Hersheypark provided complimentary admission for me and my family for Hersheypark Media Day. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
If you’ve followed along with any of my family travel adventures, you’ll know that we went to Hersheypark last year more times than I can count.
(Okay, I can actually count: once for Media Day over Memorial Day weekend, once for a summer visit, once for Hersheypark in the Dark, and once for Christmas Candylane. I love that Hersheypark is a four season park!)
It might make you stop and ask why we keep going back to Hersheypark. In fact, we frequently get asked the same question about Disney. The reason is the same. There’s always something new to discover.
Whether it’s something that’s brand-new to Hersheypark or something we haven’t experienced that’s brand-new to us, we always find something new to discover. And we create family memories along the way.
Now it’s time to share some of those things with you.
What’s New at Hersheypark
1. Hershey’s Triple Tower
In my opinion, Hersheypark has some of the best thrill rides out there. If you love coasters, this is hands-down, the best place for coasters (for all types of coaster enthusiasts). And now, they’re upping the game with their new thrill ride, Hershey’s Triple Tower.
If you’ve been to Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios and experienced the Tower of Terror, you’ll have some idea of what to expect. It’s a zero-gravity type ride that has you literally flying out of your seat all while cradled in the safety of a full seat restraint.
Three towers of varying heights loom over the park horizon, almost as soon as you enter and stand close to the ZooAmerica entrance on your way up to the Kissing Tower.
Upon arriving at the ride, you’ll find three separate lines – one for each tower.
Hershey’s Kisses Tower
The smallest tower stands at “only” 80 feet high and pales in comparison to the height of the other two. If you’re at all apprehensive, this is where you start. You’ll experience two cycles of positive and negative G forces on this rather short but exhilarating ride.
Reese’s Tower
Right next door is the Reese’s Tower. You’ll experience something similar to the Hershey’s Kisses Tower but this time at a height of 131 feet.
Hershey’s Tower
If you need no warming up, head right for the Hershey’s Tower which stands at 189 feet and features two gravity-defying experiences, SPACE SHOT & TURBO DROP, which rockets riders to the top before blasting back to the bottom at 45 miles per hour.
Want to see that one? You’ll have to watch it in action!
2. BBLz
If you ever find yourself at a theme park wondering how you can cram more fun, more excitement, and more sugar and caffeine into your day, I’ve found the answer.
BBLz is a soft drink feature opening in early summer for the first-of-its-kind Pepsi experience. It’s touted as “soft drink mixology” and I had a chance to give it a test drive with two of its planned taste experiences.
This is the one I opted to try. I’m not sure if it had a name but here’s what I recall of the ingredients:
Blueberry tapioca bubbles, Mountain Dew, watermelon syrup, lime foam, served in a bubble cup (that’s fun to keep) and topped with green frosting and candy crumbles with a straw wrapped in sweet rope candy.
Yes, it was SWEET and a refreshing and kept me going for HOURS! Evan tried the same drink and gave it his strong endorsement by saying it was “very good.”
My husband opted for the more chocolate-y version that included Pepsi, vanilla ice cream foam, topped with frosting and drizzled with a chocolate and caramel syrup.
They plan to offer somewhere between 7 and 9 flavors and, yes, you can have it made with diet soda (I asked). When it’s available, you’ll find the BBLz stand directly across from Hershey’s Triple Towers.
3. Chick-fil-A
If you’re from the area, Chick-fil-A doesn’t seem like that big of a deal but it IS when it’s inside the park. The chicken we know and love is a welcome addition for those seeking a familiar and delicious taste for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
4. New to Us at Hersheypark
There’s still so much we haven’t experienced at Hersheypark. For example, we’ve never spent any time at the Boardwalk, the water park. Although it’s open, we weren’t up for a water day this weekend.
But we did discover new, healthy eats, like this quinoa and rice noodle bowl filled with tofu and veggies (it’s a nice change from fried food) available at the Overlook Food Court by the Kissing Tower.
Since we had some healthy eating, we saved room for some sweets, like the chocolate-covered brownies and peanut butter pie (ZOMG).
Evan tapped into my sense of nostalgia when he asked for a caricature. So we stopped and he was thrilled with the result. And I was impressed with the high school grad who did the drawing. He’s heading off to Temple University as an art student in the fall!
But the biggest thrill was simply making more family memories. See? I even got my husband to pose for a goofy photo in the Kissing Tower.
Hersheypark is now open 7 days a week for their summer season until September 4th. After that date, they’ll remain open on weekends through September 24th when they’ll close to prepare for the fall.