A- Overview:
The love of chocolate and the imagination of a candy manufacturer transformed the factory town of Hershey, Pennsylvania into a major tourist destination, beloved by adults and children the world over. Standing on the corner of Chocolate and Cocoa Avenue, with the wonderful aroma of Hershey’s chocolate filling the air, visitors find it easy to understand why Hershey is known as “the sweetest place on earth.”
Milton S. Hershey operated candy manufacturing businesses in New York and Philadelphia before returning around 1905 to his hometown in the heart of Pennsylvania’s picturesque dairyland. He made a success of the caramel business and then decided to revamp his factory into a chocolate processing plant. The company grew, and soon employed most of the local workforce. Near the plant, Hershey created quite a few supply businesses such as a butcher supply shop, and grocery stores.
Hershey opened “Hershey Park” in 1907 to provide a place of relaxation for his employees and their families. Today, it’s known as Hersheypark and is billed as “the cleanest and greenest theme park in America.” Hershey kept adding to his factory, his park and his town, doing everything possible to make it a pleasant, prosperous place to live and work and a wonderful place to visit.
During the depression, he kept people at work constructing a community center, a sports arena and stadium known as Hersheypark Arena & Stadium, and a grand hotel in the European tradition. The Hotel Hershey is now one of America’s finest historic hotels.
Over the years, the town and amusements that Hershey built for his employees and their families have expanded into a Disney-type theme park. In Hershey, the streetlights are alternately shaped like wrapped and unwrapped Hershey’s chocolate kisses. At every turn, there are rides and activities for children of all ages (which are enjoyed just as much by adults.)
While at the park, visitors can tour Hershey’s Chocolate World, the official visitor’s center of Hershey Foods Corporation. Don’t forget to take your free Hershey’s chocolate sample. Also available are campgrounds, golf, world-class theater, professional soccer and hockey, the Hershey Gardens and renowned Zooamerica.
The Hershey Zoo, originally built to display Milton Hershey’s wild animal collection, has grown to become Zooamerica North American Wildlife Park. This major attraction covers 11 acres and depicts the regions of North America and the plants and animals native to each.Indoor and outdoor habitats house more than 200 animals of 75 species.
Hersheypark Stadium presents outdoor sports events, including professional soccer games played by the Hershey Wildcats, as well as concerts. The Hershey Bears ice hockey team plays next to the stadium at a smaller concert venue known as the Star Pavilion.
For chocolate lovers, and the young at heart, a visit to Hershey is pure delight! It is a vacation destination that is filled with family fun.
B- City Information:
Population: 7,400
Location: in the Lebanon Valley of Pennsylvania.
Elevation: 350 feet
Time Zone Hershey is in the eastern time zone. When it is noon in New York City; it is also noon in Hershey.
Weather:
Average Temperatures
Month
High
Low
January
39F
25F
February
40F
25F
March
49F
32F
April
62F
42F
May
73F
52F
June
82F
61F
July
86F
55F
August
84F
64F
September
77F
56F
October
66F
46F
November
52F
36F
December
41F
26F
When to Go: Hersheypark is in full operation from early May through Labor Day in early September. The zoo remains open year round. There are additional seasonal events in November and December. Spring and summer are the most popular times for a visit.
Business Hours
Banks are usually open weekdays 9 to 3 and some Saturday mornings; the post office from 8 to 5 weekdays and often on Saturday mornings. typically open at 10 daily and stay open until anywhere from 6 to 10 PM on weekdays and Saturdays, and until 5 or 6 on Sundays.
Holidays
New Year’s Day Jan. 1
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day 3rd Mon. in Jan.
President’s Day 3rd Mon. in Feb.
Memorial Day last Mon. in May;
Independence Day July 4
Labor Day 1st Mon. in Sept.
Thanksgiving Day 4th Thurs. in Nov.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Dec. 24 and 25
New Year’s Eve Dec. 31.
Emergencies
Ambulance, Fire , Police (Phone: 911).
Taxes
The sales tax in Pennsylvania is 6%.
Tipping
At restaurants, a 15% tip is standard for waiters; up to 20% may be expected at more expensive establishments. The same goes for taxi drivers, bartenders, and hairdressers.
