A few weeks ago, my seven year old son, Holden, and I were hosted for a weekend of Hershey area fun. Not only were we excited about the amazing itinerary, but we were also so (SO!) excited to get some one on one time together. Ever since my younger son was born 5 years ago, it’s a rarity that I get to spend time alone with Holden, so this was time we were both going to cherish and make the absolute most out of!
Hershey, PA conjures up visions of chocolate kisses, huge roller coasters, and chocolate making tours for most of us in this area. Going to Hersheypark was a highlight of my own childhood (I went on my first upside down coaster there!), and it’s a place that I think everyone should visit with their family. But, if you are looking for a long weekend trip that goes beyond just visiting the amusement park, there is so much more to do in the Hershey/Harrisburg area, with attractions that will appeal to all ages and interests! 3- 4 days is the perfect amount of time for planning to do the below activities.
Where to stay?
If you are looking to stay in a central location that is close to a bunch of attractions (only 15 minutes from Hersheypark), or if the Hershey Lodge is a bit too pricey for you, check out the Best Western Premier (The Central Hotel) in Harrisburg. This hotel really has it all! The Best Western Premier hit all of our obvious hotel check marks that we look for (super clean, friendly and helpful staff, prompt check in), but we were pleasantly surprised by everything else it had to offer. The hotel pool was one of the nicest we’ve ever encountered; it was clean, warm, and huge! The onsite restaurant, O'Reilly's Irish Pub had a delicious and full breakfast buffet that was convenient before our full days of activities, and there was a full bar available with great craft beers on tap for when mama needed an adult beverage to wind down the evening. A tip for all my fellow craft beer loving moms and dads- be sure to try a Troegs while you are there...the brewery is in Hershey, right outside the park!
Have a history or science nerd?
If you are really into science like we are, the Whitaker Center in downtown Harrisburg is a must visit! Be sure to visit their 3D cinema and catch one of several documentaries that they rotate showing throughout the year. If you’d like to see some live performances, check out the show schedule! On any given day, the Whitaker Center has live music concerts, theater performances, and ballet performances. The Center also has 2 full floors of hands on S.T.E.M. activities including a hurricane simulator (our favorite), race car builder station with a track to race them on, and the new Tinkertoy: Build Your Imagination exhibit.
To begin this paragraph, I originally was going to write, “if someone in your family is into history, visit the Capitol building…” But, honestly, we aren’t big history buffs, and visiting the Capitol building was easily one of our favorite parts of our weekend! I think it’s a must see! The Whitaker Center is up the street from the Pennsylvania Capitol Building, and they both can easily be visited in an afternoon. The Capitol building offers free guided tours throughout the week.The tour include the Rotunda, Senate, House of Representatives and the State Supreme Court Room (when the rooms are available and not in session). During our tour, we learned the architectural history of the building as well as the political history. The building itself is just absolutely breathtaking, and my son got such a kick out of how much real gold was used through the building! You can reserve a tour online to secure your spot, but Walk Ins are also welcome.
Downtown Harrisburg is a nice place to walk around, and there are several restaurants and coffee shops in the immediate Capitol area.
Take a River Cruise along the Susquehanna!
If you want to see Harrisburg, and the Capitol building while also enjoy some time cruising along the river, schedule an authentic riverboat cruise on The Pride of the Susquehanna! You can choose from several types of riverboat tours, including dinner cruises, and 45 minute public sightseeing tours. We went on the RIver School tour which runs on Saturday mornings at 10am. This tour is 75 minutes long, and includes an amazing lesson on the history of the Susquehanna, and Harrisburg in the unique floating classroom inside the riverboat. The kids sat wide-eyed as the engaging tour guides taught them about the formation of the river, and the history of the people of Harrisburg with fun games, hands on activities and a fun experiment using Oreo cookies! After the lesson, we all participated in a scavenger hunt where we had to look for landmarks and items aboard the riverboat and along the shores. The River School tour is $15 for adults, and children are always free! It’s a fantastic (and affordable) way to spend a morning.
The Pride of The Susquehanna Riverboat dock is located on City Island. City Island is a 63 acre recreational island that is a place to visit all by itself! You can catch a ball game and watch the Harrisburg Senators play at the beautiful Metro Bank Park, take a steam engine train ride, play some mini golf or arcade games, hang out at the playground, or have lunch!
Does your kiddo feel the need for speed?
For a fun time of good old fashioned family fun, make sure to schedule a visit to Adventure Sports in Hershey. I think this is the perfect place to head on your first evening in the area to get out some of that pent up travel energy. There is no admission fee, they are open until 10pm every night over the summer, and you just pay for the activities that you’d like to do! Adventure Sports has something for everyone: mini golf, bumper boats, batting cages, an arcade, laser tag, escape room and an awesome go-kart track! My son and I had a blast racing around the go-cart track and playing laser tag! There are some height requirements for some activities, so be sure to check on them before your visit!
