During February the word chocolate is pretty much a household word around here.

Talking about chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate chip pancakes, desserts, and treats takes up a lot of our time. Of course it’s a natural progression to spin our chocolate talk right in to Hershey’s talk, which leads to our Hershey Pa trip talk. Our family is definitely a Hersheys family when it comes to chocolate.

Recently our family visited Hershey’s Chocolate World located in Hershey, Pa. (less than three hours away from NYC). Every trip to Hershey seems to begin and end the same way- with a stop at Chocolate World!

Hershey’s Chocolate World is open almost every day of the year, so you can visit it during any season and located before the entrance to Hershey Park. You can’t miss the building, it’s huge!

Once inside Chocolate World you will not be able to miss the sweet smell of chocolate. This free to enter world of chocolate happiness has many choices once inside. Our first choice is always experiencing “The Great American Chocolate Tour Ride”. On the ride you and your family and friends will me moved through the story of Hersheys Chocolate. You will get to see what it looks like inside a chocolate factory complete with chocolate mixing, candy conveyor belts and more. It’s an awesome ride and at the end you will be given a free sample of chocolate!

Besides the ride there are plenty of things to do, so it’s a great idea to check out the site before you visit and decide what activities you would like to partake in. You can even buy tickets in advance to the activities that charge a fee. ALL of the choices are wonderful, so no matter what you choose, you will be more than pleased. Our family loves the Hershey Create Your Own Bar attraction where you create the bar of your own beginning to end- including the added ingredients, name and packaging! You watch the bar being make from melting to wrapping. Did I mention that you will be dressed as a factory worker with apron and hair cover? It’s an awesome experience for both adults and children! While visiting my daughter became a Herhsey’s Factory Worker and went through the Hersheys Kisses station creating her own kisses! She even had to punch her time card at the end of her work day as a Hershey’s Factory Worker! 

Like 4D? Hershey’s Chocolate World has an amazing 4D show! Hershey’s Great Chocolate Factory Mystery in 4D.  We did not have a chance to see the show because of timing, but some families I chatted with raved about the show! It will be a must do on our next trip and I’ll let you know then what it’s all about.

There are plenty more activities for your family to enjoy, including creating a photo bar wrapper, a trolley ride, chocolate tasting adventure and more. 

On our visit we grabbed lunch in the delicious food court and of course enjoyed Hersheys chocolate shakes and cookies! You can get all of your chocolate shopping done while visiting, too! 

They have also added a new section where you can mix up your Hersheys Kisses and play some virtual games on a bigger than life monitor! You may even catch a Hersheys character while visiting Hershey’s Chocolate World! If you have not visited Hershey’s Chocolate World, put it on your Must Do list! 

Currently, HersheyPA is celebrating Chocolate Covered February! It’s a wonderful time to visit, as well as any other time of year! See you there!  Check out Hershey’s Chocolate World at:

http://www.hersheys.com/chocolateworld/

Disclosure: Visiting Chocolate World was part of our media invitation to visit HersheyPA.

Contact Diane Sullivan at ELGeorgia@aol.com or on Twitter at .@3decades3kids.

This weekend our family had the pleasure of attending another Monster Jam show at Izod Center in New Jersey. If you asked me five years ago about Monster Jam most likely I would not been able to tell you anything about it at all. Flash forward a few years and our family pretty much attends each and every show that hits the NJ/NYC area. We know all the trucks and drivers and every family member has developed their favorite. We look forward to the outdoor event as much as the indoor one.

Last night I was privledeged to be able to interview Adam Anderson, driver of Grave Digger-The Legend and son of Dennis Anderson-driver of the original Grave Digger. 

Adam Anderson showed us how to change those gigantic monster truck tires right before our eyes. He also gave us a rundown of how the original Grave Digger name came to be. His father stated that he would, “Take this old truck and dig you a grave with it”.

 

Adam shared how he goes into the competition with no exact plan in mind. 

He just does what he has to do to make it work. Last night it worked for sure as he took home to wins in a row. When I asked Adam how if felt to compete against his father he did admit to a twang of guilt for breaking his dad’s winning streak on Father’s Day in Met Life Stadium. Well, I had to respect him for that and for knowing that he would always do his best, even against his own father.

Adam gave us an exclusive look inside the Grave Digger-The Legend monster truck. I never realized that the seat was smack dab in the middle. There is also not much room to move around in there. I was glad to see a fan poster fall out and also that there was a fire extingusisher inside the truck next to the seat. When my daugher asked about the size of the tires, Adam told her to stand right next to them, only to see that the tire towered over Emily. Wow!! 

Check out more about Monster Jam here:

http://www.monsterjam.com/

As for the Monster Jam show. It is always unique and always fun for the entire family.  This show is fun for all ages. My oldest so loved it as much as my youngest daughter. This four wheeled extravaganza featured heart pounding racing and of course our favorite part- Free Style! 

Watching monster trucks that stand twelve feet high and twelve feet wide is something you have to experience. 10, 000 pounds of power in each truck will have you cheering for your favorite time after time.

Each truck is custom designed and sits on top of four 66 inch tires! Our family was amazed to find out that Monster Trucks are capable of speeds up to 100 miles per hour! Wow!  

 They can also fly up to 130 feet, that’s a distance of 14 cars or more side by side, and in the air up to 35 feet!Monster Jam is something you should definitely take your family to at least once.It’s great for boys and girls.You can take the kids for just $15 to any show! Our night included fun with Grave Digger, Madusa, Grave Digger The Legend, Captain America, Thrasher, Black Stallion, and Overkill Evolution. Each show is different, with different Monster Trucks, and lots of live action fun!

Disclosure: Review/Giveaway passes provided by Feld Entertainment/ Monster Jam Live.

Contact Diane Sullivan at ELGeorgia@aol.com or on twitter at .@3decades3kids.