Hersheypark - June 10, 2023

After seven days at parks I'd never visited before and forty new credits, my wife and I made a one-day stop at the park I've visited most, my beloved Hersheypark. I'd ridden everything there many times, but there was a new kid in town that I was just dying to see.

I'll start with the coasters and rides, and address park quality, crowds, food, lodging, etc afterwards. Embedded photos may not be mine.

• Wildcat's Revenge (2x, middle and back) - Goodness. How long did we all wait for this coaster? I don't even mean the time it took to construct, as that moved pretty fast. People have been clamoring for a Wildcat conversion for years. Wildcat was GCI's first coaster, built in 1996. It had an elegant, modern-looking twister design with a good angled first drop, tons of exciting banked turns, some airtime moments, and great pacing. While it was initially a smooth ride, it quickly became rough, which irreparably soiled its reputation. Regardless, I considered Wildcat to be Hershey's best woodie during its lifespan, and was sad to see it go. That being said, Wildcat's Revenge converted the park's best woodie into perhaps the park's overall best ride. The 140 ft truss lift into a steep drop, the (oft-mocked) "world's largest underflip," incredibly aggressive ejector airtime, fantastic hangtime moments, and relentless pacing bring this ride to the very top of my Hersheypark coaster rankings. The airtime on this ride rivals or even surpasses that of back-row Skyrush. And with a very low height requirement, even little kids can get in on the fun. Grand slam, home run, hole-in-one, an absolute TRIUMPH by Joe Draves, RMC, and Hersheypark.
• Storm Runner (1x, middle) - Before WCR opened, this was my favorite coaster in the park. Intamin's 2004 accelerator coaster features a super punchy launch (72 mph in under 2 seconds), a 150 ft top hat with great ejector air followed by a 180 ft vertical drop, a massive "cobra loop" element, and the otherworldly Flying Snake Dive. The ride ends with two Maverick-esque banked turns providing great laterals and a final airtime hill before the last brake run. The pacing on this ride is truly ridiculous, and the launch is my favorite of any coaster, including Kingda Ka. With that said, it is a pretty short coaster. But it's an amazing enough ride to be worth it.
• Skyrush (1x, back left wing) - Hersheypark's infamous big bright yellow ejector machine still hits hard. In 2012, Intamin was tasked with building an intense hyper coaster in a relatively small footprint. The twisted, winding design of Skyrush was the result. A fast, steep cable lift leads to the first 212 ft drop, including that amazing kink halfway down that rockets you out of your seat. The drop and every subsequent airtime hill feature utterly ridiculous ejector airtime, and the pullouts of each drop exert intense positive Gs. Intamin even managed to work in a Stengel dive into its compact design. Another wild Intamin that's finished in a flash, but the sheer intensity of the ride makes it worth the wait. Some complain about the tight restraints, but I've never had an issue with them. I love the way this coaster towers over the Hollow. The area was once called Comet's Hollow, but Skyrush asserted its dominance in a way that Comet simply could not lay claim to the area anymore.
• Great Bear (1x, front) - We missed out on this coaster when it was closed for opening weekend this year. Thankfully we were able to ride this classic 1998 B&M invert in the front row this time around. Great Bear just celebrated its 25th birthday and it is not at all showing its age. The ride begins with an unusual helix before entering its first drop. The inversions are whippy, but also very smooth and graceful. Some may consider Great Bear to be tame, but I'll trade the intensity of something like Batman for the gorgeous park views that Great Bear affords. This coaster traverses a wide swath of the park and Spring Creek, and comes very close to SuperDooperLooper, Comet, and Skyrush. And of course, that B&M roar is a major contributor to the atmosphere of the Hollow.
• Candymonium (1x, front row) - What kind of park has two hypers? Well, Candymonium and Skyrush could not be more different in how they ride. Whereas Skyrush is fast, aggressive, and forceful, Candymonium is graceful, swoopy, and unbelievably smooth. There is some good airtime over each hill, a fun turnaround, and a nice helix around the front fountain of Chocolatetown. This is the tamest of Hershey's steel coasters, but it is a real B&M beauty. It often sports a long queue due to its proximity to the park's front gate. The candy theming and chocolate brown paintjob and unique, and when it was first introduced in 2020 along with the new Chocolatetown entrance, suggested things to come for Hersheypark.
• Lightning Racer (1x, back row, Thunder side) - Hershey must have been happy enough with Wildcat in 1999 to employ GCI for another massive woodie, this time a dual-tracked racer. Lightning Racer is an overall fun woodie with a banked first drop. The racing element which has been a non-factor for years was finally fixed by the park, and the trains now pretty solidly race each other once more. This is not a particularly forceful design, but there is decent floater airtime and good laterals throughout. This coaster also includes GORGEOUS lighting effects at night, possibly the prettiest in the park. I did notice some extra roughness this time around, but nothing that really hurt the experience. It's a woodie after all.
• Comet (1x, middle) - Once upon a time THE coaster at Hersheypark. A Schmeck-designed 1940s PTC with a beautiful white paintjob and old-school runner lights. It was also my first "big" coaster as a child, so this ride is very near and dear. It starts with a great 78 ft drop that seemed impossibly high when I was little. There is some decent airtime on this coaster, especially towards the rear of the train. Buzz bar restraints are a plus. Hershey takes great care of this ride, so it runs very smoothly. The park added some trim brakes to the coaster in the early 1980s which people still complain about to this day.
• SooperDooperLooper (1x, second row) - Who doesn't love a Schwarzkopf looper? This coaster is approaching 50 years old and still provides a fantastic ride experience for all. There is a good chance that if you're riding SDL that you're sharing the train with a little kid who is going upside-down on a coaster for the first time. (Or a scaredy adult like I was not so long ago.) The coaster starts with a nice lift hill over the creek and turns into a 75ft drop right into the great vertical loop. The loop is taken at a solid speed and exerts some good positive Gs. After the loop, the coaster is more or less a terrain mine train, but there's nothing wrong with that. The ride still runs exceptionally smoothly and almost always has a decent line. We managed to jump on with almost no line at all.
• Wild Mouse (1x) - Rumor has it that Hersheypark is trying to sell this ride off. I'll be sad to see it go, as it has become an indelible part of the park's ride lineup since its construction in 1999. This is the same Wild Mouse layout seen in many parks, but in my opinion, this one has a little bit of an edge to it. The turns seem a little snappier and wilder.
• Fahrenheit (0x) - This is a wonderful Intamin coaster with some great inversions and a surprising pop of airtime towards the end. However, the line is always brutal due to its low-capacity trains, so we skipped it in favor of another shot at Wildcat's Revenge.
• Jolly Rancher Remix (0x) - This is the nicest Vekoma Boomerang I've ever seen in operation with its bright green paint job, colorful theming, and Jolly Rancher scent tunnel. Hershey managed to breathe new life into the drab Sidewinder after thirty years. The line was too long for a Boomerang, though, so we skipped it.
• Trailblazer (0x) - The only Arrow coaster in Hershey's lineup is a 1974 mine train with modern Premier trains. It's a gentle ride that even my mom will go on, but the line is always quite long, probably due to its wide family appeal. It operates in very close proximity to Storm Runner.
• Laff Trakk (0x) - Indoor Maurer spinner with funhouse theming. Not a bad ride, but the line just takes too long for it to be worth riding for me.

