A Fall Week in Hershey, PA

If you do not mind driving up to 2 hours each way, Hershey is a good central location for many destinations. We visited Gettysburg (1 hr south), Penns Cave (a cavern 1.5 hrs north), Strasburg (1 hr west), and Hershey Chocolate factory in town). Hershey is also approximately 2 hours from both Philadelphia and Washington D.C. There is also plenty to do in Hershey if your visit is during the summer or early fall. We wanted to go to Hershey Park (an amusement park), which is open weekends during October, but it rained during all of our weekend days in Hershey.

Hershey is also home to several golf courses; a zoo (ZooAmerica); a local IHL Hockey team, and an event center which hosts family shows such as Disney on Ice, and concerts featuring many of todays top artists.

Quick Tips:

If you are interested in Hershey, look up the following websites:

These websites contain information about lodging, dining, shopping, and events in the city.

If you visit the Hershey Chocolate factory, do not expect an actual tour of the facility - they stopped the tours many years ago. Instead you get a tour of the chocolate making process via an amusment park style ride which takes you through a replica of a factory.

If you desire to trade into the Great Vacation Resorts of Hershey (see timehare entry) during the off-season; be aware that the pool is seasonal, there are no planned activities, and if you desire to stay less than a week this resort offers nightly rentals priced between - /nt (off-season).

Best Way To Get Around:

A car is definitely necessary for this area.

Best Things Nearby:
An outlet shopping center is directly across the street. Hershey Park (an amusement park), Hershey Gardens, and Hershey's Chocolate World are within a five minute drive.

Best Things About the Resort:
The unit size was fairly large (approximately 1200 square feet), the master bedroom featured a king size bed, and the kitchen area was spacious.

Resort Experience:
The timeshare property itself is like a residential condo complex - one building with 24 units (three stories high) and a parking garage under the first level of units. The outdoor swimming pool is seasonly heated. We were told we could swim in it, but it was extremely cold. We asked if it was supposed to be heated year round, and the front desk personnel did not seem to know the answer to this question. Since the pool was way too cold to swim in, we opted to sit in the hot tub; which was really only luke warm. Other than the pool/hot tub, there was a volleyball area, basketball court, and a BBQ area with screened in gazebos. During this time of year (end of October), planned activities were nonexistent.

The units themselves were very nice. I believe all units are two bedrooms/two bath. The master bedroom is large and features a king size bed and a decent size master bath. The second bedroom has two double beds and is fairly spacious. The second bath is large and adjacent to this bedroom. This bathroom is also accessible through the kitchen. Both bathrooms feature a tub/shower combo and both bedrooms have televisions, which is quite nice when the kids want to watch cartoons when our desired shows are on TV. The living/dining area is spacious and features a 46 inch television (very good for Monday Night Football). There is also a video cassette player, stereo, and sofa sleeper in the living room. The kitchen is well laid out and has full size appliances and all the necessities for preparing whatever meal we desired. The units also feature washers and dryers. Overall, the unit itself was modern, clean, and very comfortable. I would rate the unit a GOLD CROWN, but the complex itself, although nice, lacks the "resort" feel - at least during the "off-season". The resort is probably much more desirable during the summer months.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Not Available
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Good
• Service: Good

One of the restaurants we visited while in Hershey was the Union Canal House Country Inn and Restaurant. This restaurant is also a B&B, featuring seven rooms and one suite with a full kitchen. The restaurant is in a 1700s house and is decorated as such.

The dining room is small (fewer than 20 tables) and quaint, and features a fireplace. The restaurant's atmosphere is intimate, but they did not seem to mind us bringing our children--there were high chairs and booster seats available. When asked to do so by our 5-year-old son, our server even brought an extra booster seat for his stuffed animal. Our server was also very friendly and spent quite a bit of time answering our son's many questions.

The menu features mostly seafood, such as crab cakes, flounder, lobster, shrimp scampi, and trout. There are also a few steak, veal, chicken, and pasta dishes, as well as one duck and one pork-chop entree. The entrees themselves range from $16 to $26 and do not include soup or salad. The portions are average and come with potatoes or rice and vegetables. The meal also includes bread. The wine list is average for a restaurant of this type and includes several reds and whites, along with one or two champagnes and dessert wines. The wine prices are probably three times the retail value.

My wife ordered the broiled Maryland lump crab cakes, which were moist, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. I ordered the blackened steak Delmonico, which was cooked to perfection. I thought it could use a little more spice, but I also enjoy food a bit more spicy than many people. My father-in-law accompanied us to this restaurant; he also had the steak Delmonico and said the level of spice was perfect for him. Our son had a kids' chicken meal, which was also very good.

