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Hershey and HersheyPark on a budget

Hersheypark: Two friends going to Hershey and HersheyPark on a really tight budget need tips and advice.

From Laura McFarland
Posted August 23, 2010 at 5:40 PM
I am going to visit a friend in Delaware over Labor Day weekend. The plan is to drive to Hershey Saturday morning, spend the day in town, possibly do the preview thing where we go to HersheyPark that night and then spend all day at the park Sunday.
Both of us are Chocoholics on really tight budgets. Any suggestions for what we should see and do in Hershey, places to eat and ways to get a discount to HersheyPark? Also, what are the must do things in the park, like shows and stuff? Any place to find coupons?


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From Mike Gallagher
Posted August 23, 2010 at 6:18 PM
Laura,

There's Pepsi Cans that offer 10 bucks off. But I'm going next Tuesday, the 31st. The person I'm going with got our tickets on E-bay for 27.50 each. Hershey's one of my favorite parks. Your post didn't mention if you were a coaster/thrill rider, but Lightning Racer and Storm Runner are great rides, and the other coasters range from blah (Sidewinder) to decent (Trail Blazer, Farenheit) to good (Great Bear, SooperDooperLooper, Wildcat, Comet.) Don't miss the Kissing Tower (The park looks awesome at night) and the Chocolate World ride-through outside the gate...it's free. If you want to eat in the park, try the Tudor Grill(?) near the entrance. If not, there's a Friendlys down the road and a Red Robin visible from Lightning Racer. I hope you don't hit major crowds Labor Day weekend. It's probably smart to do the Saturday night/Sunday thing. Have a great time!

From Betty Rohrer
Posted August 24, 2010 at 5:02 PM
if you see a Giant market on the way, stop and see if they still have discount tickets left. from what i have seen in the area they have the best discount.

From Victoria Jurkowski
Posted August 24, 2010 at 5:53 PM
chocolate world is amazing, the ride is so cute and the store is huge with every hershey prooduct you can think of. most the coasters are amazing. MUST do lightning racers. however, the walking can be terrible, you have to cross the park and the hills are pretty bad so make sure you have a plan to cut down on walking.

From Barbara Mrozinski
Posted August 24, 2010 at 10:03 PM
We were just there Aug. 9th. It was 95 degrees. The wave pool was such a refresher. Hope it's cooler for you. We came from NW of State College area and looked online ahead of time. We found a Giant Store directly off the highway in Newport. Tix were $41 instead of $54. We stayed at a Comfort Suites north of Hershey in Grantville and used my a AAA discount. Hotels were going for $178-$350. I paid $108. Clean, too. they let me use my discount on my sister's room, also. I just paid for it and she paid me. I highly recommend Friendly's for breakfast, but we had a hard time finding anything at first. No restaurants right by downtown that we could see. It's way down the road toward the hospital. BTW, skip the long, long lines for the water roller coaster (blue one that dumps water on people below) It isn't worth the wait at all. With the extreme heat, we only made it through half the park. Do NOT skip Lightening Racer. DO skip Wildcat if you don't want whiplash (rickety wooden coaster). Don't expect chocolate everywhere. We saw one little halloween-sized piece and it was at the Chocolate world ride. Otherwize, all of the chocolate was for sale in the souvenir shops. (I figured I earned at least a Hershey kiss after riding Storm Runner! No such luck.)

From Lucretia Crum
Posted August 31, 2010 at 10:53 AM
If you're looking for some good places to eat close to the Park, take the free Hershey Chocolate Avenue Shuttle Bus from in front of Hershey's Chocolate World over to the Metro Bus Terminal and walk across the bridge to The Press Building on Chocolate Avenue...Houlihan's and Deavon Seafood Grill are both in that building on the main floor...GREAT FOOD! There is also Fenicci's Italian Grill across the street and the Chocolate Avenue Grill next door to that. Both are really good. All but Devon's offer al fresco dining when the weather is good.

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