Tell me about Hershey

[jayali]

We are thinking about going to Hershey this summer. A friend said that we should do Dutchwonderland instead and stay there along the "strip". We had been to Hotel Hershey pre kids and really liked the hotel. Is it really a child friendly hotel. I can't imagine that it is. Would we be better off doing the Dutchwonderland thing with a four year old. We would, of course, still do the hershey factory tour - but are only planning on going for two nights and I wanted to make sure we don't spend too much time in the car traveling from attraction to attraction.

Anyone btdt? Any advice would be much appreciated.

[egoldber]

We actually took Sarah to Dutch Wonderland for her 4th birthday. It was fabulous. A lovely (but older) park and every ride there was age and size appropriate for her. I've never been to Hershey though, so I can't really compare.

[lowrioh]

I used to live in Lancaster and I just wanted to point out that the two parks are not all that close together. On a weekend I would guess that it would take about an hour. Not that far but if you don't want to spend a lot of time in the car it might be something to consider. The traffic on Rt 30 in Lancaster on a summer weekend can be a bear.
My brother took his kids to DWL when they were smaller but now the older one who is 7 likes Hershey a lot more. She is really tall and fearless and can go on a lot of the rides at Hershey.
DWL has the benefit that it is basically across the street from major outlet shopping, if that sort of thing interests you. I am pretty sure that there are tours of "Amish farms" in the area too.

[jayali]

Thanks for the response. Do you have any suggestions on hotels if we do DWL only?

[lowrioh]

I haven't lived there in over 10 years so I can't really make any hotel recommendations. Try tripadvisor.com. I always have good luck after using their reviews.

[beachmoms]

Just wanted to mention that the Strasburg Railroad is located in that area as well. Dont know if your child enjoys trains, train rides but they have alot of fun stuff to do there. Also there are great shopping options just across from Dutch Wonderland, many many outlets including Pottery Barn Kids, Carters, Childrens Place, Tommy Kids....probably 150+ stores there. Enjoy whatever you do!

[lowrioh]

Here are links to the outlet centers if you are interested.
http://www.rockvalesquareoutlets.com/
http://www.tangeroutlet.com/lancaster

[Jacksbean]

Although I haven't taken my one and only DS there yet, we hope to this summer when he'll be 2 y.o., I've heard it's great for younger children. It's actually owned by the Hershey Corp. now, so it's probably been updated some in the few years since they bought it.

There are so many places to stay right off the main road (RT. 30) I would probably get a AAA book or check online to see their ratings. I believe the Lancaster Host Resort is across the street and it has a golf course (I think).

I went to Hershey Park's Chocolate World and tried out the free ride with my son. He really liked it so, our next step will be Dutch Wonderland. It's cheaper than Hershey Park and has more rides for him. It would be great if they would just go back to pay as you go for young children though!
Also, Strasburg Railroad, like someone else mentioned, is about maybe 15 minutes or less away, as well as Amish buggy rides, farms, etc.

Have fun!


P.S. I've stayed at the Hotel Hershey too before DS was born; it was great! I believe that they are starting to do some major contstruction there, so I don't know how that would impact a vacation there. It's supposed to be luxury for the family, but I don't feel it was really child friendly. I the the Hershey Lodge is better for that. It's it has more kid friendly restaurants in the hotel also.

[jamsmu]

It really depends on your kids ages. We go to DW every year and both boys love it. As the PPs said, they can go on nearly every ride. And the park is smaller, so you get through the whole place in a day. Its very clean and they have a tiny waterpark.

We went to HP last month with the boys and 2 other families. The kids ranged in age from 2 to 8. DS1 (age 4.5) was able to go on a lot of rides, but did a bit of waiting while the big kids went on rides. DS2 (age 2.5) missed out on a lot of rides because he was too small. We did teach him to stand on his tippy toes to be big enough for the rides his younger, but taller, friend went on. The two of us rode the train for a while that day. (which was enough of a thrill for him.)

You can do DW in a day, but you can't do Hershey. Hershey has long lines because of the bigger crowd, and many more rides. I hadn't been there in years and couldn't believe just how big it is.

As for hotels, yeah, Hotel Hershey isn't really for kids. i have a friend who recently stayed at a smaller Hershey Hotel. Not a 5 star, but it was fine, close to the park.

Can't really recommend any hotels near DW, its about a 50 minute ride for us so we just drive out there.

[sophiesmom]

I love Dutch Wonderland. I think it's best for younger kids. I didn't find a lot of rides to do at Hershey. We did just go to Hershey at Christmas time and now that the kids are a bit older it was better. The kids were 6 1/2 and almost 5. I think DW also has a cute little water park too.

We stayed at a hotel right next to DW 2 years ago. It was fine from what I can remember and can walk to DW. If you want the name, email me to remind me and I can ask my mom!

Also, our township sells discount tix to parks.. check into that if you don't know of it already!

Stephanie