We are a family who LOVES roller coasters. Although I'm finding more and more in my old age that I don't love the ones that go in circles so much. Hershey Park is an easy, less than 2 hour ride away from the DC Metro area.
Our last visit to the park was with friends who have season passes with a friends' discount (lucky for us). We got up at the crack of dawn and headed up early to avoid the crowds. We met at the Hershey Lodge, where we were greeted by several of the candy characters who we took pictures with. The hotel was packed! Every room was sold out and the huge lounge and lobby area were crammed full of excited kids AND parents ready to head to the park. We joined the line for the courtesy shuttle to the park, which seemed to be a really long wait (they need more shuttles), and even considered driving over but, at the end of the day when we were exhausted, the shuttle was definitely the right choice. http://www.hersheylodge.com/ By the way, they even have a chocolate spa there!
As we got to the park, it was still pretty empty so the kids were debating which coaster to hit first. The newest ride, Sky Rush apparently had all this hype because the test dummy fell out during a test run. Half the group backed out and that left me, my daughter, her friend and her dad to brave the ride. Getting on the ride was very scary to me, the two seats on the end in the row were staggered and had no floor, while the other two in the middle did have a floor. My daughter bravely chose an outer seat because she heard me say I was scared. I offered my seat to her but she wouldn't take it (I should have insisted....bad mommy). Well, I have to say that the ride was extremely scary to me. I screamed at the top of my lungs the whole time until I realized that my kid was hysterical, screaming in tears and I needed to calm her down. By the time the ride was over, she was hyper-ventilating and I felt so guilty. She got over it in a couple minutes and do you know she went back on it?! (Not me though!) Kudos to her for facing her fears.
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| Sky Rush |
There are tons of other rides too and there is also a full water park with slides, wave pool and more. You could easily use up a whole day in the water park alone.
http://www.hersheypark.com/rides/results.php?rh=99&pa=99&rt=2&rr=99
The food is your typical amusement park food and prices, and some of the places even have entertainment while you eat. We chose one with a cowboy musical that everyone found very entertaining. The slushie bars are great on a hot day. Buy a souvenir cup and refills are cheaper and you can mix up all the flavors you want. Of course, you can get chocolate and candy anywhere in the park but there's a separate building (Chocolate World) where you can see how the chocolate is made, among other things plus a giant chocolate store that sells 5 pound chocolate bars!
The entrance is kinda pricey but relative to other parks and there are coupons to be found everywhere. If you live within a reasonable driving distance, the season pass is worth every penny. Everyone had an awesome time and if you like amusement parks, you will LOVE this place!!! We will be heading back again before the year is over since they are open for the Halloween and Christmas holidays. http://www.hersheypark.com/
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