On our late-summer Road Warrior Trip, pulling Shirley Jean all the way from the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia to the Canadian/NY border, our last stop was Hersheypark, PA.Â
While I am still processing the entirety of the trip, tips and reviews for visiting Hersheypark are easy to share. This was a great family trip for us!
I have such fond memories of this trip from my childhood, from a trip where my parents hauled me, my brother, and my sister around the U.S. with a pop-up camper in tow – with one of the stops Hersheypark.
My recall didn’t disappoint me. This was great on the flip side of the generations, too.
All the Tips for Visiting Hersheypark, PA
We found Hersheypark to be an amusement park just the right size for our family. While it has huge roller coasters and other thrill rides, it also has a lot of classic rides. But even better is that it feels possible to tackle it in a day (side-eyeing you, Magic Kingdom), yet it had enough activity to keep us engaged as long as we wanted to keep going.
No shows or live entertainment at this park (unless you pay for one of the large summer concerts that occur at Hersheypark Stadium). We liked that, to be honest. It was fun to be able to focus on the rides and not have a specific timetable we felt tied to.
Hersheypark is also relatively affordable for a family of four (side-eyeing you, Universal Studios). While tickets can be as high as $85/per person a day, we did not pay that (we paid $50/per person a day) – and they run sales all the time! For our family, we used the benefits of staying at a Hersheypark resort (see below) to the maximum and highly recommend opting for this if possible.
Of course, there are add-ons and Fast Track ticket options (see below for more). But for just getting in, the entry ticket price didn’t feel outrageous when you factor in an 11-acre waterpark, a zoo (more on that below), and 52 rides.
We did NOT go to the waterpark. We were fully entertained and didn’t feel the need! The logistics of swimsuits, towels, etc., combined with the wait lines at the waterpark felt like barriers we didn’t feel the need to power through.
We never got to visit Chocolate World! It was, unfortunately, unexpectedly closed during the times we could have gone. I regret that as I was looking forward to the free tour (and tasting!).
Finally, before I get into more details below, be sure to download the Hersheypark app. While the app had some performance issues once or twice, overall it was useful and helped us successfully navigate the park. The wait times were crucial to know!
Table of Contents
Where to Stay: A Review of the Hersheypark Campground
Since we were on our Road Warrior trip, we knew we’d be camping. Well in advance of our trip (think five months), I selected a campsite at Hersheypark Camp Resort through the online booking system.
Selecting your site in advance is important for this campground. We were able to pick a spot down near the river (in “Lazy River Rest”) and were so glad we did – the allotted space was larger than other campsites, the river in the back was lovely, and it was further away from the crowd noise.
Check out the resort map ahead of time to be sure you like your spot if reserving in advance. “Carousel Circle” is gravel, RV spots only, and the campsites are very close together.Â
Also to know: this is not a quiet campsite. Campers come to enjoy, party, and laugh late into the night. Fortunately, we saw staff enforcing quiet hours. Additionally, you will hear noise and music from the concerts at the Hersheypark Stadium. The shows ended at a reasonable hour, so we didn’t mind. But if you have younger kids, the noise could go past their bedtime.
Amenities at the Hersheypark campsite:
- Outdoor pool
- Planned activities for kids and families throughout the day
- Playground
- River for wading, tubing, fishing
- Clean bathhouses
- Laundry facilities (for a fee)
- Camp store that was well stocked (and even had some good souvenirs)
- Basketball, volleyball, and shuffleboard (no equipment on-site, though)
- An outfitter that you can hire for guided kayaking and rafting trips
The campground has RV spots, cabins, and tent spots. RV sites have varying hook-ups but everything is clearly explained on the website so you will know prior to booking.
Benefits to the amusement park for those staying at the Hersheypark Camp Resort:
- Preview Hours: entry into the park 3 hours before closing the night prior to ticketed entry.
- in the summer season, Sweet Start: entry into the park 1 hour early.
