At the end of last summer, I made the half hour journey from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to the land of happiness and cavities. Yes, I speak of none other than Hersheypark, the self-proclaimed sweetest place on earth. Which may be true, as I didn’t know what metric to properly quantify the statement. I do know they outsourced a good chunk of their production to Mexico and there have been numerous allegations of labor abuse to the international students who come to Hershey to work each summer. But I digress, let’s trade that tall taggert of skunked bitter beer for a warm mug of nostalgia.
Turns out, aside from some new roller coasters and rides, not much has changed at the ol’ park. The carousel still greets visitors as they walk in the main entrance, just passed the old timey photo booth. And yup, they still have their infamously overpriced, shitty food. You’d think a food and beverage company would take pride in their food and beverage. But I guess a captive audience is an easy audience to sell to.
Don’t my let my inherent sour nature sway your opinion of the park, I had a great day there. Rode some classic rides like The Trailblazer and Monorail. Bugged out at the top of the ferris wheel. Apparently I have a slight fear of heights, especially ones that are high enough to maim but not high enough to kill. Played some games, shot some hoops and won some tickets in the arcade. Although I was slightly disappointed they no longer had Mad Dog McCree. Saw some animals at ZooAmerica. And then thanks to the Great Bear, I really felt my age. I got off that coaster stumbling and disoriented like a drunk toddler. Luckily, that was at the end of the day. The Great Bear holds the potential to be a true day-wrecker, at least for this wimp.
Knowing we were planning to ride rides, the only camera I brought with me was the one attached to my phone. I didn’t take too many photos, but I wanted to share a few that I liked. Overall, it was definitely worth the trip and I could see myself going back there in the next ten or twenty years.