Took shuttle from Hershey Lodge to Hersheypark.
The delightful smell of chocolate is everywhere in Hershey, Pennsylvania! To make it even better, it seems like just about every place in Hershey gives away free chocolate samples. Yummy! However, it gets better still. Hersheypark was a delightful surprise. The park appears to be well-run and clean, with lots of fun things to do, and a friendly staff. It is quite easy to spend a full day at Hersheypark, and I could see where even more time would be beneficial.
For the parks I have thus far managed to visit, I'd rank Hersheypark as the second best park. First, of course, goes to Cedar Point. Hershey really isn't that far behind. Their park is a little bit more cramped than Cedar Point, and, while it has excellent rides, they aren't quite as thrilling as Cedar Point's. Also, being a very hilly park, this one is tough to traverse -- it provides a heck of a good workout! Due to size limitations, they can't do too much about the tight midways. However, they could add some transport systems to help with the difficult terrain, and they still have some space for adding more world-class rides. It really is an excellent park, and is well worth the visit. Also, when staying at a Hershey resort, the shuttles to and from the park are very convenient, allowing the car to stay parked!
In addition to the coasters, Hershey has a fun water ride called Canyon River Rapids. Beware, however. This ride doesn't play fair. There are three waterfalls that are completely unavoidable! As a result, you will get wet on this ride!
Besides the amusement park, there are lots of other fun things to do in Hershey. Hershey's Chocolate World, located right next to the park, is well worth the time. In addition to showing how the chocolate is made, they give free samples! The Hershey Town Tour was also very interesting and amusing. The bus stopped periodically for little "skits", and various food samples were provided along the way.
There was one oddity that I noticed. At most amusement parks,
the average guest is generally a bit on the thin side. Hershey, however,
seems to be the Shrine of the Overweight -- it looked to me like the typical
Hershey guest was at least 20 pounds overweight. Being a former weight
guesser, I should know!
| Streaking across the heavens, here comes The Comet!
The Comet is an old wooden roller coaster that's lots of fun. The ride seems to last a long time as it zips through what is considered a "T-shaped" layout. From ground level, I thought it actually looked a bit more like a "Y". Of course, the answer to this Y is simple -- because it's lots of fun! For the height and first drop statistics, I've got four resources that give four different statistics. Well, I picked one set. Is it right? Only the coaster knows for sure! Comet: Wooden coaster built in 1946. Designed by Herb Schmeck. Built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. Height: 84 feet. Drop: 80 feet. Track length: 2950 feet. Speed: 50 MPH. Ride length: 1 minute 45 seconds. |
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Whooper, hooper, on the Sooperdooperlooper. I have no idea what
that means, but that's never stopped me from typing something before.
Sooperdooperlooper is a single-looping coaster, which would seem to indicate that the name is somewhat overstated. Making the ride more interesting is the fact that it is intertwined with the Great Bear roller coaster. Of course, that same feature makes the ride tougher to photograph! For a steel coaster, it's a short ride, but it is still quite fun, and definitely worth a spin. Sooperdooperlooper: Steel looping coaster built in 1977. Designed by Anton Schwarzkopf. Height: 70 feet. Drop: 67 feet. Track length: 2615 feet. Speed: 45 MPH. Ride length: 1 minute 45 seconds. |
| Gather 'round, my children, while I tell you of the spirit of the Great
Bear as seen in the night sky. Well, OK, I don't know any such story,
but pretend you just read a very inspiring and mystical story.
Great Bear is a fun inverted coaster. It isn't the best inverted coaster that I've experienced, but it is enjoyable, and has some great visual effects as it intertwines with Sooperdooperlooper. Look down, and you'll see the stars four times as the coaster flips you upside down. Great Bear: Steel inverted looping coaster built in 1998.
Designed by Bollinger and Mabillard. Height: 124 feet (90 foot
lift). Drop: 124 feet. Track length: 2800 feet.
Speed: 61 MPH. Ride length: 2 minutes 15 seconds.
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Better check yer boots, pardner. They's Sidewinders in these
here parts!