Telephones
The country code for the United States is 1. The area code for Hershey, PA area is (717).
Getting There
By Automobile
From the Harrisburg area follow Rt. 322 to Hershey Park Drive/Rt. 39 exit. Follow Hershey Park Dr. through the next two traffic lights. You will see Hershey Park and the Hershey Factory Outlet Stores as you pass the second light.
By Plane
Harrisburg International Airport
208 Airport Drive
Middletown, Pennsylvania 17057
Phone: 717-948-3900
Toll-Free: 888-HIA-JETS
Fax: 717-948-4636
Harrisburg International Airport is easy to reach. Airport entrances are clearly marked from major access roads such as Interstate Routes 83 and 283, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, State Route 230, and the Capital Beltway. Both long- and short-term parking lots are well-marked and within sight of the connector roads.
Transportation to Hershey
All rental car companies are represented at the airport. A car is the best means of transportation for travel to and from Hershey and the surrounding area.
C- Attractions/Things To Do:
Hershey Gardens
170 Hotel Road
Hershey, PA
a 3-1/2 acre rose garden planted for Milton Hershey in 1937, is now an award-winning, 23 acre botanical delight: a perfect place to relax and enjoy the exquisite blooms.
Hershey Museum
170 W. Hersheypark Drive
Open: Year-round except New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas.
Learn about Milton Hershey and the place that bears his name at the Hershey Museum. His legacy continues, in “The Town Built on Chocolate.”
See how crayons and markers are made and explore dozens of interactive projects and activities. Project themes and activities change every month! And while your here, visit our neighbor – The National Canal Museum and visitor center for the National Heritage Corridor. Trolley rides and canal boat rides also available.
Hershey Park
100 W. Hersheypark Dr.
Hershey, PA 17033
Phone: (570) 534-3090 or 800 HERSHEY
Fax: (570) 534-3165
Year round. Memorial Day to Labor Day; 9am-6pm, balance of the year; 9am-5pm. Closed major holidays.
Hershey Park is ranked as one of the cleanest and greenest theme parks in America. It features Great Bear, Pennsylvania’s only steel inverted looping coaster.
Zooamerica
The Zoo is located just across the walking bridge from Hersheypark.
Zooamerica is an 11-acre walk-through zoo that is home to animals and living plants native to five regions of North America.
Over 200 animals, representing 75 species, provide visitors with a new perspective on the natural environment and the preservation of wildlife.
Zooamerica is open year-round.
Bus Tour
1 – 866 – 868 – 7463.
just minutes to Hershey, Lancaster and Gettysburg. With five stops on the Pennsylvania Trail of History, the PA Capital Region is a year-round wonderland. Stops for a tour of the Civil War Museum in Harrisburg: the largest of its kind. In Harrisburg, the State Capitol Building was voted the most beautiful in the nation by the Smithsonian Institute. Experience the magic of Hershey’s Chocolate World, Candy Lane and the thrilling Hershey Amusement Park. Visit world-class spas, try nostalgic river boating, train rides, covered bridges and breathtaking caverns. From Amish Farms to Outlet Shopping, the Region has so much to offer.
D- Family Fun Attractions:
Zooamerica
The Zoo is located just across the walking bridge from Hersheypark.
Zooamerica is an 11-acre walk-through zoo that is home to animals and living plants native to five regions of North America.
Over 200 animals, representing 75 species, provide visitors with a new perspective on the natural environment and the preservation of wildlife.
Zooamerica is open year-round.
Hershey’s Factory – Works
Hershey’s Factory Works is hands-on, interactive fun for everyone! This dynamic attraction gives visitors the opportunity to experience a real Hershey’s Kisses chocolates manufacturing line, and order mouth-watering personalized desserts from Hershey’s very own entertaining bakers “the “Hershey-izers.”
Hersheypark
Water Rides:
Canyon River Rapids
Riders are guaranteed to get drenched during this four minute white-water adventure that winds through five acres of canyon walls and waterfalls.
Coal Cracker
A hydroflume boat ride that gives guests a wet ride full of splashes through water canals, ending with one big plunge!
Paddle Boats
Riders paddle fiberglass boats with their feet on picturesque Spring Creek in the Comet Hollow section of HERSHEYPARK. (Not included in HERSHEYPARK admission; additional fee charged.)
