Hershey Park tips, etc

[rnin02]

Hi all! I saw the post below about Hershey Park hotels, but I was hoping to get some different information. We are going up Easter weekend and spending 2 days at Hershey Park. I don't think all of the rides will be open, but since I haven't been in at least 17 years, and my husband's never been, I am sure we will have a great time. Any tips for great rides, good (yet inexpensive!) places to eat, or any other general tips? I've tried searching on the internet, but haven't found alot. Thanks!

[Touchdown]

Never been there in the spring but as for rides...

Roller Coasters (front to back
-Comet-a classic woodie I assume you remember
-Sooperdooperlooper-Still extremely fun, and no it no longer has any lines
-Great Bear-an inverted coaster, with a couple of unique twists one being a helix at the apex before the first drop and the other being clockwise barrel rolls (every other coaster from this manufactuer has counter clockwise rolls.) Quite fun
-Trailblazer-a tamer (yes I said it) shorter less well themed BTMRR
-Storm Runner-the wildest ride in the park, its a launched looping twisted mess of joy. Its a great ride.
-Roller Soaker-a kiddie invert that has tons of water hazzards throughout the course and a one time 20 gallon water bomb each rider gets to release upon the unwashed masses below them, probably not going to be open
-Lightning Racer(s)-A twisted, racing/dueling wooden coaster whose retro trains make it run super smooth, one of my favorite wooden coasters out there a must ride
-Wildcat-A cyclone style wooden coaster (you wont see a bit of straight track on it) that this year got brand new trains that are the same style as LR's, should solve its roughness problem quite nicely, again great ride.
-Wild Mouse-A rather wicked wild mouse coaster, one of the better versions of this classic ride

Other Rides:
-Reese's Peanut Butter Challenge-an interactive dark ride (like Buzz) that is a little on the short end, but you get free chocolate everytime you ride. It also has a single rider line
-Hershey Whip-Not too many of these rides around anymore, even though its a modern remake its still fun
-Chocolate World-right next door and free, take the Factory Tour Dark Ride to smell that magic brown exiler of life (pumped in directly from the factory) and get some more free chocolate. It is also home to the company store that will have your favorites and some stuff not even on the market in other locations, be sure to drop some dough here
-The Water Rides-Its a shame these will likely not be open as Hershey has one of the best Shoot the Chutes and Rapids rides out there, if they are open and you are open to getting soaked be sure to ride them

[Goofy Pluto]

I just wanted to make a comment about inexpensive food...

You're not going to find it there. We REALLY think the food is over priced. At the food court they have at Chocolate World, a kid's meal is like 6 or 7 dollars and does not include a drink. However, I will say that I do think the food is pretty good. They have a soup station where you can get soup in a bread bowl that's pretty good. Sandwiches at Chocolate World are pretty good. Inside the park, even a hot dog or pizza is pretty good but more than we'd like to spend. There's a sausage sandwich station that is pretty reasonable, if you like that and if it's open at that time (not always open). They do have a variety, but, like I said, we think it's too expensive.

I'd like to recommend, if you can, to eat outside the park. There's a Red Robin down the road that is very good. We like it there a lot and you get more for your money. There's also some good restaurants around town. They'll all give you more for your money.

I can just tell you that we do our best to eat outside of the park in order to save some money. I don't know if it's outside your plans, but Lancaster County has a lot of good places to eat and some pretty good smorgabourd's. Of course, they are at least 1/2 hour from Hershey.

Those are my thoughts. The food is decent, but over priced. You'd do better eating outside the park value wise, if you can.

[mmr42]

I know you said Easter weekend but not sure exactly when... see below.

Just smell the chocolate once you get out of the car.

If you have time and get a chance we (hubby and me) did a chocolate tasting. It was awesome! I think it was $10 each but well worth it. We got to sample different types of chocolate and even hot chocolate. We each got candy at the end to take home too. It was about an hour But it was so different from doing the normal stuff. It was heaven!!