Hershey's selection of flats has changed a bit over the years, but they still have some good stuff to offer:

• Aquatheater - Who doesn't love a sea lion show?
• ZOOAMERICA - Though we didn't have time for this during our visit, Hersheypark includes admission to an impressive zoo with park tickets. It's a good way to rest after a meal or to take a break from the rides. The zoo focuses on North American wildlife and has some great exhibits. It tends to get very crowded around lunch time.
• Coal Cracker - My favorite non-coaster ride at Hersheypark, a 1973 Arrow log flume that just celebrated its 50th anniversary. It's weird, janky, seems just a bit unsafe at times, and is great fun! It runs very close to Great Bear.
• Carrousel - While I preferred its old location in Founders Circle, I'm elated that they managed to refurbish the ride's band organ and are using it to provide the music. Pumped-in music simply doesn't have the same effect.
• Monorail - This is a fascinating late 60s monorail that lets you see a good amount of the park as well as ZOOAMERICA. The line can occasionally be a bit long. For a long time, the train buzzed by an old station attached to Hershey Chocolate headquarters, but that station has since been removed and the track layout has been diverted from that path.
• Tilt-A-Whirl - A Hersheypark staple! I love these "revival" old-fashioned Tilt-A-Whirl rides from the 80s. If the weight is distributed just right, you can get a supremely out-of-control spinning ride.
• Ferris Wheel - A standard Ferris Wheel with iconic Hersheypark theming and gorgeous nighttime lighting.
• Scrambler - One of the better Scramblers I've been on. Another ride I would consider a park staple.
• Dry Gulch Railroad - One of the oldest rides in the park with an Old West theme. Unfortunately that theming has dwindled over the years.
• Reese's Cupfusion - Actually I've never been on this as Cupfusion or Xtreme Cup Challenge. The line is always ridiculous and I always find these shooter-style dark rides to be just okay.
• Tidal Force - An oversized shoot-the-chutes ride that, rumor has it, will likely be removed in the next few years as parts have become difficult to obtain. The space would probably be used for water park expansion.