- Preferred/best ticket pricing for standard entry tickets.
- Free shuttle service to and from the park. (We loved having this! If you are attending a concert at the stadium, the pickup and drop off location for the shuttle is also convenient.)
Sit Down Dining at Hersheypark: The Chocolatier Restaurant
This restaurant came highly recommended. Right at the park’s entrance gate, it can be accessed without heading into Hersheypark itself.
We went here our first night, before we took advantage of the Preview Hours we had through our stay at Hersheypark campsite.
This restaurant was delicious. But MAKE RESERVATIONS.
We, fortunately, had made reservations in advance (and yet were still seated 15 minutes late due to crowds). Those walking up without reservations were being asked to wait for at least an hour.
Get a reservation ahead of time and save yourself the headache, particularly if there is a concert at Hersheypark Stadium on the same night. This is a very popular place to eat.
Everything on this menu features chocolates in some way – everything!
Must-tries: the milkshakes (although if you notice in the photo, these are huge, so splitting one is likely smart) and the chocolate martini sampler.
The Chocolatier is not cheap. It was around $20-$25 for a burger entree. But we felt it was a fun splurge.
To learn more about The Chocolatier Restaurant, visit this link.
Fast Track Tickets at Hersheypark: To Get? & How?
Like many theme parks, Hersheypark offers a “skip-the-line” ticket option. This works differently than what we experienced in the Magic Kingdom – upgrades can be purchased online in advance or inside the park at an automated kiosk.
But this is where those reasonable ticket prices can creep up fast!
There are two Fast Track options: 1) unlimited skip-the-line for all the major attractions and 2) a one-time skip-the-line for each of the major attractions. (Note that only major attractions are included. Fast Track doesn’t get you a skip-the-line to every ride, but it does let you bypass the long queue for the major coasters and thrill rides)
Prices for these will be $80 – $115 per ticket (and depending on when and how you purchase, that pricetag is ABOVE your original entry ticket price). The price fluctuates with demand.
Fast Track does NOT require you to pick rides or ride times in advance. No managing it in an app or signing up in advance. Simply go to the line for the ride you want to get on, get in the designated Fast Track line, and scan your special wristband for access at the gate.
So is Fast Track worth it?
We never bought it! Our first night in the park, which we were able to take advantage of due to the “preview” benefits conferred to resort guests, we were running through the lines for a lot of the coasters with no wait (the biggest coasters, Candymonium, Cupfusion and Laff Track still had 20-30 minute waits).
The next morning in the park, we used our resort benefits again to get in early and ran straight to the major attractions we wanted to do before any lines formed.
The longest wait we had was for Cupfusion (the back of the park is surprisingly not open during the early access hours, which we did not know).
We saved ourselves the money and using the resort benefits, app updates, and working around crowd schedules (i.e., we were in the park during the concerts and out of the park during the heat of the day) managed to have a really pleasant experience. The longest we waited was for Cupfusion, and that was right at 30 minutes. (Mr. Family Trip waited much longer for one of the big thrill coasters but that was due to the ride needing special maintenance right before he got on board, shutting it down unexpectedly for an extra 20-minute wait.)
We didn’t miss the Fast Track or wish we had purchased them. Yet we were just as content to do the bumper cars as we were the Jolly Rancher Remix. If you really want to spend the day running on and off the big coasters, it may be worth it to your family.
Rides and Roller Coasters at Hersheypark
Speaking of coasters, there are 15 in the park. Read this post for ratings and reviews from someone who knows them well! Some we never made it on simply due to a long, full day, and some we did multiple times.Â
Candymonium never goes upside down, but the drop is impressive; Jolly Rancher Remix is a shuttle with a short whirr of adrenaline; Superdooperlooper brought back so many memories as it was my first ever upside-down coaster; the Lightning Racer was a hit and we did that multiple times.
But I have a special place in my heart for The Comet.
