Meet the 2024 Sweet Insiders
Hear from the experts why Hershey, PA, really is The Sweetest Place On Earth
Hershey is a year-round destination in Central Pennsylvania with a premier amusement park, AZA-accredited zoo, world-class resorts, delicious dining, relaxing spa treatments and so much more. While we continue to share destination information across our social media channels and blog, we want you to hear all about The Sweetest Place On Earth from our Sweet Insiders!
Make sure to follow our 2024 participants throughout the year as they experience all we have to offer and share their sweet memories. The 15 bloggers chosen for the 2024 Sweet Insiders program can help with your questions and point you in the right direction for the best Hershey, Pa., experience for the whole family. Stay tuned as they visit and share their experiences this year!
Meet the 2024 Sweet Insiders:
The Columbia Mom - Claire
Claire, the owner and creator of TCM, hails from Maryland and is proud to have two little ones of her own. THE COLUMBIA MOM serves as a vibrant social media and digital advertising hub dedicated to fostering connections between the community and local businesses in Howard County, Md., and beyond. With a focus on boosting exposure and reaching new customers, this platform employs creative marketing strategies to support businesses in expanding their outreach and connecting with fresh audiences, effectively making waves in the local scene.
Conservamom - Elia
Elia is the mom of six behind Conservamom blog, a blog dedicated to helping busy moms conserve their time, money and sanity. She started this blog in 2010 as a way of sharing the adventures a mom of little ones goes on and finding ways to simplify the struggles of motherhood. Over time, it has grown as a medium to help parents find their way through the chaos of parenting. She loves checking out the newest products for kids, family and home to “conserve” what little time and sanity parents have. Elia currently lives in Bucks County, Pa., with her husband, six kids and a plethora of pets. Her family has enjoyed all their visits to Hersheypark these past couple of years, ever since calling Pennsylvania their home. This is her second year in the Sweetest Insider program, and she is so excited to bring you more adventures from The Sweetest Place On Earth. Follow her on all the adventures of raising six active kids - with a bit of Hispanic Flair, laughs, love and fun!
HersheyFoodie - Nick
Nick is a Hershey local and the creator of HersheyFoodie. For the past few years, he has been using the Instagram blog to showcase all of the best things to experience and eat in the area. He can frequently be found at The Chocolatier. Before moving to the area, Nick was a lifelong visitor to Hersheypark - and is even the grandson of a Milton Hershey School alumnus!
Jaqueline Spadoni
Jaqueline is a lifestyle content creator covering travel, fashion, easy recipes, beauty tips and daily life with kids. She is a wife and mom to two boys and loves to share about their everyday life, their family adventures, the experiences they have in day-to-day life, local entertainment, kid-friendly recipes, affordable mom style, their backyard chickens and everything that inspires her.
Jaqueline was born and raised in Brazil and moved to the U.S. when she was a teenager. In 2022, she moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania and now lives in Elizabethtown (E-Town). She has been to Hershey many times with her family this past year, where they made many sweet memories, and she can’t wait to make much more and share all their experiences.
Jill Urglavitch
Jill (@jurglavitch) is a stay-at-home mom with a unique background that blends family, education and a deep connection to her hometown of Hershey, Pa. Growing up in the town known as The Sweetest Place On Earth, Jill's early experiences working at Hersheypark and The Hotel Hershey have given her a strong tie to the Hershey community and the importance of creating joyful experiences, which now permeate her approach to family life and beyond.
After earning her master's in music education and spending several years in the classroom as an elementary music teacher, Jill now pours her energy into raising her "4 C's": Chase, Chloe, Crew and Chip with her husband, Matt. They are committed to creating a nurturing and joyful environment for their family, underpinned by the values of patience, creativity and education that Jill honed in her professional life.
Leveraging her social media platforms, Jill has become a resource and inspiration for other parents. She uses her reach to share everything from her family's travel destinations and product recommendations to the everyday realities of raising four children. Jill is passionate about fostering a supportive online community where she can share valuable experiences and insights with other families. Her candid posts about life with the "4 C's" offer a mix of practical advice, encouragement and a real look at the joys and challenges of parenting, making her a relatable figure for many parents navigating similar journeys.
Krystal Palace - Krystal
Krystal is a travel and lifestyle vlogger whose love for adventure began at a young age. From her childhood trips to Hersheypark with her family, her fascination with theme parks (and her desire for adrenaline) has only grown. You might also catch her over on her YouTube channel, The Krystal Palace, where she shares unique experiences and her love for theme parks (and donuts!). Being a native New Yorker, she is passionate about visiting and sharing the gems the Northeast has to offer. Krystal’s goal is to create an escape for those looking to dive into the world of adventure. She loves visiting Hersheypark for the coasters, food and all-around fun! Krystal always makes sure to stop in Hershey’s Chocolate World for a ride on Hershey's Chocolate Tour and grab KIT KAT Bars to go at the end of the day!
