Hersheypark
Even if you don’t feel like visiting the amusement park, you can still have a lot of fun at Hersheypark. In addition to the Hersheypark Stadium and the Hersheypark Arena, where numerous sporting events and concerts take place, there is also a large souvenir shop, The Chocolatier restaurant and Hershey’s Chocolate World.
Hershey’s Chocolate World
There is a lot to experience at Hershey’s Chocolate World and you can learn a lot about the production of the famous chocolate. The highlight of the exhibition is the Hershey’s Chocolate Tour dark ride, which you can experience for free. At the end of the informative and entertaining ride, there is even a small tasting.
Candymonium
Since 2020, the Candymonium hyper coaster has dominated the entrance area of the theme park, which has been relocated to form a large entrance plaza starting from Hershey’s Chocolate World, where visitors gather in long queues early in the morning.
After entering the park, you can turn directly into the old Main Street or immediately turn right, where the entrance to the B&M Candymonium rollercoaster is located.
After leaving the lift hill behind us, we immediately plunge into the depths. After a rapid descent, we head straight into a classic camelback, which we fly over. Now we smoothly change direction in a horseshoe turn. Two airtime hills are followed by an intense upward helix. In a short left-hand bend, we then descend the next drop, whereupon another airtime hill awaits us. Now we ride once in a helix around a fountain. After a short ascent and a small dip, we reach the brakes of the ride.
Candymonium is one of the best B&M Hyper Coasters I’ve had the pleasure of testing so far. The ride has a great layout with lots of speed and plenty of airtime. As the braking sections only come towards the end of the ride, you fly through the many elements without interruption. A great ride!
Comet
The Comet wooden roller coaster is a real classic at Hersheypark. Since 1946, the 84ft high wooden roller coaster has been captivating riders with its classic out-and-back layout and the slightly out-of-control ride between the Sooper Dooper Looper and the Skyrush roller coaster. The track runs through an L-shaped layout with numerous camelbacks, all of which lift you slightly out of your seat.
Skyrush
At a height of 200 feet, Skyrush dominates the front of the park. The very slender supporting structure does the rest. Most of the ride is very close to the ground, which makes for a very fast ride.
The ride on Skyrush starts with a very fast cable lift. After a few seconds we reach the top of the lift hill and plunge into the depths. In the bottom third of the first descent we take a right turn. We then cross the water basin below us in a large camelback. After a wide left turn we enter another airtime hill. Now we go full throttle through a right turn and a Stengel Dive. After a short left-hander, the track continues into a right-hander and then through a valley. After a nice change of direction, we ride over another airtime hill. Finally we enter a left turn and shortly after the final brake of the coaster.
The Skyrush coaster is just perfect. The ride is high, incredibly fast and mercilessly intense. The bars used are a bit tight, but not as bad as some fans have described. All in all, a great ride.
Sooper Dooper Looper
The Sooper Dooper Looper is the second looping coaster from German manufacturer Schwarzkopf. It opened just one year after the Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
As soon as we take our seats in the new Gerstlauer trains, the ride can begin. After the ride up the lift hill, we immediately enter a left turn and the first descent. This leads us into the vertical loop of the ride. A wide left turn then takes us through the middle of the loop. After a change of direction, the track leads us through a long tunnel, where almost every rider starts to scream. Parallel to Spring Creek, we then ride a little over hill and dale. Finally, a helix awaits us just before the final brake.
The Sooper Dooper Looper is a great coaster with a fantastic name. After the nerve-wracking highlight at the beginning of the ride, we are treated to a very nice but also extremely leisurely ride.
Coal Cracker
Coal Cracker is the large Arrow Hydro Flume here at Hersheypark. The ride not only gets you wet, but also offers a great view of the tangled tracks of the Sooper Dooper Looper and the Great Bear rollercoaster. Unfortunately, the Coal Cracker was not in operation when I visited.
Great Bear
On the same hill as the Sooper Dooper Looper and the Coal Cracker, there is also a large section of the Great Bear rollercoaster track.
The ride on the B&M Inverted Coaster starts directly at the lift hill of the roller coaster. However, instead of starting directly into the big drop, you first enter a helix. The actual first drop then follows in a steep right-hand bend. With plenty of momentum, the ride goes through the first valley and into the roller coaster’s large loop. We then change direction in an equally large Immelmann. Now it’s straight into the Zero-G Roll, which takes us in the direction of Spring Creek. Parallel to the river, the path now leads us into a corkscrew. Interestingly, no supports are allowed to protrude into the creek, which leads to some pretty cool near-miss elements. After a few bends, we reach the braking section of the ride.
