Hersheys Chocolate World

A very long time ago, when my parents still lived on Keim Drive and all four kids lived there with them, we (as in all the kids) watched a show on the Travel Channel nearly every Saturday morning. One Saturday, the show was all about Hershey Pennsylvania. The Hershey Factory, a Hershey Theme Park, and the intense greenery surrounding all of it had us completely dazzled. We all said that we wanted to go there.

Well folks, about 10 years later, I WENT!! Unfortunately I was a little disappointed.

The amazing factory tour that we drove 3 hours to do was a total of 15 minutes. It was a fun tour, they had singing cows and made the whole thing "ride like". It was crazy to see all the stuff they do to make a yummy piece of chocolate. I was impressed, as I always am when I go to a festival or a factory. It amazes me how much work goes into things. Kaci loved it. They even had a little hands on place for the kids to be pretend to be factory workers. By that point she had already eaten her free sample from the tour, so she was more than willing to do anything if it involved chocolate.

Brad has been battling some pretty wicked vertigo. He gets motion sickness just swinging on the swings and the effects last for days, so he wasn't too excited to go on his first real roller coaster. I was so bummed we weren't going to the theme park. It killed me to walk away when I was so close. The rides looked like fun, but it would have been a huge waste if all we did was ride one ride. Maybe if we were rich but still maybe not knowing Brad would be wasted for days later.

The town was cute. We stayed for less than two hours. The greenery wasn't mind boggling, but maybe that's because when I saw the show forever ago I hadn't lived in Hawaii or Virginia yet and green trees and green grass where amazing to my desert accustomed eyes.

All in all, I'm glad I've been. I'd go again if I could go to the theme park. I learned about Mr. Hershey who made his fortune and spent over half of it on a school for socially and mentally handicapped people in his community. Not to mention building the whole Hershey town for his factory workers. He sounded like the kind of guy that made money to help others, not just himself.

(for more pictures you can read the blogs of the other people that went with us, click on The Call Bunch or News In A Minute on my list of bloggers to the right)