sister and I walked onto every single roller coaster that night. On a regular summer night, it's not abnormal to wait in one line for two hours. And we rode every good roller coaster in two hours. Just that is worth the stay at a hotel for Friday night.
Hotel, you said? Well, maybe you didn't know (I didn't), but Hershey offers one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever seen. It is called the Hotel Hershey, and it is a five star, sprawling, glamorous, and luxurious palace. This haven offers packages throughout the year that coincide with the park's current events, so we got special offers for the Hershey Park In The Dark event. With a stay in the hotel, you also receive complimentary tickets to the Hershey Story (the museum in downtown Hershey) and the Hershey Gardens. Tip: the gardens are a MUST, even if you don't stay at the hotel. You can buy tickets to just the gardens at the garden and online. There is also a butterfly garden which is too beautiful for words. The hotel also has indoor and outdoor pools, the outdoor being seasonally open, and many other fun options for kids like a clubhouse and sports areas. And for the adults, a golf course and a spa. I did visit the spa, where I was treated to a pumpkin spice massage, which I would go back up there for in an instant. There are also the classic Hershey chocolate inspired treatments including massages and body scrubs, which I would also love to experience. We did a glow in the dark putt-putt course, which was actually quite challenging but very fun, and there were other fun daily activities for families as well.
Pictured above: In the first row, you can see the entrance of the hotel, and two views of the gardens and reflecting pools behind the hotel. In the middle row, the gardens begin, first with a shot of the main building from the rose section, as well as two of my favorite roses (keep reading for more pictures of roses and other flowers). And the third and last row shows some of the incredible butterflies found in the butterfly garden in the main building.
As for the food, well, you may want to skip over all of the restaurants in the hotel and head to the Wendy's down the street. KIDDING. You need to visit each of them. We ate dinner at Harvest and Trevi 5, which both had some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten. Harvest is a local-produce inspired, American food themed spot, while Trevi 5 was Italian themed. Both were just delightful, although I don't know that I had pasta that amazing even in Italy! There were other options as well, like the Iberian Lounge which was a bar and served bar snacks, and the Circular, a wonderful breakfast spot. I highly recommend staying here, even if it's just for the night. Such a wonderful experience. Oh, and did I mention chocolate martinis?
Pictured above: First, the most amazing appetizer on earth from the Harvest restaurant- the Bavarian pretzel charcuterie plate, second, a light breakfast and a mimosa at the Circular, and the sweetest martinis on earth (the classic is the clear, which is two vodkas, while the caramel is the darker and creamier of the two).
Hershey really is the sweetest place on earth, and fall is a beautiful time to enjoy it. The precautions against COVID are certainly not something to be messed with, but they do require a little bit more planning than usual due to the maximum capacity limitations for activities. This absolutely should not stop you though, it's now or never! Especially now because of the limited time pumpkin spice massage. If you go for anything, go for that. You will not regret it. Let me know your thoughts and your comments if you have them and go do something fun this fall!
Pictured above: More photos from the gardens of the grounds and my favorite flowers!
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