Hersheypark

100 West Hersheypark Drive

Hershey, Pennsylvnia 17033-0866

Hersheypark opened in 1907 and is Milton Hershey's clean and green playground brought to life for his employees of his chocolate factory. "Chocolatetown USA" is the home of the "World's Largest Chocolate Factory" is an astoundingly beautiful area of the country with more than just the park itself to make the trip there a most memorable.

Additionally, the park features an 11-acre zoo, ZooAmerica, "along side the park." One of the most unique zoos in the world, that typically features about 200 animals native to the five regions of the US, in realistic environments.

This park is known to get thunderstorms during its peak season. Many rides in the park feature "secret catwalks" for evacuation purposes in the rare event that they are unable to close a ride and get people off of it before the storm hits the park. The park also features its very own Doppler Radar System so they see storms well-in-advance of them making it over the park.

And yes, while in this town, you can get such unusual and extravagant things as "chocolate beer," Cocoa Seared Scallops, and Braised Osso Buco with, of course, "Hershey Helper" (Aka Veal with Chocolate).

This park was featured on the Travel Channel's "Secrets of Hershey, PA" in 2003.

Rides and Pastimes...

Comet (1946)

This woodie was designed by Herb Schmeck and built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (and replaced the Wildcat). In 1978, the wooden track was replaced with 3360 feet of steel track. From the 78 foot lift, this one minute and forty five second ride can reach a top speed of fifty miles per hour.

Trail Blazer Coaster (1974)

This 1874 foot long mine train was designed by Arrow Dynamics.

Sooperdooperlooper (1977)

This Anton Schwarzkopf looper was the first of its kind on the east coast. This 2614 foot long track has a 70 foot lift and one 57 foot vertical loop. Ride time is one minute and thurty seconds.

Sidewinder (1991)

This is a classic steel boomerang from Vekoma.

Wildcat (1996)

This woodie's named after the first coaster at Hersheypark -- surely an old style coaster with a new attitude. The circuit features eleven turns that crosses over itself twenty times. This one minute and fifteen second masterpiece was designed by Great Coasters International. Top speed is forty-five miles an hour. This ninety-foot-high, medium sized woodie was voted number one in the US by Popular Mechanics Magazine.

Great Bear (1998)

Pennsylvania's only inverted roller coaster. This B&M coaster features a 90 foot lift hill (125 foot drop) and a top speed of 58 miles per hour over it's three-plus minute circuit.

Rollersoaker

Half coaster, half water ride... at a cost of $8 million dollars, this 1300 foot coaster took EIGHT attempts to "get right" and in to position. This ride features a single car of four riders that "fills" with water which you can use to "bomb" people below... but don't get complacent, as they can shoot back with water cannons! About 9000 gallons of water filters through the system 57 times per day.

Lightning Racer

A wooden racing coaster. This $13 million ride is marketed as the "first wooden dueling coaster in the US". More that 100,000 cubic feet of lumber, 2 million bolts, plus seven thousand feet of steel go in to this monolithic monstrosity.

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