Disclosure: I received compensation in exchange for writing this review. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.
Last summer we took a road trip back up north to visit family and friends. On the way back home, we made a few stops along they way that the kids got to pick. One of those places was Hersheypark in Hershey, PA. They’d done some rides at Walt Disney World before and we also had plans to stop at Cedar Point in Ohio on the way home so it seemed like a good choice. Let me tell you – it wasn’t a good choice, but a great choice!!
Height Restrictions
For safety each ride has a height limitation. After you enter the park, there’s a spot to stop for the kids to get measured and get their bracelet with the official determination of their height. I like having to do this just once instead of waiting in line for each ride and having the attendant tell the kids they weren’t tall enough even though we’d ridden something in that height category before. The kids also thought it was cool that the different height groups were candy names. Within each height group there did seem to be a good number of rides and attractions throughout the park so don’t worry about smaller kids having something to do during the day if you’ve got various sized kiddos in your group.
Characters
Just like at Disney, there were characters throughout the park to stop and meet during the day. Lines for the characters were never unbearably long and each character that we saw spent a lot of time with the kids interacting with them which was nice. We never felt rushed while meeting them or that we were wasting valuable park time waiting to see them.
Photographers
There were photographers out around the parks. Once they’d taken your picture, you got a small piece of paper that you could take to locations throughout the park to “claim” your pictures. Never did any of them pressure us to have a picture taken or order/purchase pictures or anything like that. I did take pictures on my phone so we didn’t wind up purchasing any of them but it’s nice to have that option if you didn’t take pictures yourself during your day or if maybe you split up during your day.
Cleanliness
Yes a bathroom picture is a little weird but I wanted you to see how clean everything was while we were there. From the second we got there in the morning when the park opened to when we were leaving after the park closed, things were much cleaner than I expected which was a nice surprise. Bathrooms, dining options, general walkways were all very clean and we saw multiple people during the day sweeping, restocking, or just cleaning to keep up.
Keeping in Touch
Having fun with your group is your first priority when visiting Hersheypark. Sometimes that means splitting up to ride different rides or go eat or take a bathroom break or whatever. Texting or posting pictures on social media can drain your phone battery. Thanks to T Mobile, there are multiple charging stations throughout the park so you don’t have to worry about bringing portable chargers or anything with you.
Food
Not only are there a bunch of different choices for meals, snacks and drinks, the portions are HUGE and prices seemed reasonable for a theme park. Tons of options for allergy friendly food too which is something very near and dear to my heart when I’m traveling with my kids. Everyone was great about answering questions about allergies and helping substitute items to keep the kids happy.
Water Park
In addition to all the regular rides in the park, there’s also an awesome water park right inside the park! All the kids found things they loved inside the water park. It was a little bit crazy but nothing abnormal for a water park.
Zoo
As if there wasn’t enough to do with rides and a water park, there’s also Zoo America! Lots of different animals are here and the walk through is a great way to break up the day. There’s a good bit of shade too so it’s a nice place to cool off a little bit when it’s a warm summer day.
Chocolate World
Don’t forget to stop by Chocolate World on your way out of the park. You won’t want to miss out on seeing just how the yummy chocolate you get is actually made. There’s a gift shop with lots of great Hershey products and tons of delicious chocolate for you to buy and take home.
With all these different options, there’s no way you can’t spend an entire day at Hersheypark so make sure you plan to spend several to take in all the different fun attractions. Have you visited Hersheypark? What’s your favorite thing to do during your visit?
This looks like such a fun place to visit. I’ve only ever been to Cadbury world, but you can never beat a visit to a chocolate factory.
I did not know Hershey was a location! Sounds like a cool place to visit for the chocolate lovers out there.
Wow! This looks like so much fun! There is so much to do here my son would go crazy if we vacationed here. I love that they have photographers to capture all the fun.
This looks like a fun time. I’m really loving that super cute Kiss. When I think of Hershey Park I assumed it was a tour of their factory. This is WAY better. My boys would have enjoyed this as little ones.
I’m from the UK and had no idea that this place existed! Chocolate world? Ahhh! I had hoped there would be chocolate pizza too 😉
That’s a lovely place! It’s been a while since I went on a vacation with my nephews and I sure would love to take them here.
We have been to Hershey Park before and it was such a memorable and educational experience as well. Would love to go back, but we have to wait until the grandchildren are a little older.
We were able to visit Hershey Park years ago, when the kids were still young. I guess there have been many more fun additions to the park since then. I would love to have another vacation there. Hopefully we can make it this year.
This and the Hershey spa have been on my bucket list since I was a little girl. Give me all the chocolate things!
I haven’t been to this park but it looks like so much fun. Sounds like there’s so many interesting things to do.