Overall, this restaurant had a nice atmosphere, good service, great food, and somewhat reasonable prices--and is a place we would definitely return to. The restaurant serves dinner only (from 5 to 10pm) Monday through Saturday. For further information, they also have a website at www.unioncanalhouse.com.

The Choo Choo Barn is a model railroaders, or model railroad enthusiasts dream destination. The layout takes up most of a 1700 square foot room and features 20 different model trains in three different gauges. I believe they even have Thomas the Tank Engine in all three guages.

The feature that sets this layout apart from any other we have seen is that it is animated with such scenes as a building on fire (listen for the siren and then find the firestation); a downhill ski mountain with a tram; and re-creations of local areas. These include an Amish barnraising; the Strasburg Railroad (a local train tour); a local amusement park; and much more. If you spend enough time admiring this layout, you will also get to experience the day turning into night; complete with stars.

After your visit to the Choo Choo Barn, you can shop at the Thomas'' Trackside Station (devoted to Thomas the Tank Engine) or a model railroading store. There is also a store that sells railroad books and videos; a small restaurant & deli (Isaac''s); a candy store; and a Country Keepsakes store that sells crafts and gifts.

Just down the road from the Choo Choo Barn is a railroad museum featuring full-size railroad engines and such and the Strasburg Railroad, which offers train rides through the Amish countryside.

One of our family's favorite activities is riding the rails, and one of my wife's goals is to ride trains in each of the 50 states. While in Pennsylvania, we decided on the Strasburg RR, mostly because it was the closest one to Hershey that was running in October.

We did not pre-plan this event, so we just checked into riding the train after visiting the Choo-Choo Barn (see journal entry). We were in time to ride the last train of the day, so we decide to take the trip.

Our trip constisted of a 45-minute ride aboard America's oldest short-line raiload, which began in 1832. There are several fare options and we opted for the cheapest, which is coach, at a cost of $9.25 for adults and $4.74 for children 3-11. The ride took us through Pennsylvania's Dutch country and past several Amish farms. The scenery was pretty, if not spectacular, and the railroad cars were all restored to their original late-1800 specifications and design. We also learned the history of this particular railroad and a bit about the people surrounding it.

Though the trip was pleasant, next time I would opt for one of the dinner trains. This particular railroad offers lunch and dinner trains; special event such as Easter, Halloween, Murder Mystery, and Santa Trains; and "A Day out With Thomas The Tank Engine Trains".

The railroad is located right across the street from the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, which features more than 100 restored engines and railcars. There are also several small shops onsite at the railroad where you can buy any kind of train-related souvenier or local Dutch crafts.

Further information related to this railroad and upcoming events can be found at www.strasburgrailroad.com, www.thediningcar.net, www.rrmuseumpa.org, and www.strasburgrailroadstore.com (for online shopping).

Overall our rail experience was pleasant and relaxing and made a nice ending to our day of sightseeing. If you are a railroad enthusiast, then you will find this a worthwhile venture--especially since you can spend a whole day around train-related attractions.

One of our five year old sons' highlights of our week in Hershey was the visit to Hershey's Chocolate World. This attraction consists of more than just a chocolate factory.

Our first stop once inside was the simulated factory tour ride. Actual tours of the chocolate making process are not offered so you get an amusement park style tour of the process. First you walk through a jungle where the cocoa beans are harvested; then you board a four person tram car (on a track) for your tour through the chocolate factory. Here you learn about the chocolate candy making process while watching replica machines in action. Be prepared to smile at the end of the tour - a camera takes your picture which can be purchased for $10 or so. This "tour", since it is in the form of a ride, is good for small children who probably would not want to spend 30 minutes or more touring an actual chocolate factory.

Our next activity was taking in the "Really Big 3-D Show". This show costs $4.95/adults and $3.95/kids (the above described tour ride is free for all). The show lasts approximately 30 minutes, of which half the time is spent with "guides" explaining the history of Hershey (the man, the town, and the chocolate). The actual 3-D show is very good and entertaining, but I believe is a bit pricey for what you get.

Our last stop was for cookies and coffee in the Hershey Food Court. Both the cookies (chocolate chip, fudge chocolate chip with nuts, and peanut butter candy cookies) and coffee were very good and cost no more than cookies/coffee in a shopping mall. Food such as pizza, sandwiches, soups and salads, and desserts such as fudge, ice cream, and cakes can also be purchased in the food court area. There is also a sit down restaurant - Hersheys' Chocolate Town Cafe - which is a full service restaurant serving lunch and dinner. There are also souvenier (of course) shops where you can purchase candy, apparel, toys, and much more. There is also a trolley that stops here which gives you a tour of the town.

Overall, Hersheys' Chocolate World is an enjoyable place to visit and is good family fun. It also has a good location next to (walking distance) Hersheypark -an amusement park and ZooAmerica - a small zoo.

The web site for more information is here.