HOW TO EASILY TRAVEL TO HERSHEY PARK FROM NYC WITHOUT A CAR
This post originally appeared on brooklynactivemama.com
Being Brooklyn born and raised, I simply don’t drive. I love to see the shock on people’s faces when I tell them this but really, we have never needed to drive. My husband has his driver’s license so all is not lost on my household but we don’t drive regularly. This kind of living has it’s pros and cons. The pros include not having to fight for street parking, costs etc and the cons include not being able to get to hard to reach places very easily.
Before I was invited to Hershey, Pennsylvania for the Sweet Welcome weekend for content creators, I honestly had NO idea how to get there. This past weekend I was not only able to get there with little trouble but I feel confident I can do the same with my family in tow.
The first step:
Purchase a AMTRAK train ride from NYC Penn Station to Harrisburg, PA.
I am a huge fan of Amtrak, I’ve never had a bad experience. I have taken it all over to many different destinations including Washington DC, Philadelphia and Rhode Island. Hershey is actually located between two stations, Elizabethtown and Harrisburg. I chose Harrisburg because that was the station that kept coming up in my research.
The ride to Harrisburg was a little over 3 hours long. I was able to get a lot of work done on the quiet car and there was also food options on the train. I took the 11am train and I arrived to the Harrisburg station that was insanely beautiful.
Hershey Shuttle
You can arrange to have a shuttle van picked you (and your family) up for a fee and take you to your hotel of choice whether its the Hotel Hershey or the Hershey Lodge, where I stayed. It was a 15 minute ride to the Lodge, and my driver was extremely friendly. The van was definitely big enough to hold my family of five when we come in the future. The shuttle is available for a set fee each way.
Once you see how amazing the lodge is, you may never want to leave but there is also shuttle service for when you are ready to head to the theme park.
Transportation is available to and from Hersheypark from Hershey Lodge. Service starts one hour before Hersheypark opens and stops one hour after Hersheypark closes. The shuttle runs every 30-40 minutes, depending on area traffic.
See the town by Trolley
If you don’t have a vehicle with you on your trip a fantastic way to learn about Hershey, PA is on the Trolley Tour. You get a fantastic overview of the super interesting and touching story of Milton Hershey while cruising in the town and taking in the sights. Not to mention you also get complimentary chocolate during the ride! Yum!
Getting around Hershey PA without a car
There is a Chocolate Ave shuttle that goes between Chocolate World and The Hershey Story (a fun and interactive museum where you can do a pretty awesome chocolate tasting!) if you wanted to check out some of the non park activities such as the Hershey Gardens. Plus there is also plenty of food and drink on Chocolate Ave too!
I am so excited that I was able to explore Hershey without a car, and that it is much easier for my family to travel here than expected! If you don’t want to drive, you can certainly plan accordingly and have a fantastic time.