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PMS Park

I think Hershey Park should be renamed PMS Park. Because that is SO where I’m going to want to go next time I’m PMSing. You can smell chocolate everywhere, and the Chocolate Factory Tour is enough to make any hormonal woman want to jump out of the moving car and into a vat of luscious chocolate.

I know I said I’m not an amusement park person, but I have to admit to being thoroughly impressed with Hershey. Next to Disney World, it is the cleanest, most pleasant park I’ve ever been to. And considering we had 2 mothers, 1 teenage mother’s helper, and 7 kids — ages 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9 (I think I got that right. Kim, correct me if I’m wrong) — I’d say it went pretty well.

It was a bit of a challenge, corralling seven kids in a crowded amusement park, but we managed to make it through the day without losing anyone (at least not for very long, ahem).

There were rides for everyone.  The boys enjoyed the roller coasters and the whirly-twirly rides.  Fortunately our teenage mother’s helper was glad to ride with them.  The little ones had a blast on the kiddie rides, and the older girls could ride both the whirly-twirly rides and the kiddie rides.

Then there was the inordinate amount of sugar we all consumed.  Line of the Day goes to Kim — “We can find a shady spot to sit and feed ’em sugar.”

I could go on, but these pictures say it all.

hershey park mini pirate

Doesn’t Kim look thrilled to be squished in that tiny train?

Future blackmail material. Bwa-ha-haaaa!!!

Cotton candy nirvana.

The girls purposefully stood in the splash path of a nearby ride. Can’t say I blame them. It was HOT.

The kids pose outside of Chocolate World.

Moose and D help operate a pretend Hershey Kiss factory line.

C also gets to package a box of Hershey Kisses.

And because I have SUCKER stamped on my forehead, I bought both of those boxes of chocolate for $8.99 each.  What a racket.  By that time, I was too tired to say no, and honestly, the kids had been SO good all day.  But learn from my mistake.  Do NOT allow children to participate in the Hershey’s Kissworks attraction unless you don’t mind spending $18 for $2.50 worth of chocolate.

We really did have fun, and no one wanted to leave, even though we’d been there for 7 hours.  I’m pretty sure we will be making this an annual event.

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28 Responses

  1. I was also impressed when we went last month with how clean the park is. And I felt they had plenty of rides for all ages/sizes. Love the pictures, especially Kim in the train. I notice I do not see you in any of the pics!!

  2. Being a Texas girl all my life I have never had the chance to go the Hershey, PA or the park. I will add this to my Bucket List right after a trip to Maine. See how inspiring you are Jo-Lynne?

  3. We lived in Bucks County for two years but only made it to Hershey Park once. My favorite amusement park, ever! You’re right, the smell of chocolate is in the air-nirvana!

  4. My secretary is going this weekend with her grandchildren- she’s staying at the hotel and getting a cocoa massage. Now THAT’S heaven!

  5. Our women’s group at church goes there every year for our Women of Purpose Conference…no we don’t do the rides! But we do stay in the hotel and it’s very nice and the smell is so wonderful. They actually give you a candy bar when you check in. I’m glad you had fun. Loved the pictures of the kids rooms!

  6. I love Hershey Park! I haven’t been there is years though. Definitely will have to go there next summer. I’ll be avoiding the whole chocolate factory thing though.

    Great pictures! Looks like you guys had a lot of fun!

  7. This made me so homesick. It has been years since I have been to Hershey Park and I used to go with my family every summer through the elementary and middle school years. Mom got discount tickets where she worked back then.

    The last time I was in Hershey was almost 3 years ago when they set up the park with limited rides for Christmas. It’s called Candylane and if you happen to go on a slightly warmer day it is just lovely.

  8. Oh my goodness, I loved Hershey Park! Hubs and I went a year after we were married, it was very clean and nice then. 🙂 I’d love to take the kids. Maybe next time we are up there………but they are usually closed for Thanksgiving. 🙁

    Another fun thing to do is to go to Wolfgang Chocolates in York, PA. LOVE that chocolate!!!! Can’t wait for fall so I can order and it won’t melt in transit to my house! LOL

  9. The only time I’ve been to Hershey was before we were married, went with his family and FROZE since it was dead of winter. Fun, though, and excellent kettle corn. 🙂

  10. We’re going next weekend for E’s b’day. He had the choice of a party or a trip to Hershey Park, he chose Hershey.
    We went earlier this summer and it was loads of fun, even when the sky opened up and drenched all of us.

  11. I would have died and gone to heaven in that Chocolate place. I don’t think I will ever be allowed to visit there because they’d never be able to get me out and I would probably spend a lot more $$ than you did!!

    You have a lot of great pictures from your fun!

  12. Did you say chocolate? There is nothing better than a day focused around chocolate and the smell of chocolate. It must have been like being in heaven!!

    Hugs!

    ps-how are the legs?

  13. Try living 20 mins from the place and having free pass whenever you want! It makes staying away from choc. very hard. My husband works @ the Milton Hershey School, which was started by Milton Hershey the inventor of all of this! http://www.mhskidz.com. Great place to live and work especially on pms days 🙂

  14. Hi. the female Kent from alabama again—loved the pictures of Hershey!! We travel to a lot of theme parks and this one is my all-time favorite. We went a couple of years ago and my kids were 3, 9,9, and 13. It had something for everyone. We let the kids choose somewhere to go each year. We have been to Legoland in San Diego (the zoo, SeaWorld, Hollywood, and Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm), Houston and San Antonio ( got a Texas lovin kid–visited all theme parks and the Alamo and Riverwalk) and Hershey( with Philadelphia and Baltimore and Amish country thrown in) and this summer we went to Hawaii ( Maui and Kauai). it’s been a real learning experience and I’ve been places I never would have gone. Beats going to just the beach every year!

  15. I went to Hershey Park when I was in elementary school. I remember really enjoying it. Two years ago I met up with my friend and her family (from PA) and we went there with our two little ones and big ones (husbands). It was wonderful. Our kids were just three at the time and there was plenty of rides for their age. I agree with you, Hershey knows how to run a clean park and give Disney a run for their money. I would pick Hershey any day over Sesame Place (quite dirty in my mind and not really for little kids).

    Glad to hear that all of you had a wonderful time 🙂

  16. I bought those same silly plastic wheels with 4.5 kisses in them : ). Of course they get the factory worker tag too, doesn’t that make it worth 10? : ( not so much! We never made it into the actual park. We just visited the factory. I hope we can go this fall. It looks so beautiful. One might even say tranquil. If it was child free…

  17. I am hosting a chocolate themed party in October – can’t wait! Chocolate is a girl’s best friend. A colleauge of my hubby’s calls chocolate “cranky snacks.” I think my cranky snack stash is low. Mmmmm, I love chocolate. Can you tell?

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