Hershey Park and Campground Review

This summer my family decided that instead of going camping in Lake George like we had done the past two summers we would try something new.  We didn't want to travel too far having young children so we decided to go to Hershey Park!

We usually tent when we camp but since the family we were going with had a baby we asked my in-laws if we could borrow their truck and pop-up camper.  After a quick lesson with his dad hubby was ready for the 3 1/2 hour ride to Hershey, PA!

Hersheypark Camping Resort has cabins and various hookup sites.  The campsite we chose was all by itself at the end of the loop, which was great for keeping an eye on the kids.  Check in was pretty quick and the moms and kids left the dads to set up camp while we went shopping for groceries.

We only bought tickets for the park for one day but Hershey has a fantastic program that when you stay at one of their properties you can enter the park the night before for a few hours of fun.  We laid low the first night and caught lightning bugs and ate smores.

The next day we ate breakfast at the campsite and had lunch at The Soda Jerk Diner and Dairy Bar.  They had a great '50's atmosphere and huge portions of great home cooked food!  Next up, Hershey's Chocolate World!

Admission to Hershey's Chocolate World is free which includes Hershey's Great American Chocolate Tour Ride.  It's a simulated factory tour that shows the life of chocolate from bean to Hershey's chocolate.  We paid extra for the 4D movie The Great Chocolate Factory Mystery.  My son loved it!  He was truly convinced that the factory was under attack!

We returned that evening to the campground to make dinner and head into the park for our extra hours.  The park was not busy and we were able to get on a lot of rides, including some big coasters for the grownups!

The following morning after breakfast we got on the bus (another perk to staying on property) and headed into the park.  We started off on some dry rides and as it got hotter we headed over to the water park.  We had our strollers but grabbed a locker for our wallets and purses.  This was the hit of the trip.  The kids went nuts!  This park was truly designed with children in mind.

Each area was fenced in so it was easy to keep tabs on everyone.  Life jackets were available in several sizes at no extra charge.  The lifeguards were on point and actively scanning the whole area which was wonderful piece of mind.

We ate lunch in the water park area so we didn't have to change out of our suits.  The kids quickly devoured their chicken strips and french fries and were back in the water!  Once we were ready to get back on some dry rides we changed in the very clean and open changing station.  The kids snoozed with dad while the moms hit a few rides.

We had dinner in the Pioneer Frontier area and there was something for everyone.  We had Mexican and it was very reasonably priced for park food.  We finished off the night with a train ride that all of us could go on together.  Got to love my son's meltdown . . .

Overall, it was a great stay.  The campground was clean and staff was friendly.  The parks were well thought out for families with children of all ages.  We all agreed that we wished we had more time to spend here and that next time we will take more time off!!