Thinking of going to Hershey Park? Check out the updated tips below to make your theme park experience better (updated for 2022):
Find out how Hershey’s manufactures their chocolates in this FREE tour with a FREE sample at the end. 
Chocolate World is brimming with sweets and treats of all kinds! 
These are the flavors we brought home from this trip! 
Similar to the Dumbo ride, riders may control their vehicle by going up or down. The boys love it that they can ride this on their own. 
Get wet, get REALLY wet, in this fun soaker and water slide heaven. You can’t miss it! 
Entrance to ZooAmerica is included in your park ticket 
The ZooAmerica bears get into the water play with a captive audience of vultures in the background. 
Roller Coaster ride with three loops. The ride repeats by going backwards through the same route. 
- Parking – The park itself doesn’t open till 11 a.m. However, Chocolate World is already open at 9 a.m. (summer hours). If your kids are up anyway, go early. You get the all-day parking rate of $25 ($20 if you buy online) and you get to park closer to the entrance. You will appreciate the shorter walk back to your vehicle at the end of the day.
- Chocolate World – The FREE tour explains how chocolate is made and what makes the Hershey brand special. Learn about the process of chocolate-making AND get a FREE small Hershey’s bar at the end. Purchase the more unique flavors and products that are not normally seen in your neighborhood grocery store. A stop at Chocolate World is sure to delight everyone’s sweet tooth!
- Queues – If you get in line by 10:30ish, it should take you to the front of the entrance right at 11. To speed things along, if you are bringing a stroller, empty out all contents (they make you do this even before you get to the front). Once inside, be warned that the wait times for the rides are not accurate. Don’t be deterred by the long wait indicated on the app. It’s better to go and see for yourself. The best strategy for us was to just get in line when we come across a ride we liked. If there is a longer queue at one, one adult gets in line there while the other parent takes the children to the rides with shorter lines (the kiddie rides) just so we don’t have impatient, whiny kids baking under the hot sun.
- The Rides – At the entrance, you can measure your little ones to see how tall s/he is so that you can identify which rides are appropriate for your child. So the rides we recommend will be those that our little “Hersheys” (48-54″) were able to get on. Among their absolute favorites are The Claw (a pendulum ride that rocks back and forth while spinning at the same time), Comet (a classic, old-school wooden roller coaster with speed and dips), the Laff Track (a fun house-themed indoor coaster ride with lots of twirls and spins), the Jolly Rancher Remix (a roller coaster ride with three loops with a rewind where the riders go backwards to finish the ride), and the Hershey Triple Tower (a free-fall drop from a variety of heights). For the Boardwalk (water park) area, we LOVED the Tidal Force (a one-drop BIG splash ride that will guarantee a soaking not just for yourself but for spectators as well). The whole family had a blast racing each other in the Whitecap Racer, and for more water sliding action and soaking sessions, the East Coast Waterworks is the place to be.
- Personalized Fun – Check out the HPGo wristbands that are FREE for you to keep track of your scores at the Whitecap Racer and the Reese’s Cupfusion (laser gun game). You can also sync it with the app you may already have on your phone (since they don’t have paper maps). You also use the same wristband if you purchased the Fast Track to skip in front of the lines.
- Added Value – Every park ticket comes with a FREE admission to ZooAmerica. All you need is a stamp to get back into Hershey Park. It is a small enough zoo where the animals are visible and easy to spot. The highlight is the bear enclosure where you can see up close the resident black and brown bear interacting with each other in their little watering hole witnessed by a cast of vultures. It is a good change of pace especially if your little ones need to step away from the overstimulating sights and sounds of the rides and games.
- Food Options – Hands down, we loved the many food options available at Hershey Park. They went with known chains and brands like Chick-fil-A (still closed on Sundays), Nathan’s, Moe’s Southwest, Subway, Dippin’ Dots, as well as really good burgers and crab fries from Chickie’s & Pete’s (don’t scrimp on the side of cheese sauce) and barbecue from Spring Creek Grill. If getting pizza, the whole pizza orders are a better deal than purchasing per slice. Theme Park food costs an arms and a leg already anyway so might as well spend and fill up on the better stuff. Their website claims that you are NOT allowed to bring outside drinks except for one sealed water bottle per person. As there were no size specifications, we brought in the bigger sized bottles and were able to last the day without buying extra drinks. Saved some money and we stayed hydrated! (P.S. They did not check our bags.)
- Restaurants – Their newly opened full-service dine-in The Chocolatier now takes reservations via Open Table. We will skip this for a separate trip. The line at Milton’s Ice Cream Parlour, was also very long so we went back to Chocolate World’s food court where we had Hershey’s Chocolate milkshake, a Reese’s peanut butter milkshake, and the Kit Kat Duo Strawberry and Dark Chocolate shake for $9 apiece. They were rich but not heavy, and not diluted at all. You can really taste the peanut flavor in the Reese’s one and the strawberry flavor was mild in the KitKat Duo shake. Although expensive, it is not one you will likely find in a convenience store near you. For a less creamy option, try the Jolly Rancher slush where we got the tri-colored (cherry, pineapple, and blue raspberry) patriotic drink.
All in all, we definitely enjoyed our time at Hershey Park. Next year will be a blast as Hershey’s Chocolate World will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary on June 30th! We are looking forward to the events surrounding this milestone year.
If you have other tips, feel free to leave a comment below.
The Mama Travels 
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