The Great Bear is a really cool inverted coaster. The ride is really fun, which is mainly due to the rather unusual layout. The only pity is that the walk from the exit to the entrance is quite strenuous, which unfortunately makes the ride unsuitable for continuous riding.
Twin Turnpike Speedway and Kissing Tower
At the top of the hill, next to the Twin Turnpike Speedway vintage car racing circuit, is the Kissing Tower. The windows of this observation tower are designed to resemble the famous Hershey Kisses.
ZooAmerica
Further down the slope is the entrance to ZooAmerica, which is also included in the entrance fee. Here you can mainly see native animal species. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to visit the zoo during my visit.
Reese’s Cupfusion
Reese’s Cupfusion is one of the most popular attractions at Hersheypark. On this interactive dark ride, you act as an agent and shoot a bunch of evil sweets to protect the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups factory. A fun ride for the whole family.
Cocoa Cruiser
The Cocoa Cruiser is the smallest family roller coaster in Hersheypark. In addition to a sweeping first drop, the ride also offers a helix and another right-hand bend.
Hershey Triple Tower
One of the most interesting attractions in Hersheypark is the Hershey Triple Tower, which is reminiscent of the towers of the neighbouring factory. The conglomerate of three free-fall towers from the manufacturer S&S promises three different experiences, whereby the size of the individual towers is not at the expense of intensity. The smallest of them, the Hershey’s Kisses Tower, is a double shot tower where you are not only shot upwards but also downwards with brutal airtime.
Trailblazer
Unfortunately, the Arrow Mine Train Trailblazer was closed when I visited. Making perfect use of the terrain, the ride promises a fast-paced adventure for the whole family.
Jolly Rancher Remix
The remodelling work on the Vekoma Boomerang was still in full swing when I visited. The ride now has a candy theme and is called Jolly Rancher Remix. The new Zamperla NebulaZ ride Mix’d Flavoured by Jolly Rancher had also not yet opened.
Storm Runner
Ever since I first played Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, I’ve been fascinated by the Storm Runner roller coaster. The accelerator coaster from Intamin has a very imaginative layout and some inversions that have never been seen before. When I signed up to the gaming forums, I named my nickname after this rollercoaster. I even thought about doing a Stormrunn3r meets Storm Runner tour one day. After all these years, I finally made it to Hersheypark and luckily Storm Runner ran smoothly today.
The ride on Storm Runner starts with the entrance to the launch area. After a countdown, we shoot up a top hat and turn 90° to the side. Just above the apex, we immediately go back down vertically. After a powerful descent, we enter the Cobra Loop, after which we change direction – similar to a sidewinder. Following a climb, we enter the Hearline Roll and then the Flying Snake Dive. The combination of these two elements is simply breathtaking. Once back in the valley, the ride takes several bends back to the station. Once at the top, we immediately enter the braking section of the rollercoaster.
What a rollercoaster. The launch, the top hat and the roll with the subsequent flying snake dive – everything is just right on this coaster. Only the ascent back to the station is a little rougher on Storm Runner, but still very pleasant thanks to the soft straps used in the restraint systems. What a great ride!
Frontier Flyers, Pirat and The Claw
Also in this part of the theme park are the Flying Scooters Frontier Flyers, the HUSS swing ride Pirat and the Chance Rides Fireball The Claw, all of which offer a great ride.
Fahrenheit
97 degrees and getting hotter. There are few other roller coasters where the angle of inclination of the first drop matches the temperature as well as the Fahrenheit, assuming you visit the park in high season.
After the vertical lift, we immediately hit the steep drop. We ride through the first valley and then up the Norwegian Loop. At the top of the hill we first turn overhead in a roll and then plunge down half a loop before experiencing the element in reverse order. Back at lofty heights, we plunge into the next drop. Now the ride’s big cobra roll awaits, spinning us through the air like crazy. A short straight then leads us into the rollercoaster’s two corkscrews. After a steep turn we cross an airtime hill into a left turn close to the ground. This leads us into the braking section of the ride.
