Hershey Park’s Top Ten Tips

Heading to Hershey Park anytime soon? You definitely will want to check out our Top Ten Tips before you visit. Our family has been long time fans of Hershey Park and Hershey, Pa. It’s a place that great to visit with family, friends or by yourself and the best news it that there is something for everyone to love about Hershey.

Recently, our family visited Hershey Park and we could not get enough of the fun, food, thrills and entertainment! So, here come our family’s Top Ten Tips.

Tip One: When you first realize you want to head to Hershey Park begin here with Hershey’s Trip Planner! You can choose exactly what is right for your getaway! I would strongly suggest staying at a Hershey Resort. There are two, The Hershey Lodge and Hotel Hershey. They are both amazing! A three day two night stay is really the best way to get enough time in Hershey, Pa- but recently we stayed two days and one night and that worked, too!- https://www.hersheypa.com/trip-planner/

Tip  Two: Download the Hershey Park APP! You will not regret it. You can get tons of information on the app before you even arrive at the park. You can track ride times, places to dine, and show times along with more info. https://www.hersheypark.com/info/app.php

Tip Three: This may be the best kept secret of all. When you purchase a Hershey Park ticket you can visit Hershey Park the night before as a preview. It’s like getting an extra day at the park. With a family of five we always take advantage of this feature. You can enter the park two and half hours before closing to check it out. If you are staying on property at the Hershey Lodge or Hotel Hershey you can enter the park preview three and half hours early! What an incredible perk!

Tip Four: Get to the park for the park opening. It may be tough to wake up the morning after the preview night but trust me, it will be well worth it. We always arrive early to be there for the gates opening. If you want a head start and no line at your favorite roller coaster this is one way to beat the crowds. As for our family, we always hit The Boardwalk first, so by arriving early we can secure a great section of chairs in the shade or close to our favorite water attraction. Either way, it definitely pays off to arrive early and beat the midday crowds!

Tip Five: Allow everyone in your family to choose one ride or attraction. This way no one leaves Hershey Park disappointed. I have found this to be a great solution for when everyone gets tired. Pre-choosing where you want to be during the day can discourage disagreements later on in the day when everyone is dragging. Of course our family generally begins and ends the trip with the One Hundred Old Incredible Carousel at the near entrance of Hershey Park, that’s a given.

Tip Six: Eat! Eat! and Eat! You can count your calories later. Hershey Park has a slue of amazing delicious choices when it comes to dining and desserts. Our family’s favorite is the King Sized Shakes! They are SO delish.  You definitely don’t want to miss out. We share everything so that everyone can have a taste!

Tip Seven: Purchase the Dining Plan and the Refillable Drink Cup! You will not regret either choice. With the one price dining plan you can dine throughout the park every ninety minutes if you choose. That’s enough to keep even the hungriest of hungry happy. There are so many choices that there will be no complaints! The refillable drink cup comes with a drink free all day wristband. After that you can grab refills for a deeply discounted price. Both the dining and drinks can be used throughout Hershey Park and The Boardwalk Water Park!

Tip Eight: Visit Zoo America! Zoo America has an entrance inside of Hershey Park or you can enter from outside the park. The ticket is included with your Hershey Park ticket and worth a look. It’s a great slow down area to just chill out and see what your favorite animals are up to! You can come and go as you please and resume roller coaster riding whenever you would like.

Tip Nine: The BEST view of Hershey Park is at the TOP of the hill by the Hershey Gardens and Butterfly Atrium. I have to warn you though, it’s a hard place to leave. Before you know it you will be roaming around the gorgeous Hershey Gardens and watching incredible butterflies flutter past you.

Tip Ten: Summer is not the only or the best time to visit Hershey Park. You an visit Hershey Park throughout the year during the different seasons. Please don’t ask me my favorite. Summer is amazing because you can enjoy The Boardwalk and every part of the park is open. Hershey Park in the Dark is filled with Trick or Treating, Halloween ride name changes and specialty foods. Christmas in Candy Lane is a dream come true with lights everywhere giving you that holiday feeling for sure. There is also Spring time in the Park. No matter when you visit Hershey Park you will have a sweet time for sure.

Find out everything you need to know about Hershey Park and Hershey Pa by clicking here.

Disclosure: Special thanks to Hershey Park and Hershey Lodge for hosting our family. All opinions are that of Diane Sullivan and do not reflect the views of the partner company represented in this post. Contact me at 3decades3kids@gmail.com or @3decades3kids across all social media networks.