Roller Soaker
ROLLER SOAKER is the ultimate aerial water experience featuring water squirt guns, water sprayers, and spurting geysers. Each rider will be able to actually dump up to four gallons of water on spectators below, whenever they choose, while the spectators can direct huge water sprayers toward the riders, offering a drenching interaction for everyone.
Tidal Force
Adult Ride: One of the tallest splash-down rides in the world. Guaranteed to get you soaked!
Tiny Timbers
This is a small-scale log flume for children and accompanying adults. Log boats float at a slow pace in a water-filled canal.
Western Chute out (Straight Shooters)
Guests splash down a straight tube in a raft singly or with another rider.
Western Chute Out (Winding Rivers)
Guests sit in rafts as they twist and plunge through a tunnel.
Other Rides
Stormrunner
This one-of-a-kind coaster will launch you from 0-72 mph in 2 seconds flat. 18 stories straight up, straight down. And that’s just the beginning. You’ll fly through loops, twists, and turns so fast, you won’t know which way is west.
Other Coasters are named:
Comet
Great Bear
Lightning Racer
Sooperdooperlooper
Roller Soaker
Sidewinder
Trailblazer
Wild Mouse
Wildcat
Special Rides for Small Children (Kiddy Rides)
Convoy
These realistic trucks caravan around the track.
Bizzy Bees
These child-sized vehicles move around a track. Children can push a button to make a “buzzing” sound.
Dinosaur-Go-Round: Same idea as Bizzy Bees, except that the vehicles are in the shape of mini-dinosaurs. The track goes around a lighted “volcano.”
Dizzy Drums
Children sit in a drum-shaped vehicle that gently twirls around a track.
Frog Hopper
Children sit in a seat-belted row and are lifted a short distance above the ground and “hopped” down. Parents (and grandparents) welcome.
Carousel
These are a few of the 24 Kiddy Rides, each designed to delight small children.
E- Events & Entertainment:
Events
January
Annual: Hershey Theater performance of a major Broadway play: For more information, call the Box Office at (717) 534-3405
Mid-January Annually: Pennsylvania Farm Show, 9 – 9, Harrisburg Farm Show Complex.
Late March
Adventure Sports in Hershey opens for the season. Call for Spring hours. 717-533-7479
Early May
Hersheypark opens for the season.
October
Halloween events at the park
December
December and January: Hershey Sweet Lightsand Christmas Candylane: a spectacular holiday drive-through of a winter wonderland with displays and many lights adjacent to Hershey Park.
Through the month of December: A Holiday Dinner Theater Musical Christmas in Chocolatetown. (closed Christmas eve and Christmas Day)
First weekend: Christkindlmarkt: Christmas Arts & Crafts Fair and Festival 11 AM – 5 PM, Hershey Museum (Free with Museum admission) For more information, call (717)534-3439. The annual festival celebrates the holidays in the German tradition with weekend-long entertainment, craft vendors and craft demonstrations, a German food court, festival of trees, German singers and dancers and much more.
Saturday of 1st weekend: Belsnickle Day, 2 PM, Hershey Museum (Free with Museum admission) For more information, call (717)534-3439 This hilarious, not-quite-like Santa character is a staple of German holiday folklore. The presentation showcases a popular holiday tradition.
Second weekend: The Canadian Brass, 8 PM, Hershey Theatre. With their unbeatable blend of virtuosity, spontaneity and humor, the five virtuosi of The Canadian Brass play everything from Bach to Dixieland. For more information, call the Box Office at (717) 534-3405.
Weekend after Christmas: Annual Cinderella’s Storyland, 1:30 & 3 PM, Hershey Museum (Free with Museum admission) For more information, call (717)534-3439 Celebrated children’s entertainer Kit’s Kaboodle presents a unique variation of the childhood classic in a program that combines history, music, dance and improvisation with audience members cast into the show. Recommended for ages 5 and up.
Annual: Mr. David Drawings and Songs, Hershey Museum (Free with Museum admission) For more information, call (717)534-3439 Variety and humor make David Perry a hit with all ages as he mixes music, art and popular songs with drawing games, clever characters, puppets and playful props.