The Hershey Story - Hershey, Pennsylvania - Museum of the Life and Works of Milton S. Hershey

The Hershey Story is a museum celebrating the life and legacy of the chocolate magnate Milton S Hershey and is situated on Chocolate Avenue in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It opened in 2009 at a cost of $23.5 million and was the first landmark building to be built on Chocolate Avenue since the 1930s. Open daily all year round the museum is a smoke-free facility with wheelchair access and a parking garage behind the building.

The Museum Experience aims to give visitors an insight in to the imagination and ambition of Milton Hershey with its state of the art technology. There are three audio listening stations, advanced mini-theaters and eleven interactive touch-screens, helping to provide an understanding of how Hershey revolutionized the production of milk chocolate. Further details can be gleaned of the man's life and works with a hands-on digital map and a theater-in-the-round.

There are five permanent interactive exhibits in 10,000 square feet of space that help to explain the rags to riches tale of Hershey the man, the company and the town. The Failures to Fortune exhibit takes visitors on a journey from Hershey's birthplace stopping at his first shop in Philadelphia and ending at the great chocolate factory, and sees how he survived several setbacks along the way. Sweet Innovations shows how Hershey took the cocoa product to a new level with his range of confectionary, with displays of chocolate making machines and tools and archive footage of the chocolate factory in the 1930s.

Power of Promotion shows how the products were packaged and displayed to maximize publicity and sales, with some original artwork from the days before mass media publicity. Hershey Builds Hershey explains how a whole community was built by this man and what inspired his taste in architecture for his home town. The sixth exhibit is A Living Legacy, which highlights Hershey's support of public schools, local churches and others through his Foundation.

Downstairs the Chocolate Lab gives the visitors a chance to join in through participatory classes and interactive demonstrations. There are opportunities to find out more about the qualities of chocolate through taking part in tempering, moulding, dipping and making chocolate from scratch. Children under the age of four are not permitted in this area for safety reasons.

Souvenirs can be purchased at the museum shop such as books about M.S Hershey, chocolate based cookbooks, ornaments and chocolate. Visitors can find a variety of light fare, beverages, baked goods, and creative desserts, all with an accent on chocolate at Cafy Zooka located on the first floor. This also offers the chance to try out a variety of drinking chocolates from around the world.

Educational programs are offered at the museum, which are aligned with Pennsylvania curriculum standards. There are multi purpose classroom spaces for students to listen to presentations, hold discussions and have lunch. The exhibits and demonstrations will provide students with an interactive experience of subjects including geography, history, economics and science.