Travel to Pennsylvania's Hersheypark

Chocolate, Rollercoasters and a Boardwalk

The Pennsylvanian town of Hershey, which is known as 'the sweetest place on earth' is a theme park in itself. The theme - as every American child knows - is chocolate.

The air smells of it, the main street is called Chocolate Avenue, the streetlamps are shaped like Hershey Chocolate Kisses and the Spa menu at Hotel Hershey includes Cocoa Massage and Chocolate Fondue Wraps.

Philanthropic Milton S. Hershey, who made a fortune manufacturing the eponymous chocolate, built the town of Hershey on England's Bourneville model in 1905, to create a more pleasant environment for his workers.

From the first moment, Milton S. Hershey envisaged a park for his employees that was far more enlightened than any typical factory town of the time.

Visit Family Friendly Amusement Park in Pennsylvania

Hershey Park's original appeal was its simplicity. An ideal spot for picnicking, boating, and canoeing, the Park was landscaped with trees and wooded groves to provide a shady retreat for thousands of people without being crowded.

The original main buildings, a rustic bandstand and pavilion, served as a stage for vaudeville and theatre productions.

Ultra-clean, green and family-friendly, the 110-acre park today has more than 65 rides and attractions, 11 roller coasters, more than 20 children's rides, a funfair, live daily entertainment, shops, games and varied food options.

Hersheypark's Roller Coaster Thrills

Hersheypark coasters are mainly of 'high' or 'aggressive' thrill, and not for the faint-hearted. There are both steel and wood construction, the most recent addition being Fahrenheit, a terrifying vertical lift inverted loop coaster which ascends 121 feet before plummeting down at a 97-degree angle.

The Great Bear is an exhilarating, looping, inverted steel coaster. Participants ride below the track, not above it. The ride starts by lifting them 90 feet off the ground, then speeds up to 61 miles per hour (nearly a mile a minute) as it rips down the tracks, through a loop then into what is called an immelman - a loop that turns them out at the top and then drops them like a falling star. Then it's the Sooperdooperlooper, and an "S" turn before returning to earth.

Visit Hersheypark Boardwalk for Seaside Fun

Boardwalk, which opened in 2007 for the Park's centennial celebration, combines the best of traditional summer holidays - a trip to the seaside and an amusement park. It pays tribute to the legendary beaches of the Northeast including Atlantic City and Coney Island and offers a full waterpark experience with nine distinctive attractions, including one of the largest water-play structures in the world.

Hersheypark has undergone many changes since it opened in 1907. But what has remained the same over the years is the commitment to provide visitors with plenty of fun and entertainment in the midst of beautiful, natural surroundings.

Admission to Hersheypark includes entry to ZooAmerica, an 11-acre zoo with over 75 species of animals displayed in naturalistic habitats! There are more than 200 animals as well as native North American plants.