A Family Visit to Hershey's Chocolate World

Hershey's Chocolate World is located in downtown Hershey, Pennsylvania. It's within walking distance of Hersheypark, ZooAmerica and other Hershey area attractions. Chocolate World is open year-round (hours depend on the season) and offers FREE admission to visitors. You'll find free parking on-site if you plan on staying less than 3 hours during your visit. If you're planning to stay longer, you'll have to pay a parking fee.

You'll find various attractions at Hershey's Chocolate World for you and the family to enjoy. There's the Chocolate Tasting Experience, the Tour Ride, Create Your Own Candy Bar, 4D Chocolate Mystery, Hershey's Photo Studio, gift shopping, the food court, etc. If you want to take a guided tour around Hershey, you'll find Hershey Trolley Works located here too!

Several times a year we take our grandchildren down to Hershey to enjoy the local attractions and make a day of it. When we're down for a visit we always stop into Hershey's Chocolate World. It's one of the best FREE activities to enjoy while visiting the Hershey area. When I say "FREE" you get free admission into the building and the tour itself is free. With that said, there are many PAID activities that you can participate in too.

During the months of May through the end of September they can get extremely crowded with tourists. If you want to avoid the crowds and long lines, I recommend that you visit during the off-season or go early in the morning on a weekday. Summertime evenings and weekends are busy, so try to avoid those particular times.

Once inside you can walk around and visit all of the various gift shops and souvenir stores. There are a few eateries if you want to get something to eat and if you're looking to buy FRESH Hershey's chocolates and candies, you'll find them here! When it comes to souvenirs & gifts, you'll find t-shirts, hats, clothing, home goods, jewelry, toys for the kids and more.

You'll want to head upstairs if you plan on taking the free ride and tour. My grandchildren LOVE getting on the ride and taking the animated tour. Typically we'll stand in line about 15-20 minutes and the ride (tour) lasts approximately 8-10 minutes in length. After you exit the tour area one of the employees will hand you a little miniature Hershey's candy bar for free.

When we visit we like to go into the food court area and treat ourselves to one of their delicious Hershey's Milkshakes. Oh my gosh, if you've never tried one...you're really missing out! If you're not a milkshake person, you can try one of their decadent ice cream sundaes which are delicious too! Just want to let you know ahead of time, things can get expensive when eating in the food court, especially if you have a large family. You may want to plan ahead.

We love Hershey's chocolate candies so I always stock up when we're down. I will buy several bags of their Hershey's Kisses, Miniatures, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, baking chocolate, etc. Here's a little tip for you...their chocolates freeze well once you get home!

If you're looking for an extensive review on visiting Hershey's Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania you can check out our previous review post for that. When it comes to parking, you may have to park several rows away from the building if you're visiting during the prime time hours and days. If you're handicap, they do have designated parking areas where you can park closer to the entrance of the building. Most importantly...just go and have a good time!

Spend the Day at Hershey's Chocolate World

Hershey's Chocolate World is located in downtown Hershey, Pennsylvania. It's within walking distance of Hersheypark, ZooAmerica and other Hershey area attractions. Chocolate World is open year-round (hours depend on the season) and offers FREE admission to visitors. You'll find free parking on-site if you plan on staying less than 3 hours during your visit. If you're planning to stay longer, you'll have to pay a parking fee.

You'll find various attractions at Hershey's Chocolate World for you and the family to enjoy. There's the Chocolate Tasting Experience, the Tour Ride, Create Your Own Candy Bar, 4D Chocolate Mystery, Hershey's Photo Studio, gift shopping, the food court, etc. If you want to take a guided tour around Hershey, you'll find Hershey Trolley Works located here too!

When visiting you'll want to plan on spending some money. Admission to get in is FREE, the tour ride is FREE, but everything else has an admission fee or cost. You can find all of that information listed on the company's website.

We took our grandchildren down shortly after the Christmas holiday for an afternoon of family fun. During the month of January you typically won't find long lines or big crowds which is a great time to visit. You'll went to enter through the main doors and you can stop at the counter to get more information on all of the activities that are offered.

On the day that we were there Highmark had a booth set up where children could go up and select from several different type's of candies and snacks that they wanted. The employee filled up a bag with their selections and all of that was free courtesy of Highmark. Both of my grandchildren really enjoyed getting a free bag of candy & snacks to enjoy while we were there.

The next thing on our to-do list was to take the FREE tour and headed upstairs to stand in line. We waited approximately 15 minutes to board our car. Each car will hold 5 people which was the exact number that we had in our party. The attendants will help you board the car and you'll want to immediately sit down. These cars run automatically, so you need to be quick.

The tour will last approximately 10-12 minutes (doesn't take long at all) and along the way you'll learn about the history of Hershey's chocolate. Where the cocoa beans come from, how they're harvested, roasted, cooked down and turned into delicious chocolate confections. Its a very interesting process and they do a great job at educating you about it.