I could talk ad nauseum about how much I adore Hersheypark. My family came here almost every summer for years and stayed at the (now-exorbitantly-priced) Hershey Lodge. The flavor of Hershey chocolate and the atmosphere of Hershey, PA are etched into my psyche and evoke warm, happy feelings inside. That's what a home park really is to me.

Hersheypark gets so much right. The park is always clean and neatly kept. While I would not say the park is "themed" particularly strongly, the overall aesthetic design is very good. Each section of the park does feel distinct despite the lack of clear theming, and it's easy to navigate due to plentiful signs and maps posted throughout.

Hershey does a wonderful job at maintaining their rides, especially older attractions like Comet, SooperDooperLooper, and Trailblazer, which have no business being as smooth and graceful as they are at their age. Their Intamins run rather smooth as well, as does Great Bear - no headbanging on these B&M OTSR!

Hershey is deceptively large. While the plot of land the park rests on isn't humongous, it takes quite some time to walk from the front of the park to the back - roughly a 3/4 mile walk. The park crams quite a lot into the space it has, which is why you get incredible views of overlapping/stacked coasters in the Hollow. I hope Hershey can keep that feeling up as they expand into the newly-acquired land past Candymonium.

This park gets crowded, especially on weekends and for holidays. I would recommend giving yourself two days to experience the park if you've never visited before, just to ensure you can ride everything you want. That being said, the crowds are mostly families, so I always felt the atmosphere here was pretty friendly and gentle.

Hersheypark's hours leave a little to be desired. With such a dense park, I would love to see more 10AM-10PM operating days, like they used to have in the past. Those hours are reserved for Fridays and Saturdays in August. hey even used to have 11 PM closing times in the past. Still, their 2023 hours are more generous than they were in 2022. I'm sure staffing issues are partially to blame. I do like that they still offer their night-before two-hour preview - if you have a ticket, you can get a park "preview" for two hours the night before and it's included in your admission. Passholders and Hershey resort guests get "sweet start" one-hour-early admission which I believe opens the park as far back as the Music Box Theatre.

Right next to the park entrance is Hershey's Chocolate World. I highly recommend visiting Chocolate World, entering a fugue state, and buying copious amounts of candy. It's good for the soul. Also they have pretty good ice cream and milkshakes in the cafe. There's a few paid attractions, of which I wholeheartedly recommend the historical bus tour. There's also of course the free "factory tour" ride, which is a can't-miss.

There is no shortage of hotels in the Hershey and Harrisburg area, but they can often be expensive during the season. There's a motel called the Simmons Motel right on Chocolate Ave that cost $50/night for opening weekend which was an insane deal. This time, we stayed at a nearby Econo Lodge in Harrisburg and it was fine, if a little expensive for what we got. The Hershey-owned resorts like the Hershey Lodge and Hotel Hershey are gorgeous, but holy shit are they expensive. Like, Disney resort expensive. In fact some of the Disney resorts are quite a bit cheaper. But hey, you get shuttle service to and from the park, which is quite nice.

Plenty of decent restaurants in the area too. As New Yorkers, we took advantage of being so close to Waffle House and ate there for two mornings. And there's a great Primanti Bros location on Chocolate Ave right by the park (the parking lot for the restaurant is separated from Great Bear by a single fence). There's also a Fuddruckers!

We left the park that night Hersheypark Happy™, ready to move onto the final stop of our trip.

TL;DR:

• Wildcat's Revenge is AMAZING.
• Hersheypark is one of the most well-put-together parks I've ever visited, with a great lineup of coasters and flats.
• The park gets very crowded, so ideally plan to spend two days there, and try to go on weekdays.
• Hershey being a resort town drives up the prices of nearby lodging, but it's not a completely untenable situation.