# Hershey Pa Anyone Been There?



## Duanesz (Jul 10, 2009)

Was looking for a place to go for a longer trip this year from Michigan. Looks like Hershey is a neat place to go they have the chocolate museum and the amusement park too. Map quest says about 8 hours and some change for me to get there. Besides those two places what else is worth seeing around there?

Thanks
Duane


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## ftwildernessguy (Oct 12, 2009)

Duanesz said:


> Was looking for a place to go for a longer trip this year from Michigan. Looks like Hershey is a neat place to go they have the chocolate museum and the amusement park too. Map quest says about 8 hours and some change for me to get there. Besides those two places what else is worth seeing around there?
> 
> Thanks
> Duane


Hershey is an easy drive to Gettysburg, Lancaster area (Pa Dutch region, Strasburg Railroad), Harrisburg (check out the Civil War Museum there). Any of those three areas can be a full day trip alone. There is also the Ephrata Cloister which is kind of interesting.


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## Red Beard (Feb 13, 2010)

I actually grew up in Hershey; depending on your interests you have lots of choices. 
You of course have Hershey Park and Chocolate World but you also have the Hershey botanical garden and Indian Echo Caverns. All of these are within a stones throw. 
You are also very close to Gettysburg Battlefield, Lancaster County Amish Country, Strasburg Railroad, Carlisle Army Museum, several golf courses. 
Not sure if you have kids but Strasburg has Thomas the Train Events twice a year. FYI-Strasburg built all the Thomas trains as well as several other "movie" trains. 
You can stay at Hershey High Meadow Camp Ground they are a little pricy but you can't camp any closer to the park this. I would recommend either a night or two in Hershey or setting up closer to some of the other attractions that interest you and using that as home base. All the above attractions are within driving distance to each other. 
Pennsylvania has many public campgrounds; Gifford Pinchot Park is one of the many and located between Hershey and Gettysburg and has nice sized lake for fishing, might be an option for you. 
It all depends what you want. 
Hope that adds a little information for you.


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

Duanesz said:


> Was looking for a place to go for a longer trip this year from Michigan. Looks like Hershey is a neat place to go they have the chocolate museum and the amusement park too. Map quest says about 8 hours and some change for me to get there. Besides those two places what else is worth seeing around there?
> 
> Thanks
> Duane


We are having a rally in Pine Grove, PA which is about an hour from Hershey - June 17-20th if interested.......


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## Steffanie622 (Nov 7, 2009)

My sister and I just took the kids there for Easter Break! We stayed in a hotel though because I sold my previous camper in the fall and just bought my new one yesterday (from someone on outbackers!) and will have it home in a couple of days... We really like traveling around Pennsylvania because it is so pretty and not "flat" like Michigan is. So there was 2 adults, 14 year old, 12 year old, 10 year old, and 2 5 year olds. We took a break from our drive in Loch Haven and Williamsport and that was not particularly exciting, we just went there and went to bed and continued the next day to the Hershey/Harrisburg area. We did the "high plateau" scenic driving byway on the way and weren't impressed. We seen some sort of snake in the road but that was about it and a bunch of the trees were being cut at the scenic overpasses : (

We did the Hershey Cholcolate World but that is not an all day event in itself, a few hours will do. There are a few free things for the kids to do like "help" make a sample of chocolate on a mini conveyor, a small inside ride that glides you through the history of Hershey. I didn't this time because I did it a few years ago, but purchase tickets (I think about $15ea) to do the trolley ride because it's neat too and you see more than if you toured it yourself and the speakers are great and telling you the story of "Hershey". This place is like an outlet for chocolate let me tell you! We did the Hershey amusement park and liked that, there was even roller coasters for the small kids to do (think Michigan Adventure park if your from Michigan). Zoomerica is attached to the park and while I wouldn't have went there on it's own, it's part of your ticket to the amusement park and was okay. The Boarkwalk waterpark was closed when we went at Easter but I can see how you would need a 2 day ticket if you went there during the summer to hit everything there.

Another day we did the Strasburg RailRoad and the kids found this neat to ride a train for the first time... we just did the unlimited regular coach train. While in the area we decided to drive back roads instead of a buggy ride because it was rainy and chilly and it was neat driving on the road with horses and a different culture around us, I think we seen more driving around on our own although noone was explaining the history/culture difference to us. We headed to the Hayloft candle shop from there and they have a free petting farm there the kids loved. Including a donkey that you could feed and we "threw" food into it's mouth as it whined because I wasn't putting my hands near an animal that had a posted "biting" sign torn to shreds by it! I bought a bunch of "amish" candles and homemade ice cream there.

We did Indian Echos Caverns and it was okay. It didn't come close to comparing to the caverns in Tennessee I have been to with the huge stalagmites but was still neat and the kids did their "gem mining" thing there. There are picnic tables you can pack a cooler and have lunch there.

We tried going to a wolf refuge but it was closed, weekend tours only. And I couldn't get my sisiter to do the Ghosts of Lancaster walking tour at night through the streets so that's on my next list!

If you like the outdoors... on a previous trip we stayed at the Leonard Harrison State Park and it was at the top of a mountain and had breathtaking sunrise and sunsets (about an hourish from Hershey), several small and large hiking paths,a turkey path that is quite the uphill and downhill hike (something like a mile each way but all steps!), hung out in Wellsboro which is a neat town with lots of shops, did blueberry picking, a cheese farm, a more "relaxing" vacation.

We stayed over by Gettysburg too at a KOA and there is an absolute ton of stuff to do there...

Have fun!


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## Just Add Dirt (May 5, 2009)

If you decide to stay @ Hershey Highmeadow, Be aware that there are freight trains running directly adjacent to the campground all night long. Hershey Highmeadow is a great place to do Hershey Park from since they have a shuttle to and from the park all day. I would recommend staying next to the Swatera Creek in the CG as it is the furthest away from the RR Tracks. I would question the trip from Michigan to Hershey being 8hrs and change; my guess is it will be substantially more time.
X2 on the June Rally, not far from Hershey and will be a chance to meet fellow Outbackers
eric


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

What they said....Been there, done that and had a great time. Hersey has a water park now and I need to go back to check that out.


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## Duanesz (Jul 10, 2009)

Just Add Dirt said:


> If you decide to stay @ Hershey Highmeadow, Be aware that there are freight trains running directly adjacent to the campground all night long. Hershey Highmeadow is a great place to do Hershey Park from since they have a shuttle to and from the park all day. I would recommend staying next to the Swatera Creek in the CG as it is the furthest away from the RR Tracks. I would question the trip from Michigan to Hershey being 8hrs and change; my guess is it will be substantially more time.
> X2 on the June Rally, not far from Hershey and will be a chance to meet fellow Outbackers
> eric


Yes this was google maps and there times dont account for pulling a trailer. Thanks for all the info and tips. Just trying to nail down when we are going to go now.


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## spepi (Apr 12, 2010)

went to Hershey PA 2 years ago, stayed at Highmeadow CG...yes, train runs all the time, but if you stay in the area to the right of the entrance, you dont hear it that much...but...the sites are very tight. I was in a 32' travel trailer, and my awning had to be opened, and then lifted over the watger spigot for the site next to me. My neighbors sewer was in my site, near my picnic table....i would rate the campground a 6....shuttle runs every hour to the park, last shuttle in was 11...great for my 14 year old twins to come and go as they pleased to the amusement park...


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