The Hershey Hotel

100 Hotel Road, Heshey, PA 17033 • 717-520-5158

In these United States, when one thinks chocolate, the name Hershey comes quickly to mind.

But, few really know the history of Hershey and how one man changed the lives of thousands with his forethought and generosity.

This is a story about a wonderful hotel, but it really is a story of a magnificent man - Milton S. Hershey.

During the deep depths of the Great Depression Hershey realized that his town was suffering and with some 600 construction workers sitting idle and with building materials at an all time low Hershey decided to build and build in a big way - thus the Hershey Hotel was created, and by doing this and so many others things -the schools, the zoo, the gardens were all brought to the town by Milton Hershey. Golf and Ice Hockey came in soon after and the Hershey Bears are the oldest operating hockey club in the American League. Milton Hershey saved his town.

Today you can visit the park and the grand hotel that bears Milton's name and have the sweetest of times, and that is just what we did.

Now let's be up front and let you know that a room at the Hershey Hotel is not cheap, by any standards, so you might want to save this 'We're Outta Here' for the "special" occasion, but with that in mind you will totally enjoy your days and nights in Hershey.

Arriving at the hotel we were greeted by the attentive and helpful staff who happily said they would valet park our bikes. Sorry guys, that is not going to happen.

The hotel is built on the grandest of scales and there is a serious hint of chocolate everywhere you wander around the ample grounds. Gardens and fountains add to the flavor and just a short shuttle bus ride away is the famed Hershey Park with more rides and more fun than one person can possibly enjoy in just one short afternoon - but we tried our best. You'll find tons of water rides, but not bringing our bathing suits we went in search of the 'classics' wooden roller coaster, of which Hershey has two monsters - The Thunder & Lightning, which race against each other, and the Wildcat, which is rated a 5 on the Holy Crap Scale, and that is a wooden coaster to boot!

We took in the zoo as well in our wonderings and the famed Chocolate World and the Hershey Museum are a must for any one who loves chocolate, and who doesn't?

By evening time we were done and we scooted back to the hotel. Dinner had a few options; the Fountain Café or the famous Circular Dining Room.

It is said that Milton Hershey did not want any corners in his dining room and that he wanted his guests to have an unobstructed view of the gardens below. This sounded easy but the architectural challenges to make this happen were difficult, with the entire dining room being held together by cleverly hidden trusses. It is a magnificent room, complete with colored leaden glass depicting local wildlife and fauna.

While we were there we indulged ourselves at The Chocolate Spa for massages with cocoa oil and sugar scrubs. They should make chocolate cologne - it would be a huge hit!

Escaping to the Hershey Hotel and Hershey Park is simply an excellent idea. Every so often you simply have to indulge and you know you owe it to yourself and that best buddy to do just that.

That being the case you will need a superior way to get down there and we have one sweet ride for you to take. So, break out the vacation funds and pack those saddle bags 'cause we're outta here to the sweetest place on the planet - the Hershey Hotel.