Hershey Park - Hershey, Pennsylvania - large amusement park with a chocolate theme

Located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Hershey Park first opened in 1907 as a park specifically for people who worked at the Hershey Chocolate factory, which is located nearby. The company later opened the park to the entire community, and today the park has over 60 rides covering over 120 acres.

Originally, Hershey Park was more of an entertainment center than an amusement park. They opened with a picnic grove, athletic field, and pavilion and soon afterward added a merry-go-round, amphitheater, tennis courts, bowling alleys, band shell, and gallery. They also have a train ride and became known for having one of the largest carousels in the country. Today, most of those original attractions are gone, but in their place, the park has 11 roller coasters and a number of other modern rides.

All of the rides at Hershey Park are rated based on how tall riders need to be. Miniatures are rides where children can ride, even if they are under three feet tall. Kisses and Resses are also for children (36 to 42 inches and 42 to 48 inches, respectively). Older children can try rides rates as Hershey's, Twitterlers, and Jolly Ranchers. Most rides are available to a minimum height and all guests that are taller, but on some of the kid's rides, there are height maximums.

One of the most popular rides at Hershey Park is the Great Bear. This roller coaster is inverted and reaches speeds of 58 miles per hour. Also popular is Lightning Racer, a dueling wooden roller coaster where two trains race to reach the finish line, and the Roller Soaker, a steel coaster where riders can dump buckets of water on spectators and those standing in line can spray riders with water guns. Other roller coasters at Hershey Park include the Sidewinder, the SooperDooperLooper, Storm Runner, Trailblazer, the Wild Mouse, Wildcat, the Comet, and Fahrenheit.

The water rides at the park as also very popular for guests. Along with the Roller Soaker, visitors can ride the Coal Cracker, which is the park's oldest flume ride, as well as Tidal Force, a large flume ride with a 100-foot drop at the end. There's also the East Coast Water Works, a water playground for kids, and two wave pools.

Roller coasters and water rides aren't the only attractions at Hershey Park. There are also a number of other rides for older guests, including the Wave Swinger, The Claw, and the Geico Fender Bender. There are also other rides for all ages, including the Kissing Tower, a Ferris wheel, a pirate ship, a scrambler, a tilt-a-whirl, a monorail, and a railroad. In addition, there are a number of miniature versions of these rides just for kids.

Hershey Park is open from May to September. They also have special events during April, October, November, and December to coincide with holidays. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the park is open daily starting at 10:00 AM. Most days, the park remains open until 10:00 PM, though some summer weekends, they are open an extra hour. General admission costs $51.95 for adults and $30.95 for children under 8. They also have discounts for seniors, two-day visitors, and guests who arrive later in the day. Call 1-800-HERSHEY.