5 Hersheypark Rides With Significant Anniversaries in 2021
2021 marks significant anniversaries for some of the most iconic mild to wild rides at Hersheypark. We're rounding up the five rides and coasters celebrating anniversaries in The Sweetest Place On Earth this year.
Skyview 55th Anniversary on April 24
Skyview, a gondola ride at Hersheypark, turned 55 in April 2021. The ride, which takes guests of Kisses height category (36"-42") and above on an aerial round-trip journey through The Hollow region and over Spring Creek, opened on April 24, 1966.
Skyview is open for all four operating seasons at Hersheypark, weather permitting. It is a guest favorite ride during Hersheypark Christmas Candylane to watch the NOEL light show featuring more than 250,000 dancing lights synchronized to holiday music. The lights glisten off Spring Creek making for a beautiful view.
Dry Gulch Railroad 60th Anniversary on April 27
Dry Gulch Railroad was the first major ride added to Hersheypark in more than a decade when it opened on April 27, 1961. The ride is a miniature reproduction of a 19th-century, steam-powered railway, operated by real steam engine engineers! It takes guests on a journey through the Pioneer Frontier region of the Park.
Dry Gulch Railroad is open for all four seasons at Hersheypark, weather permitting. Like Skyview, it provides guests with a spectacular view of the lights during Christmas Candylane. Guests of all Hershey's height categories can enjoy the ride (with Hershey's, Kisses, and Reese's requiring a supervising companion).
Sidewinder 30th Anniversary on May 11
Sidewinder presented by Penn State Health opened to the public on May 11, 1991, in the Pioneer Frontier region of Hersheypark. The steel, boomerang coaster gets its name from the North American Sidewinder Rattlesnake due to its movement in a sidewise looping motion with only two points touching the ground at any one time.
For 30 years, Sidewinder has delighted thrill-seekers looking to spend more time upside down. The coaster has a total of three loops each way, which means a single ride involves being turned upside down six times.
Sidewinder is open for all four seasons at Hersheypark, weather permitting. It has a Reese's height requirement (42" and above).
Wildcat 25th Anniversary on May 25
Wildcat is a wooden roller coaster named after the 1920's coaster of the same name. The original Wild Cat was the first roller coaster at Hersheypark, which operated from 1923-1945. The current Wildcat opened on May 25, 1996, and pays tribute to the original.
The classic wooden coaster that sends riders barreling over hills, bumps and turns at speeds of 45 miles per hour. Riders 48" and taller (Hershey's height category) will fly through the air and catch a bird's eye view of the Midway America region along the way.
Wildcat joins Sidewinder as one of six coasters available for all four seasons at Hersheypark, weather permitting.
Comet 75th Anniversary Memorial Day Weekend
Comet, the oldest coaster at Hersheypark, marks its 75th anniversary in May 2021. The classic wooden coaster opened Memorial Day Weekend in 1946 and was the last coaster added to the park by founder Milton S. Hershey.
Comet is best known for several airtime-producing bunny hills and its long reign inside Hersheypark. The coaster climbs 96 feet and reaches a top speed of 50 miles per hour during its 3,360-foot ride.
The coaster is open for Springtime In The Park, summer and Hersheypark In The Dark, weather permitting, for guests of Reese's height category (42"-48") and above. If you are planning a visit to Hersheypark this year, check out 7 ways you can celebrate Comet.
We hope to see you this year for a ride on these iconic attractions!
Guests can save on Hersheypark tickets valid any day, any season through January 2, 2022, by purchasing online. Summer tickets include three parks in one with a wide range of family-friendly and thrill attractions; The Boardwalk At Hersheypark water park (open May 29-September 6) with one million gallons of water; and ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park with dozens of animals from five regions of North America.