Life with Tanay - Tanay
Tanay Howard is an NYC-based influencer who has successfully carved out a niche for herself in the realms of parenting, travel and entertainment. As a proud mother of three, Tanay offers a relatable and authentic glimpse into motherhood, sharing her experiences and insights with her followers. She is also an avid traveler, often sharing her family's adventures and travel tips with her online community via social media and her blog, Life with Tanay. Tanay is not just an influencer but also a respected writer. Her words have graced the pages of notable platforms such as Parents.com, ScaryMommy, SheKnows and Mom.Com, where she shares her wisdom and experiences on parenting, travel and family life.
Maryland Fun Family - Leah
Meet Leah with Maryland Fun Family (Mdfunfam). Leah is a busy mom of three who is always on the go. Although Leah and her family are active in travel sports, she loves planning activities in between games and always makes time for fun and adventure. Leah showcases fun and unique things to do and places to stay in and around Md., Pa., Va., W.Va. and Del. Leah and her family enjoy visiting Hershey, Pa., year-round. Whether it's catching a Hershey Bears game, camping at Hersheypark camping resort, enjoying a spa day at The Hotel Hershey or riding all the roller coasters at Hersheypark, Leah loves all Hershey, Pa., has to offer.
NYC City Dads Group - Lance
Lance lives with his wife and two children in New York City. When he's not on a family adventure, Lance is co-organizing and meeting up with City Dads Group - one of the largest IRL dad groups in the nation - across the NY Metro area at playgrounds, parent & me classes, museums and for dad's nights out. Additionally, Lance frequently contributes to the conversation about modern fatherhood, work-life balance, shifting gender roles and brands marketing to dads. He has appeared on local and national television and has been quoted by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Time Out Kids and GQ.
Queen of the Beehive - Krystle
Krystle is the content creator/blogger behind Queen of the Beehive. The lifestyle blog was started in 2017 to help cope with stay-at-home motherhood with two under two. Over time, it has evolved with their lives and become so much more. Her goal is to always be transparent in her triumphs and struggles as a woman, wife, mother and business owner. She spends her time with her husband and two kids. They live outside of Baltimore, Md. They love to be outside, whether hiking or on the beach, cozying up for movie nights together and exploring the world both near and far.
Sand and Snow - Karyn
When Karyn is not traveling (she's a self-professed queen of road-tripping!), she's at home writing about her adventures on her blog, where she's the lead writer and photographer. While her home base is near Pittsburgh, Pa., she's happiest living out of a suitcase and falls in love with every new city she visits with her husband and teen daughter. At the end of a long day, she's happy to sit in front of the television with a bowl of ice cream (her favorite food) and binge-watch the latest Netflix shows.
Sarah Jayne Explores - Sarah
Sarah is a wife, mama and blogger committed to providing a glimpse of life through the lens of her multiracial and bilingual family. She lives in Southern Pennsylvania with her husband and two young girls. She features family travel content on her social channels and blog, with the goal of normalizing that it is absolutely possible to travel with small kids; it just requires the proper preparation. Sarah's family loves to visit Hershey regularly - it holds a special place in their hearts since her oldest daughter was born at Hershey Hospital - The Sweetest Place On Earth!
The Scanlan Story - Brittany
Brittany is a lifestyle content creator, born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. You can find her at @TheScanlanStory on Instagram, where she shares everything from relatable motherhood, local Pa. fun, lifestyle content, travel beyond the ‘burbs and everything in between. As a long-time lover of all things Hershey, she is SO excited to be a part of the Sweet Insiders crew and share all about the many things Hershey has to offer!
Simple Life of Sunshine - Dana
Dana is the creative force behind Simple Life of Sunshine on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. She is a dedicated wife and mom of five from Maryland. As a content creator, Dana is on a mission to spread sunshine and positivity through captivating storytelling and vibrant imagery. From exploring the world’s hidden gems to whipping up delicious recipes in the kitchen, Dana shares the beauty of simple living with a zest for life. Through her content, Dana hopes to inspire others to create cherished memories with the people they love and embrace the world around them.
Where the Wild Kids Wander - Lauren
Lauren, a native of the Philadelphia area, has been visiting Hersheypark since childhood and now loves to share the fun and excitement of The Sweetest Place On Earth with her husband and two children. When not riding roller coasters, Lauren and her family explore and hike through the United States, visiting major cities, small towns and everywhere in between. She shares tips and information about all of their adventures on her website, Where the Wild Kids Wander, and social media accounts. There, you can learn more about family-friendly hiking trails and fun places to travel. Lauren is so excited to be selected as one of the Sweet Insiders and can't wait to experience and share everything Hersheypark and Hershey, Pa., offers.