A must visit for the animal lovers!
About 30 minutes from Hershey, Lake Tobias Wildlife Park may have been the most wonderful and memorable part of our trip. Full disclosure: both Holden and I are huge animal loves, we love learning about animals, and have the same hopes and dreams of having a sloth as a pet one day. So, if monkeys and baby goats make you happy and the idea of feeding an enormous Elk some baby carrots is thrilling, then definitely pay the Wildlife Park a visit on your Hershey/Harrisburg trip! The walking part of the wildlife park featured some of our favorites, but the gem of Lake Tobias is really the Safari Tour. Climb aboard the open-air cruiser and take a tour across 150 beautiful acres of rolling hills, pastures, and woodlands where you get to see and feed friendly, exotic animals! There are over 500 animals roaming freely, and it was a really special experience. We purchased baby carrots before our tour and wished we would have bought 2 cupfulls, because those elk, llama and deer really love to snack! A tip: Keep your cup after you are done feeding the animals, because a refill is only half price! Another special part of Lake Tobias is the petting zoo section. The area is large and there are many goats roaming around and waiting to be pet and fed! It was so much fun! Check the schedule for the reptile show that goes on throughout the day in the reptile house amphitheater, and try to get a seat up front for an awesome close up view of some super cool animals!
The sweetest part of our trip- Hersheypark and Hershey Chocolate World!
While you could easily spend a full 3 day weekend visiting Hersheypark and Hershey Chocolate World, I would suggest visiting Hershey Chocolate World separately on one evening, and then heading to the park on a full day.
Hershey Chocolate World offers a brand new Hershey tasting experience, with UNWRAPPED: a Chocolate Tasting Journey. Unwrapped is an interactive, chocolate tasting show that will act as the perfect way to start your Hershey experience. We also loved the 4D Chocolate Movie! It was totally interactive and immersive and I think I enjoyed it just as much as my son! The more you get involved (i.e. if your child speaks into the microphone and answers a question before the show), the more fun it is! Try to sit toward the front of the theater if you can. Ticket bundles are offered for these activities and more, or you can purchase tickets separately. Hershey’s Chocolate World also offers the famous Chocolate tour, which is totally free (no tickets necessary). This is also where you’ll want to do all of your Hershey’s shopping, the options for souvenirs are huge! The food court at Hershey Chocolate World is impressive, and our pulled pork sandwiches, and thin crust pizza were equally yummy. And, of course, this is one place where you do not want to skip dessert! The sweet treats at the bakery are amazing, and the S’more milkshake that we shared was the perfect ending to an awesome evening!
The entrance to Hersheypark is where the fun begins. Your kids will have so much fun finding out which Hershey’s treat they measure up to! The different sweets signify which rides they are tall enough to ride throughout the park! My son was a Hershey bar, and was able to ride more rides than I thought he would. He also stalked the Hershey bar mascot throughout the park because he wanted to take pics with him, but that’s another story.
A few of our tips for when you visit the park:
- Purchase your tickets online- they are 30% off until June 30th!
- Bring lots of water to stay hydrated throughout the day.
- Try to each lunch at an off time. Bring snacks to hold you over and eat late, or just eat much earlier than usual. We waiting until 12:30, our normal lunchtime to eat, and we waited a full HOUR in line. They lines were the same everywhere, and we were hungry, so we didn’t have a choice, but it was no fun. And finding a seat after that long wait was also difficult. The food options are endless and our lunch was very tasty.
- There are plenty of kiddie rides AND plenty of thrill seeking roller coasters! It’s really a fantastic park for every age group.
- After you eat lunch, let your tummy’s settle a bit, and head to ZOO AMERICA. This part of the park is included in admission and is a mostly shaded walk to see some great animals!
- Try to see some of the amazing Hersheypark shows (also included with admission)! There are so many shows in the park, that I think you could spend half the days just bouncing from show to show if you wanted to! We caught a few musical acts, and we also watched the Our Friends From the Sea show, which was a show about sea lions and seals. My son is a big seal fan, so we paid the extra $10 for the feed program at the end of the show, and he was able to feed an 11 month old seal 3 fish while I took pics and video. It totally made his day and was so worth it!
- Get ready for a long day- if you want to try and do as much as possible, get there early, and plan to stay til closing! There is a lot to do!
Our trip to Hershey/Harrisburg was a blast, and the first thing my son said after we got in the car to head home was “When can we come back so we can take Daddy and my brother here?!”. Soon kiddo, definitely very soon!
My lodging and activities were hosted by Visit Hershey Harrisburg is order to facilitate this review, but as always, as thoughts and opinions are truthful and entirely my own.
