A Hershey Sweet Summer

We visited Hershey’s Chocolate World Visitor Center, Hershey Park, and Zoo America one June and took a simulated tour of the Chocolate Factory on the Chocolate Ride. We walked through a tropical jungle where the cocoa beans were harvested and viewed the chocolate-making process during the ride. At the end, we received a free sample. We explored the gift shops and restaurants and had ice cream Hershey style.

The Really Big 3D Show provided a glimpse of the history of Hershey’s chocolate. The show was designed and produced by Landmark Entertainment, the group who designed Universal Studios “Terminator 2/3D”. Free candy samples made the show even sweeter.

We took in 11 acres of wildlife, Zoo America, with park admission, but the most amazing adventure for my husband and stepdaughter was Storm Runner in Hershey Park. It was the first hydraulic launch coaster with inversions. It sped off at 72 miles per hour. I rode a lot of coasters, but I waited on the ground for this one. However, I joined my husband and stepdaughter for the thrills of Great Bear, an inverted coaster. The four inversions, vertical loop, camelback twist, and wing over gave us the sensation of flying through the air as our feet dangled.

I got lots of great pictures, even some of Hershey Kiss traffic lights. The streets are named after Hershey candy. I even found out where my favorite Jolly Rancher candy is made. It, too, is a Hershey product though it is not chocolate. My husband had to stock up on his favorite white chocolate Hershey bars with almonds and white Kit Kat bars which are so hard to find, but delicious. Hershey, Pennsylvania, is the sweetest place on earth, just as they say. My husband, Scott, thought Storm Runner and his candy bars made it so. As for my stepdaughter and I, we found Great Bear and Jolly Ranchers sweeter. She and I shared the same taste in coasters back then, but she's gone on to ride the swiftest, tallest, and longest with her father since our Hershey sweet summer.