We were looking for a getaway by car, since airfare to nearly anywhere this spring break was insane. We knew we wanted to do Philly, but decided to tack on a day in Hershey, where I haven’t been since I was a kid. We had fairly low expectations of the Hershey Lodge, but it far exceeded those expectations and we had a great trip. They offered us a ridiculously low rate for Friday night so we ended up getting in late on Friday and staying till Sunday. The hotel is a well oiled machine, and while it’s kid central, there is plenty to endear it to adults too.
You each get full sized Hershey bars upon checkin in the grand lobby, which immediately sold my daughter on the entire experience. Even at almost 10 pm the lobby bar and some of the restaurants were still going strong. We got a great night’s sleep on the sheets that have Hershey’s kisses embossed on to them, and then ordered room service Saturday morning, which was surprisingly not highway robbery, and came in under 30 minutes. My eggs were perfectly poached and came with delicious sausage and buttered toast. My daughter’s chocolate chip pancakes had chocolate IN and ON the pancakes, along with a generous rasher of bacon. Both of ours came with delicious fudgey mini chocolate muffins (because why not!).
We did Chocolate World on Saturday - again, very low expectations, and it completely exceeded those expectations. We did the deluxe package, which included a fun guided chocolate tasting and an interactive candy themed movie and lots of zany characters. All the actors were so earnest and dedicated to their silly roles, and it was impossible to not love their enthusiasm. The best part, though, was getting to create our own candy bars and packages. This was so fun for all of us. Even the store was fun - there are some candies I haven’t seen anywhere else and lots of fun Hershey themed garb and toys. We had a great few hours.
That was followed by a fantastic lunch at Troegs, which has been on my husband’s wish list to visit for decades. It did not disappoint. It’s an amazing space, and while crowded, we had no trouble grabbing seats and enjoyed a bunch of food off their ample and interesting menu. My daughter’s chicken fingers and fries were on the better end of the spectrum of that kids’ menu staple, but she also enjoyed our meatloaf and chicken sandwiches as well as the tinned anchovies (or sardines? Can’t remember) with homemade bread and herb butter. The rosemary popcorn was a great snack and the Caesar salad had a delicious homemade dressing, not skimping on the anchovy. My husband had two flights and was very satisfied with his pilgrimage come true.
We were so full from lunch we never ate dinner, just had huge ice cream cones and milkshakes at the cafe in the Hershey Lodge lobby after spending many hours at the hotel’s mini water park. We would absolutely return and next time try some of the in-hotel restaurant options. On our way out of town we stopped at Hershey Gardens and spent an hour in the butterfly house imagining we were in more tropical climes. Highly recommend Hershey for a fun family getaway.
