We arrived in Hershey late Friday afternoon and checked into our hotel. We booked rooms at the Country Inn and Suites in Harrisburg, PA, which is only 17 minutes away from Hershey. We chose this hotel because it was reasonably priced, and had really good reviews on Trip Advisor. 
Hershey Pennsylvania Chocolate Factory
After checking in and dropping off our stuff, we headed out to Hershey. The first place we visited was Hershey’s Chocolate World. Chocolate World is a group of attractions adjacent to Hershey Park. When you enter the parking lot, the attendant will present you with a ticket for 3 hours of free parking.
First, we took the free Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour ride. This was a fun and informative 10-minute tour that showed a simulation of the chocolate making process. This ride is an original attraction, which opened on June 30, 1973, and has been updated quite a few times. While on the tour, you follow along as cocoa beans are processed and transformed into yummy milk chocolate. Along the tour, there were quite a few singing cows which made the tour quite interesting. At the end of the tour, we were offered a free sample of a Hershey's product. The ride exits into the gift shop where you can purchase a wide variety of Hershey candies.
Next we saw Hershey’s Really Big 3D Show. Before the actual show began, we were shown a short video abut Milton S. Hershey and Hershey Park. We were told to grab a pair of 3D glasses and we were then ushered into the theatre. The 3D show was very entertaining. The special effects were awesome and included puffs of air, bubbles, mist, and streamers. After the show, we were again offered a free sample of Hershey’s candy.
The 3D show is not free, but we were able to find a coupon on the Hershey Chocolate World website (click on the box that says “Sweet Savings on the left hand side of the page). I have also heard that AAA members receive a discount.
Cost for the 3D show:
- $5.95 – Regular Adult (13-61)
- $4.95 – Regular Child (3-12)
- $5.45 – Regular Senior (62+)
Hershey Trolley Works
Finally, we took the Hershey Trolley Works tour. The trolley tour is a historical overview about Milton S. Hershey, the town of Hershey and the Hershey company. The tour was led by 2 conductors dressed in period clothing who put on a number of funny skits about Mr. Hershey’s life. 
On the tour we learned about Milton S. Hershey. We learned about how he had a number of failures before he eventually succeeded. We learned that he didn’t just build a company, he built a town. We also visited and learned about the Milton Hershey School, which offers housing and schooling for underprivileged children. We were also given quite a few more samples of Hershey’s candies. The tour was approximately 45 minutes long. My only complaint about the tour is the fact that we were not allowed to get off the bus to really see the different points of interest. It would have been that much more interesting if we could actually get off and take proper photographs.
Cost for Hershey Trolley Works:
- $12.95 – Adults (13-61)
- $11.95 – Seniors (62+)
- $5.95 – Children (3-12)
- FREE – Children (0-2)
At this point, we were done for the day and went back to the hotel.
The next day, we visited the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum. My son absolutely loves cars so we knew he would enjoy visiting a car museum. 
This museum houses an awesome display of beautifully restored antique cars, buses, and motorcycles on three floors. As you begin your tour, you will see that the cars are arranged by era, beginning with horseless carriages and continuing on to more recent vehicles. 
The Museum also shares space with the Museum of Bus Transportation and the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. Both of their collections can be found on the lower level, which boasts a floor full of buses and more than 30 motorcycles and motorbikes. On the day that we visited, they had a great exhibit called Buses and Baseball, featuring the All American Girls Professional Baseball League and the Negro Leagues Baseball Teams as well as the buses they traveled on.
They also had a large model train display as well as a hands-on Thomas the Train display that children could play with. There was also a car that people were allowed to actually climb into. I do wish that we were able to actually look into more vehicles or were allowed to climb on board the buses. 
Cost of AACA Admission:
(tip: look for coupons online tor reduce the cost of admission)
- Adults – $10.00
- Senior Adults (Age 61 +) – $9.00
- Children (Age 4-12) – $7.00
- Children Age 3 & younger – FREE
Next up we visited the Whitaker Center of Science and the Arts.
This is an extremely hands-on science center with stuff that both kids and adults can enjoy. There were 3 levels of fun. On the main level, my son first ventured into their Kids Place area. This area is designed for kids ages 0-5 and features plenty of activities for pre-school aged kids. He enjoyed the mock grocery store. It had plenty of toy foods, a scale and a real belt and scanner on which the food could be placed on to check out. They also had a cash register. On the middle level, they had a paper airplane launcher, an Automoblox wooden car station and racing track, a rock climbing wall, and much, much more. On the lower level, they had an exhibit about bugs and forensics, and an exhibit about forces of nature which featured a Hurricane chamber which allowed us to experience what a hurricane actually feels like.
Although this place was pretty costly, I can honestly say that all of us had tons of fun here and actually spent quite a few hours exploring the place. We only visited the science center, but the center also houses an Imax theatre, and a performance center.
Cost of Admission (Science Center Only):
Adult – $15.00
Child (3-12) – $12.50
Student (with ID) – $12.50
Seniors (55+) – $12.50
Are you planning on taking a trip to Hershey Pennsylvania soon? Be sure to check out the following site:
Calendar of Events – Hershey, PA > Events Calendar