Next Stop Hershey Pennsylvania
We had spent most of the previous day on the road, making sure we could make it to our next destination Hershey Pennsylvania. The luscious (green) trees of the Pennsylvania hills made the ear-popping drive through the area worth it!
With us and the car pushing through the miles, we now had a full day to explore Hershey, Pennsylvania. Which we needed since the itinerary for the day was full.
Since we were looking to spend the day in Hershey, we knew we wanted to see multiple attractions. In search of a deal, we ended up purchasing the Hershey Story & Hershey Gardens Combo Pass for $28 for each adult. We spent almost 6 hours between both of the places!
If you don’t go the combo pass route admission for both the Gardens and the Hershey Story Museum for adults is $13.50, while children (ages 3-12) and seniors (ages 62+) enjoy reduced rates of $9.50. Meanwhile, children under 3 enter for free. Membership options are available for those who plan to visit regularly.
One Day in Hershey Pennsylvania
Hershey Gardens
The view from Hershey Gardens was breathtaking. Situated high up on a hill, the parking lot had a view of Hershey Park, The amusement park. We walked inside their welcome center, purchased our tickets, walked around their store, and then started with one of the main attractions.
Into the Butterfly Atrium, we went. Surrounded by several butterfly species we took in the wonders of nature as they flew right below, above, and around us. The large room featured not only different types of plants but also had fruits and nectar for the butterflies scattered throughout.
Although I have been to a few free-flight butterfly exhibits, this one had me walking around in awe. I was impressed by the fact that they had so many various species. Some of my personal favorites were the Morphos, which came in two vibrant varieties.
After spending time with the butterflies, we headed outside to check out the gardens. The first garden we visited was a true delight for flower lovers, the Rose Garden. Featuring over 5,000 rose bushes and 275 varieties, this meticulously landscaped area is a fragrant and picturesque sight. It was a perfect spot for a peaceful walk.
The Children’s Garden was a personal favorite! Among the flowers were sweet surprises, like a Hershey Kisses fountain/splash area. It played homage to the town while inspiring learners to discover more about nature.
However, the Children’s Garden is not the only area to lean into the town’s history. In the rose garden, you might spot a rose that is named after Milton Hershey and/or his wife, Catherine Hershey.
Even though I could have spent more time in the gardens, we still had a lot more to see. So onward we went on a quick 5-minute drive or so to the next destination.
The Hershey Story
At the Hershey Story Museum, we handed in our tickets for a token. This token would be our key to our journey through this (partial) interactive museum. After activating our token on the ground level we began the story upstairs.
The museum tells the story of Hershey (the person), Hershey (the company), and even Hershey (the town.) Every segment had a touch point for the token where you learned, though audio and visuals a bit more about the section of the museum/story you were in. Beyond the interactive portion, there were also artifacts from that point in history.
My favorite area was the “Power of Promotion.” I love all the old ads! Learning about when the different Hershey candies came out (and for some when they were discontinued) was fascinating! Plus, here I had the opportunity to put my advertisement skills to the test and create a unique candy bar wrapper on a computer screen.
Two other notable things to experience at the museum were the Chocolate Lab and the special exhibit. The Chocolate Lab is a fun, educational experience where you can participate in chocolate tastings and even make your own chocolate treats.
The museum also often hosts temporary exhibits that delve into various aspects of Hershey’s life and the chocolate industry. When we went the exhibit was called Mr. Hershey’s Cuba, an exploration of how sugarcane was grown, harvested, milled, and turned into both raw and refined sugar. The exhibit also dived into the history of the other city of Hershey, Hershey, Cuba.
After the Museum we were getting close to closing time for some attractions, and we still had one more place on our list.
Hershey Chocolate World
To wrap up our sweet day in the town itself we drove on over to Hershey World. A candy store of amusement, this place was one sweet world. It was even wrapped up in Halloween decor during our September visit!
Tucked away toward the back was a food quart where we of course snagged up a Halloween, Kit Kat Witch’s Brew Milk Shake. It was a delicious treat with white chocolate Kit Kats and a hidden gummy worm with green goo on top. For almost $9 we shared this over-the-top sugar overload.
Not only did we leave this store with more photos on our camera roll, but with several souvenirs. In particular, we were looking to find a unique item that only the store here in Hershey Pennsylvania has! Ultimately, we ended up purchasing a special edition Salted Caramel and Cotton Candy Hershey bar! Just a note here, these limited editions can also be purchased online.
The Soda Jerk
After a long day of fun in Hershey Pennsylvania, we drove to the next town over, Hummelstown for dinner. It was only a 10-minute ride from Hershey World to The Soda Jerk.
This old-school diner was absolutely adorable! And my 1960s dress definitely matched the old-school vibes of the diner. The old-fashioned vibes followed us in. There was a bar area with cute red high-top chairs. However, after a long day, we opted for a booth, which was styled with black and white covers.
The menu featured homey food selections. I went with a Hot Open Roast Sandwich for $15.99.
While we waited for our yummy dinner, we chitchatted about the day, and continued to plan our mostly spontaneous road trip!
