Road Trip: Visiting Hershey for Christmas

If you are ever looking for something to do at the end of the year, Hershey, Pennsylvania is a good destination. We picked a Sunday to visit and this definitely added to our enjoyment. I am told it is best to avoid Fridays and Saturdays as all the attractions are very crowded on these days. Our base for operations was the wonderful Hotel Hershey.

Our stay at the four star rated Hotel Hershey was like stepping back in time. The 1930's era hotel was fantastically decorated for the holidays. All the staff that we encountered were pleasant and I felt like Santa Claus when we returned to our room to find cookies and milk waiting for us. Oh, and getting a Hershey bar at check-in and Hershey Kisses at bed turn-down was a plus!

Hersheypark Christmas Candylane was our first stop in the afternoon. Unfortunately, this was a bit of a letdown. You really don't want to visit until the sun goes down. Finding things to do in the park can be tough. There are only kiddie-rides running and about half of the park is closed. You may enjoy it more if you have little kids. The Music Box Christmas Show was nice as was the monorail ride and Kissing Tower (Yes, I got a kiss from Peg at the top). The park did become slightly more enjoyable once the sun went down and all the Christmas lights came on. Oh, try the hot cider smoothie. Yum!

Do you want to make Bubba happy? Combine lights and driving! We absolutely loved Hershey Sweet Lights. Driving this two mile loop through more than 600 illuminated displays is how I like to spend my holidays. The crowd on Sunday was minimal so we could drive at our own pace and enjoy everything. The Holospec snowflake glasses instantly turned Peg into a little kid. With a little Christmas music from a local radio station, I was grinning from ear-to-ear.

If you are doing Hershey for Christmas, do yourself a favor and don't go on a Friday or Saturday. Your time will be more relaxed and enjoyable.