Sidewinder is a standard boomerang coaster, like the Mind Eraser at Six Flags Ohio. The ride pulls the train backwards out of the station, then it dives through the station, flips into the first twist, then flips back, then spins through a loop, then gets pulled forward up the second lift. From here, it dives backwards into the loop, then flips backwards into the second twist, then back flips backwards through the first twist, and backs into the station. Whoa, I got dizzy just typing all that. When all is said and done, the ride flips upside down six times -- three times forwards, and three times backwards. Sidewinder: Steel looping shuttle coaster built in 1991. Designed by Vekoma. Height: 105 feet. Track length: 875 feet. Speed: 47 MPH. Ride length: 1 minute 45 seconds. |
| We got past the snakes, now it's time to blaze a new trail through
the woods.
When I first thought of Hersheypark, Trailblazer is the type of ride I expected. It's just a small mine train coaster winding through the woods. It isn't particularly exciting, but it is a nice, peaceful ride that the whole family can enjoy. As it turns out, Trailblazer is the ONLY coaster at Hersheypark that met my expectations -- all the others were better than I anticipated! Trailblazer: Steel mine train coaster built in 1974. Designed by Arrow Development. Height: 25 feet. Track length: 1874 feet. Ride length: 1 minute 15 seconds. |
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Finally, a Wild Mouse that isn't timid!
Without a doubt, this Wild Mouse is the best modern-day Wild Mouse coaster that I have experienced. Many of the parks slow the cars down after every corner. This one just kept whipping along, the way a Wild Mouse should! For most of the trip, I was a Single Rider. However, my parents decided to join me at Hersheypark. Throughout this ride, my dad repeatedly hollered, "There are no rails!" Apparently, railings give him an extra sense of security that he failed to find on this ride! Even without rails, this ride's a lot of fun. I found their operating method to be quite interesting. The cars keep moving through the station, and riders load and unload from the moving vehicle. For riders that need extra assistance, the park can stop the cars for loading and unloading, as needed. This operation was an extra benefit that really helped to keep the line moving. Wild Mouse: Steel coaster built in 1999. Designed by Mack. Height: 50 feet. Drop: 25 feet. Track length: 1214 feet. Speed: 28 MPH. Ride length: 1 minute 58 seconds. |
| Where there is a Wild Mouse, clearly there must be a Wildcat to chase
it! And this Wildcat has some mighty powerful teeth!
The Wildcat is a very exciting wooden roller coaster. It twists and turns around tight corners while bobbing up and down, making for a remarkable ride. If this coaster were the only ride at Hersheypark, it would be worth the trip! The Wildcat is my choice for the best wooden coaster on this trip. Actually, I can go farther than that. The Wildcat is tied with Knott's Berry Farms' GhostRider as my favorite wooden roller coaster, and they would be tied for my fourth favorite coasters overall. Considering that I rode on 121 coasters in 2000, that ranking should show The Wildcat is one great coaster! (That ranking also shows that bigger doesn't always mean better!) The Wildcat: Wooden coaster built in 1996. Designed by Mike Boodley and Clair Hain. Built by Great Coasters International. Height: 90 feet. Drop: 85 feet. Track length: 3100 feet. Speed: 45 MPH. Ride length: 1 minute 15 seconds. |
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Racers to your marks.... Begin the countdown....
5.... 4.... 3.... 2.... 1.... The Race Is On! There's a flash of
Lightning. Now the roar of Thunder takes the lead. Red... Green...
Who will win?
Apparently, Hersheypark knows what they're doing when it comes to wooden coasters. Lighting Racer is another fabulous ride. Not only are the two tracks racing, but, at various points throughout the ride, they are heading directly for each other, adding a visual thrill to the excitement of a fast-paced twisting coaster. Although the rides on each track are similar, I have a bit of a preference for the Thunder side. (That's the side with the green trains.) Lightning was fun, but Thunder just seemed to hit the top speeds at more thrilling locations, giving a bit wilder an experience. Lightning Racer: Wooden dueling/racing coaster built in 2000. Designed by Mike Boodley and Clair Hain. Built by Great Coasters International. Height: 92 feet. Drop: 90 feet. Track length: 3400 feet (per track). Speed: 51 MPH. Ride length: 2 minutes 20 seconds. |
Hersheypark was the only place where I spent two nights at the same hotel. Due to taking shuttles from the Hershey Lodge, zero mileage was recorded for the day. So, the total trip mileage remains at 743.2 miles.