If The Nutcracker‘s sugar plum fairies were planning a holiday road trip, chocolate-covered Hershey, Penn., would be at the top of their list. The vision of chocolate mogul Milton S. Hershey, this picturesque town in the rolling Pennsylvania countryside is heaven for chocoholics and, done up in its Christmas finery, the perfect way to shift your holiday spirit into overdrive.
Just how much Christmas fun is waiting in Hershey? Start with these 10 ways to get your ho-ho-ho going when you visit the self-proclaimed “Sweetest Place on Earth.”
1. Light up your life
For kids of all ages, a visit to Hersheypark is always a fun idea, with its thrill rides, 11 roller coasters and live entertainment. But when the holidays roll around, Hersheypark really shines. Blame the 2 million-plus lights that turn the theme park into a mega-watt winter wonderland called Christmas Candylane, a 2.3-mile drive open from mid-November through the end of the year. There’s even a customized radio soundtrack to keep the beat while you ooh and aah over 600 themed light displays. Sweet!
2. The Dickens you say!
Everybody knows that A Christmas Carol is the definitive holiday tale. But come to the Hotel Hershey on Dec. 11-12, and you’ll hear a version of the iconic story straight from the Dickens’ mouth – Gerald Charles Dickens, to be exact. The great-great-grandson of the renowned author gives his interpretation of the story at an afternoon tea or dinner in the hotel’s Circular Dining Room.
3. A little Santa with your eggs
Spend a weekend at the grand dame Hotel Hershey from Nov. 25 to Dec. 17 and get lunch or breakfast with Santa as part of the package. Opened in 1933, the hotel harks back to a gentler age, with eclectic touches like its fabulous Havana-style Iberia lounge – inspired by Hershey’s sugar factory in 1920s Cuba. Holiday packages are also available at the equally comfy but smaller Hershey Lodge or you can rent a four-bedroom cottage and bring Grandma, too.
4. It’s showtime!
Seven shows and entertainment options are planned this holiday. The national tour of A Christmas Story, The Musical! kicked off earlier this month. Other shows on the Hersheypark schedule include A Rockin’ Music Box Christmas; performances by Straight No Chaser, Celtic Thunder and Jim Brickman; and George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. Guests also can combine dinner and a show at the Hershey Lodge for the Holiday Dinner Musical, an interactive noël-themed extravaganza that will have you caroling in the aisles.
5. It’s a chocolate world after all
To fine-tune your chocoholic ways, visit Hershey’s Chocolate World, a place to learn about the process of making chocolate and see a 3-D movie featuring (who else) Hershey’s product characters (cue the high-kicking Kisses). There’s no additional admission to enter (or shop), but you can add on various activities to Hersheypark passes, including a really neat chocolate tasting. Seasonal classes are titled “Let It Snow Chocolate,” “Make a Very Merry Bar” and “Candy Cane Bark.” Kids can create their own chocolate dough ornament.
6. Shopping German style
German Christmas markets are famous for their mix of hand-crafted gift items, wintry setting and German-style food and drink. Get the experience on this side of the Atlantic at the Christkindlmarkt Holiday Market & Festival on Dec. 3-4.
7. Get chocolate all over
In need of pampering? At The Spa at the Hotel Hershey, you can get your nails painted mocha, get a chocolate bean polish and a fondue wrap. Or try a mojito sugar scrub, just one of the Cuban experience treatments that speak to Milton Hershey’s love of Cuba, once home to his sugar plantations and mills.
8. Take a walk
The 23-acre Hershey Gardens are done up in holiday frippery, including floral “kissing balls” under many of the garden archways. A Dec. 10 family day includes seasonal crafts, a yule log and carolers from A Rockin’ Music Box Christmas.
9. It’s a wonderful life
Throughout the season, the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum runs the classic holiday movie It’s a Wonderful Life at its indoor drive-in theater. You can also see Ernie’s taxi from the film, along with trees decorated for the period, pedal cars, vintage dolls and model train displays, including a Polar Express model train village.
10. Go wild
If you like to walk on the wild side, don’t miss a visit to ZooAmerica, an inviting little zoo at the rear of the park. What began in 1916 as the Hershey Zoo with Hershey’s private animal collection, has evolved to include more than 200 animals from five regions of North America. While Hersheypark is open from May through December, the zoo is open year-round, with its own admission and an off-street entrance on Park Avenue.
For more info, visit ChristmasInHershey.com or call 800-HERSHEY (800-437-7439).
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Beth D’Addono is a food and travel writer based in Belmont Hills, Penn. Read more at unchainedtravel.com or follow her @bethdaddono.