Along the way you and the kids will be entertained by animated singing cows, working factory equipment, videos that play on a screen in your car and along the walls as the tour proceeds. You'll want to look around in all directions so that you don't miss anything! If you're a lover of the Hershey's characters you'll see several of them along the way too!

My grandchildren have 3 highlights that they love during the tour. 1. The singing cows at the beginning. 2. Passing through the roasting oven just like a cocoa bean. 3. Going through the flashing lighted tunnel towards the end of the tour. Yes, that's what they kept talking about as being their favorite parts!

After the ride and tour has been completed you'll be offered the chance to purchase a family photo that they take of you during the tour process. We always decline as we find it to be expensive and we take our own photos while we're there. You'll also be handed a FREE Hershey's miniature chocolate bar once you exit the area.

You'll head back downstairs where you can do some souvenir and gift shopping, and visiting their food court. If you're a lover of milkshakes, I would recommend getting a Hershey's Chocolate Milkshake ($7.00 each) while you're there. There are several different places where you can purchase hot and cold foods, along with snacks and beverages.

We save our gift and souvenir shopping for last as we don't like carrying around a lot of bags. When I'm down there I like to stock-up on some of favorite Hershey's candy. This time around I stocked up on a variety of their Hershey's Kisses which were on sale for 5 bags for $20.00. My grandchildren got their beloved Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and a few other trinkets. Like I said, when visiting...be prepared to spend some money!

Overall we always have a great time when we visit Hershey's Chocolate World and thankfully its only a 20 minute drive away. We try to take the grandchildren down a few times every year and it makes for a great family-friendly weekend activity.

Family Fun at Hershey's Chocolate World

Hershey's Chocolate World is open year-round (except for major holidays) and has free admission. It is one of the very few free activities that you can enjoy while visiting Hershey Pennsylvania. If you want to avoid crowds and long lines...you will want to visit September through early May. Throughout the year they hold a wide variety of seasonal events.

During the summer tourist season you will find a fee for parking if you plan on staying 3 hours or more. If you are there for less than 3 hours, parking is free. If you need handicap parking you will find that near the entrance under a roofed pavilion.

You will have to enter the facility through the main entrance which is well marked. If you want to leave your baby stroller outside, they have an area right near the front door where you can check it in and go inside. If you are visiting on an extremely crowded day, that is what I recommend that you do because you will NEVER be able to maneuver around the crowds pushing a stroller.

Once inside the front doors, the public restrooms sit to the left. I suggest you and the family use them before venturing further inside to shop or participate in many of the attractions.

* Hershey's Great American Chocolate Tour Ride (free)
* Hershey's Create Your Own Candy Bar (fee charged)
* Hershey's Great Chocolate Factor in 4D (fee charged)
* Hershey's Chocolate Tasting Adventure (fee charged)

On the day that we visited, we went on the Hershey's Great American Chocolate Tour Ride which is 100% free. We had to stand in line for approximately 20 minutes before we could get on it. Each car has two seats and each car will hold approximately 6 people. Two cars are connected together and then the ride begins.

The ride begins with music and then they go into the history of Milton Hershey and how he went into the chocolate making business. There are lights, animations, etc. on both sides and your car will turn back and forth automatically so you can take-in all of the animations and displays.

We had our 5 year old grand daughter with us and she was immediately smitten with Gabby, Harmony and Olympia...the Hershey Chocolate World singing cows! I have to admit, they are totally adorable!

You proceed on and you see how chocolate starts out as a cocoa bean, how it is harvest, melted down, added to recipes and basically how chocolate is made. This was pretty cool and is very educational for the kids.

There is a section on this tour where you pass through a pretend oven and the Princess really enjoyed that part. Don't worry though, it is just lit up like an oven but is really a tunnel that your car passes through. You won't cook or get over-heated at all!

Once you get through that section you will see my animated factory displays where they show you how various Hershey's Chocolate Bars are made. As you are seeing all of this...let me just say that you will smell the goodness of chocolate as you are taking this tour! Oh my gosh...pure chocolate heaven!

Along the way you are introduced to some of the cutest animated farm cows I have ever seen! They talk and sing to entertain you which is really cool, especially for the kids to see. Near the end of the ride they will tell you to "smile" for the camera and you will want to do that. Once you get off the ride you are given the opportunity to purchase a picture that the camera took. We declined because it was over $20.00 and I thought that was way too much money for one photo.

After we got off the tour ride we headed down the ramps and did a little shopping for Hershey's products. We picked up 9 bags of Hershey's chocolate candy and some syrups which my family loves. The prices are pretty comparable to what you pay for candy at your local grocery store. With that said, they have a lot more variety in candy flavors and package sizes than what you find out in the retail marketplace. 