As an Intamin fan, it is really difficult to choose a favourite roller coaster at Hersheypark, as all of the coasters at the park are definitely among the best of their kind. However, of the three coasters, Fahrenheit is my favourite. What a great ride!
The Boardwalk and Tidal Force
There are some pretty cool water slides at The Boardwalk water park. Unfortunately, the park was not yet open for the season, which also applied to the big water ride Tidal Force. This Shoot the Chute by O.D. Hopkins creates a huge wave. A net designed to break the wave, which is attached above the ride’s runout, floods all passengers with water. Great fun, at least if you ride the ride in swimwear!
Wildcat
The Wildcat roller coaster is the first wooden roller coaster from the manufacturer GCI. The layout of the ride is very winding and has some interesting curves.
The ride on the Wildcat begins with a right-hand bend, after which you enter the ride’s lift. Once at the top, the ride immediately descends steeply in a right-hand bend. After an incline, we ride through a left-hand bend at a lofty height before approaching the ground again in a steep bend. The path now leads us over a camelback. At the next crest, we turn into a steeply descending right-hand bend. After a short climb, we change direction and plunge into the depths once more. A wide bend then takes us over another airtime hill. After another left-hand bend, we take a right-hand bend that leads us first into a valley and then up a hill. Finally, after a short dip, we reach the ride’s final brake.
The Wildcat wooden roller coaster is a really good ride. The layout of GCI’s first ride is excellent and offers some daredevil turns and great airtime moments. Unfortunately, only one train was running on the day of my visit, which, combined with the long ride, led to long waiting times.
Wild Mouse
One of the big family rollercoasters at Hersheypark is the Wild Mouse. Throughout the day, this usually had a waiting time of around 40 minutes. However, as I joined the queue, it started to rain lightly, which is why the ride was closed indefinitely. Although I could have continued to wait here, I decided not to take a ride.
Laff Track
More than at any other park, it is worth starting the day at the back of Hersheypark at The Boardwalk water park, as there are two compact and popular roller coasters here, both of which unfortunately have a rather low capacity. While the waiting time of 40 minutes for Wild Mouse was still reasonably acceptable, the indoor roller coaster Laff Track had us standing around for hours before we could even get to the ride.
As always, it’s worth getting on the SC2000 backwards so that you can experience the first drop backwards before the turning function is activated after a climb and a short curve. The subsequent hairpin bend gets the car rotating like crazy, so that the Immelmann Turn is usually experienced looking up or down. The following section consists mainly of smaller bends and a fun straight with lots of twists and turns before the grand finale down a helix. All in all, a really great roller coaster that offers a superb atmosphere thanks to the many very impressive black light effects.
Whip, Music Express and Ferris Wheel
In addition to the Lightning Racer and Wildcat wooden roller coasters, this area also houses the theme park’s large Ferris wheel and the two flat rides The Whip and Music Express.
Lightning Racer
The Lightning Racer wooden coaster is one of GCI’s most exciting projects. Here two trains duel in a wild race through a very winding track.
The ride on Thunder and Lightning starts with a twisting ride to the two lift hills, which run parallel but not at the same height. Once at the top, both trains go down in a steep turn. The tracks now run largely parallel over a hill and then over a bunny hop. The two tracks then separate and both Thunder and Lightning enter a turn. Both tracks now enter a tunnel next to each other, in which there is another speed bump. After a left hand bend close to the ground, the track leads over another speed bump directly into a right hand bend. The two tracks separate again on the next hill. Thunder now enters a clockwise helix, while Lightning goes counter-clockwise. Both tracks then run over several intertwined hills. As Thunder enters a right-hand turn, Lightning comes up to him again. After another hill, the two lanes run parallel towards the home straight. Shortly after that we reach the braking section of the coaster.
Lightning Racer is a unique double wooden roller coaster. Not only is it one of the few racing coasters available today, it also has a very varied layout that keeps you guessing until the very end. In short, Lightning Racer is a world class roller coaster.
Pictures Hersheypark
Conclusion Hersheypark
I really enjoyed my visit to Hersheypark. The park has a really nice atmosphere and almost all the attractions are really good, including three of intamin’s best roller coasters. There are also three world-class wooden roller coasters and a simply brilliant B&M Hyper and Inverted Coaster. If I’d had a bit more time, I would have liked to stay another day. I will definitely be back.
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