You just buy tickets in Chocolate world. You can find more info on it here:
http://www.hersheys.com/chocolateworld/hoursFlash.shtml

CHOCOLATE THE EXPERIENCE
Learn the art of chocolate tasting as our Chocolatier guides you through an interactive discussion of chocolate lore! Enjoy many samples of our chocolate ranging from creamy milk to robust dark and everything in between. Available at Monday - Friday at various times. Call (717)'534-4900 for more details. Admission can be purchased at the 3D Theater Box Office inside HERSHEY'S Chocolate World®.

[thrillme]

This is so exciting. My DS and I are going to take a "Mouse Break" this summer and do something different. We're really really looking forward to Hershey Park.

[CleveSJM]

I second the vote on the Red Robin just outside the park. Great with kids and they must put something addictive in the Whiskey River BBQ Burger...

The free ride in Chocolate World is a must. You even get a free sample on the way out.

[rnin02]

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately my hubby hates Red Robin with a passion! Is the food more expensive then Disney? Or other amusement parks? We go fairly regularly to Kings Dominion, so we are used to the over charging of regular food! We are going up Friday and coming home Saturday...not long enough but better than nothing!

[Rockstar Boyfriends]

Chocolate World opens about 1 hour before Hersheypark opens. You can do the dark ride and other fun stuff before the park opens. I believe the restaurant in Chocolate World serves breakfast.

I got a burger, fries, and a drink for around $10 at a restaurant near the ferris wheel once.

[MindyMouse]

We're going to be there Saturday, too!

There's lots to eat nearby. There are all of your typical chain/fast food type places not far from the park. There's an Isaac's and a Fudrucker's not far down Chocolate Ave. There's a Friendly's, too.

The food is expensive in the park, but I can't say that it's more expensive than other amusement parks.

None of the water rides will be open. Roller Soaker will probably be closed. It's going to be much too cold here this weekend. I think the high temps are in the 40's and 50's. Definitely hit the Great Bear and Storm Runner.

Have a nice relaxing trip!

[Red Randal]

Hey! There's tons of great stuff to do at Hershey, especially for a Disney fan in withdrawl.

The Chocolate World "Factory Tour" dark ride is a must-do. It's done almost exactly like an old-school Epcot pavilion. Also inside of Chocolate World is a 3D movie! The movie costs something like $5 and, while not as good as a Disney movie, it's still a fun time.

Inside of the park is the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Challenge "Buzz Lightyear" style dark ride, a monorail (!) that nobody ever rides so I don't know if it will be open for Easter, and a really nice little zoo (free with Hersheypark admission and well worth an hour or two.) Plus, of course, there are some awesome roller coasters. The Great Bear and Lightening Racer are among the best coasters I have ever been on. The SuperDuperLooper is awful but has historical value as one of the first looping coasters, if nothing else. I have never been on Storm Runner but it appears to be simply insane, not to mention awesome for a roller coaster buff.

There are also some really nice little shops and themed areas. The front of the park is like an old European villiage. The back of the park is being remodeled into "The Boardwalk at Hersheypark."

As for food, it's mostly the usual theme park fare (of course, with the famous Hershey's chocolate thrown in.) I remember the pizza being very good as well as a pasta house sponsored by San Gorgio. The best bet is the Tudor Grill right at the front of the park.

Have a great time!

[rnin02]

Thanks everyone for your tips! It was a pretty good trip, although alot of rides weren't running and alot of the restaurants were closed. And it was cold, we even had some snow flurries.

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

We were at Chocolate World on Thursday. It was snowing lightly when we arrived. I couldn't believe how chilly it was. Chocolate World was packed while we were there. The park was opening on Friday.

We go back every summer. Looking forward to the new Boardwalk!!

[rnin02]

It seemed packed to us on Friday, the Park and Chocolate World. Lots of waiting, and lots of getting separated by the crowds. It was a little surprising, but I guess there's a lot of spring breaks happening around this time.

[MindyMouse]

I took DS yesterday and it was freezing. I had him so bundled up and he was still cold. I couldn't believe it. I'm so glad we live close by. We rode 4 rides, had lunch and came home.

I think we'll wait until it warms up a bit to go back.