We had a great time visiting Hershey's Chocolate World but it was extremely crowded on the day that we visited. From now on, we will be visiting during the Spring and Fall months when the tourist season isn't in full swing. Next time around I want to visit the food court and try out some delicious Hershey desserts!

Exploring the Beautiful Hershey Gardens and Butterfly Atrium

The beautiful Hershey Gardens are located in downtown Hershey, Pennsylvania. The botanical gardens are close to all of the Hershey tourist attractions. The gardens were created by Milton S. Hershey back in 1937. At the time when Mr. Hershey opened up the gardens to the public, they were approximately 3 1/2 acres in size.

By 1942 the Hershey Gardens expanded to a beautiful 23 acre botanical garden. Over the years...the Hershey Gardens have continued to expand and are now filled with "themed" gardens, colorful seasonal displays, unique trees, an outdoor Butterfly House and over 7,500 beautiful roses. We always enjoy visiting the Japanese Garden, the Rock Garden and the Historic Hershey Rose Garden. There are numerous theme'd botanical gardens to explore.

The Children's Garden at Hershey Gardens is a beautiful garden geared towards young children. It is filled with 32 magical "themed" gardens that teach the young kids all about the wonders of nature. When you enter the Children's Garden you will pass through the Catapillar Tunnel, go through the Pretzel and smell chocolate-themed plants. Children just love to visit this garden as it's a lot of fun, unique and beautiful.

The Butterfly Atrium has hundreds of butterflies that are freely flying around. Delight in the beautiful colors that these butterflies come in and if you are lucky...get up close and personal with one of these beauties in their natural environment. The Butterfly Atrium (House) is one of my granddaughter's favorite things to explore when we visit the Hershey Gardens.

You'll see hundreds of different butterflies from all around the world living in a recreated rainforest environment. Please remember to watch where you're walking and don't touch the butterflies or plants. They're allowed to touch you (land on you), but you're not allowed to touch them. You'll find them on the ground, hiding in plants, on the wall and clinging from the ceiling. They're everywhere!

The Hershey Gardens and The Butterfly Atrium are open year-round. Their hours of operation depends on the season of the year. You can find their full operating schedule and schedule of special events by visiting their web site.

Your admission into the gardens includes your admission into the Children's Garden and the Butterfly Atrium. Admission price ranges from $9.00 to $12.50, depending on age. Children under the age of 2 are admitted free with a paying adult. Discounts are available to groups. The Hershey Gardens is located at 170 Hotel Road in Hershey, Pennsylvania, across from The Hotel Hershey.

Annual Holiday Tradition - A Visit to Hershey Sweet Lights

One of my family's annual holiday traditions is to visit the Hershey Sweet Lights in Hershey Pennsylvania every year. The entire family gets together in a multiple of vehicles and take the 15 minute drive into downtown Hershey. We take snack goody bags along with us for the kids and have a great time!

This year we visited the holiday attraction on December 11th, 2014 and we were super excited that we had a little bit of snow on the ground and it was snowing at the time we visited. Having the snow falling sure did set the holiday mood for all of us!

Admission is $20.00 per car load and you pay that immediately at the front gate. They also offer you the opportunity to purchase bags of kettle corn to snack on. We passed on that since we brought along our own snack bags.

You can go through the entire display at your own pace. If another vehicle gets up on your back-end just pull over to the side and let them pass. We like to take our time and let the kids really sit and look at all of the holiday displays. Some drivers do get inpatient so just be aware of them and pull over to the side and let them pass.

At the front gate they will tell you to turn your car's radio onto a certain station and you can listen to holiday music as you drive through all of the holiday light displays. We think that is a nice added touch and the kids really loved listening to their favorite holiday tunes.

Some of my personal favorite displays were the huge lighted tree right near the entrance gate, all of Santa's reindeer on display (including Rudolph), the Candylane Hershey Kiss, the Storm Runner Roller Coaster and the countdown to the 12 days of Christmas.

Once you get through the first section you will drive into the Enchanted Forest which is my absolute FAVORITE part of Hershey Sweet Lights! It is really cool to drive through the "forest" and see all of the trees and holiday lights. Very nice light displays in there indeed!!!

Our little grand daughter really loved the next section where you see Mother Goose type of children light displays...with one in particular being the little old woman who lived in a shoe. She recognized that one immediately.

We also enjoyed seeing the winning light displays from local area kids. They had little signs by each display giving you the name of the child, school and grade that they are in. Those kids sure are creative with their designs!!!

From start to finish it took us about 40 minutes to drive through Hershey Sweet Lights. Please keep in mind, we really took our good old time. You could certainly drive through it in less than 15 minutes but what is the fun in that? We highly recommend that you take your time and really take the light show in!!!

After visiting the entire family headed to the Soda Jerk Diner located right on the outskirts of Hershey in Hummelstown Pennsylvania. We love visiting family diners like this and overall, had a great time.