Travelogue: Hershey

October 2011

In the midst of our Gettysburg trip, we decided to take a day trip to Hershey, PA. It was only a few hours away from where we were staying and it’s a silly place that I’ve always wanted to visit. I have an overly intense, nostalgia-based relationship with candy. Not in the sense that I can’t stop eating it (though KitKats don’t last long with me around..), but in the sense that it reminds me of my childhood, my grandparents, my family, my home. I remember that my grandma loved Krackle and KitKat bars. My grandpa loved Lifesavers. My grandma would always take me to Dinkel’s, our cutely-named mom-n-pop pharmacy, and she’d buy me a roll of Rolos. I once stole a miniature Tootsie Roll from the grocery store (scandal!) and my mom forced me to return to the store, give the manager a quarter, and apologize.

Needless to say, a lot of my memories are tied to candy. Hershey, PA was a pretty sweet town (pun intended). The street lamps are in the shape of Kisses. The two HERSHEY smoke stacks rise high into the sky and can be seen from anywhere in town. The whole town is focused on chocolate and candy. My kind of place. We visited Chocolate World and the Hershey Museum. Hershey Park was closed due to a car show (the largest in the nation, as we learned!).

One day in Hershey is plenty. If you go when the amusement park is open, add another day to your itinerary.
The Hershey Hotel is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. It has to be a 4 or 5 star resort. We had lunch there and had much success in their many shops.
I couldn’t help but think of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory — and wondered if any oompa loompas worked in the Hershey factory.
The Chocolate World giftshop was INTENSE. If you so desired, you could buy a 5 lb Hershey Bar or the world’s largest peanut butter cup. I was tempted..
I wish they offered real factory tours. Not the fake tram ride that they bill as a factory tour. I understand why they don’t — too many trade secrets, I’m guessing.