Hershey
A town built around a chocolate factory from 1903, whose founder left the entire company to a school for orphaned children.
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Milton Hershey built the factory here in 1903 in dairy country and then built the town around it - housing, schools, a trolley system, a bank - on the argument that workers would produce better if they lived well. In 1909 he and his wife founded a school for orphaned boys, and in 1918, after her death, he quietly transferred essentially his entire personal fortune, the controlling interest in the company, into the trust that funds it; the school still owns the controlling stake today and educates children from low-income families. Hersheypark grew from a picnic ground for employees into a large amusement park with over a dozen coasters. Streetlights on Chocolate Avenue are shaped as wrapped and unwrapped Kisses.
What you actually see
- A company town built from 1903 - housing, schools, transport.
- A school that owns the company - Hershey gave it his controlling stake.
- Hersheypark - grown from an employee picnic ground.
- Kiss-shaped streetlights - alternately wrapped and unwrapped.
When to go
May to September for the park; December for the Christmas programme. A full day.
Honest expectations
The factory itself is not open - the chocolate tour is a simulated ride. Hersheypark is a separate and expensive ticket. Summer weekends are packed. Off season much of the park is closed.
Nearby
Harrisburg is west; Lancaster County is south.
What to pack for Hershey
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.