This wooden roller coaster is one of the earliest rides in Hersheypark, along with the carousel.
Hersheypark was founded by Milton S. Hershey as an employee benefit. The rumor is he built a new factory without windows, and he faced angry and frustrated workers when he opened the new facility. By way of changing the mood, he created a place for Hershey employees to go unwind, relax, and be with their families.
I don’t know if that’s true (although our official bus operator swears by it). But facts do show that Hersheypark was opened by Milton S. Hershey in 1906 for his employees with a bandstand and picnic area.
The first ride installed? A carousel, in 1908. While the one in the park today isn’t the original, only being built in 1919(!), it was lovely to ride it in 2023. The art, the history, the feeling of a distant past… it is one of the oldest carousels in the country.
While the first roller coaster in the park was built in 1923, it is no longer standing. Instead, The Comet, which was built in 1946, stands today as one of the top 10 wooden roller coasters in the U.S. I adore this ride. (For context, the Superdooperlooper opened in 1977 and is still going strong, too.)
Hersheypark is such a marvelous blend of rides from yesteryear and the roaring ’20s alongside the physics-defying thrill rides of this decade. What I loved about the park is the importance they give to the classic rides (the Scrambler, the tea cups, the “Himalaya”) alongside the big screamers that draw folks today. The past and the present are proudly placed next to each other.
So be sure to take time to enjoy it all!
"Street" Food and Sweet Treats
If you want some delicious sweet treats, Hersheypark is the place to go. You have to make time (in the belly, schedule, and budget) to get some of the street treats.
Wherever you go, the theme is chocolate and chocolate!
My favorite? A funnel cake that was smothered in chocolate, peanut butter, and Reeses peanut butter cups. Why not!?
But, really, there is something for everyone at the huts and stands across the park.
There is savory dining inside the park, as well, for lunch and dinner. Lines can get long and seating can be limited, but we ate on the earlier side of the lunch hour and didn’t have too much of a problem.
What to Know about the Hersheypark Zoo
My oldest (who is not a thrill ride fan) and I checked out ZooAmerica, or the Hersheypark Zoo. And I have mixed feelings.
It was fun to see the animals close, and many of them were active and running around. They seemed healthy and happy enough.
But it was tiny, with a focus on local animals and wildlife normally found in Central PA (not a bad thing but we already see a lot of deer eating our hostas in our backyard at home) and some of the enclosures felt small for the animals they were housing.
While it wasn’t a terribly dynamic or sexy zoo, it was interesting and a nice break from the rides. We enjoyed our stroll through, and watching the bears and wolves move around was interesting.
It makes for a nice diversion and change, but don’t worry if you don’t get to it!
Don't Miss: The KissingTower
But the Kissing Tower you have to do! At sunset!
This old-school retro ride was so lovely. The views of the area are unavailable anywhere else. The tower lifts you up (while you are inside, seated, so it is pretty tame) to 250 feet and slowly rotates 360 degrees while a very 1940s-sounding narrator gives some descriptions about the park. It is the tallest thing in the park and I thought it was a little piece of magic (even if no kissing occurred).
Visiting the Park at Night
If you’ve been up in the Kissing Tower at sunset, stick around and experience the park at night.
There was something about the old school rides with their colorful lights melting into the dark night, that felt like all the things summer should be: the way it was, new memories, excitement twinged with a lazy humidity. The Comet with its white bulb lights pulsing was the definition of an amusement park to me.
While I understand parks that take people into immersive movie/fantasy worlds are all the rage right now, this park doesn’t really have a comprehensive, immersive theme (unless you count “chocolate” as the theme, which perhaps, loosely, it was – but that is definitely loose). For this fact, though, it was marvelous.
Hersheypark felt like good, old-fashioned family fun that we will cherish for decades to come.
I am glad we powered through the end of our Road Warrior trip (more on that coming soon, so be sure to subscribe) to enjoy this park in all its glory. It was a magic kingdom experience for us.
