Vote for Hersheypark in Four USA TODAY 10Best Theme Park Categories

Hersheypark amusement park in Hershey, Pa., has been nominated for four theme park categories in the USA TODAY 10Best Reader's Choice Awards. It's up to you, our biggest fans, to help us claim the coveted titles of Best Theme Park, Best Roller Coaster with Skyrush, Best Theme Park Restaurant with The Chocolatier Restaurant, Bar + Patio, and Best Theme Park Hotel with The Hotel Hershey. Learn more and vote for us below!

Best Theme Park

The amusement park of every chocolate lover's dreams, Hersheypark features 121 acres with more than 70 rides, a water park open from Memorial Day through Labor Day and an 11-acre North American Wildlife Park – all accessible via a single admission. When the new Wildcat's Revenge hybrid coaster opens this summer, Hersheypark will have the most coasters in the Northeast, with 15 total. 

USA TODAY 10Best asked a panel of amusement park and family travel experts to nominate their 20 favorite theme parks out of more than 400  amusement parks and attractions on the continent. The contest gives voters four weeks to vote for the candidate of their choice through Monday, April 24, at noon ET. The 10 winning parks, determined by your vote, will be announced on Friday, May 5.

Best Roller Coaster

A ride on Skyrush at Hersheypark takes just a little more than a minute but packs a lot of thrills into those precious seconds. The big yellow steel coaster starts with a 200-foot hill climb before a 75-mph descent into a series of four high-speed turns and five zero-G airtime hills. Skyrush is considered one of the most intense rides in the park, especially for riders who sit on the "wings" of the coaster cars that dangle them in the air far from the coaster track.

While theme park rides come in all shapes and sizes these days, nothing beats the adrenaline rush of a well-designed roller coaster. A panel of amusement park experts chose 20 coasters as the best in the U.S., and we need you to crown Skyrush as the winner by voting daily until Monday, April 24, at noon ET. The 10 winning roller coasters will be announced on 10Best.com on Friday, May 5. 

Best Theme Park Restaurant

Here's the sweet secret about The Chocolatier: it's not just about chocolate, but rather a full-service restaurant with some of the best views of Hersheypark from its second-story patio and bar. "Chocolate lovers will delight in this restaurant that incorporates cocoa into many dishes from salads to burgers," says expert Jamie Davis Smith. 

Gone are the days when amusement park food meant overpriced greasy burgers and cotton candy. The nation's top parks are catering more and more to sophisticated palates, with restaurants boasting high-quality food in unique environments. A panel of theme park insiders nominated their top 20 amusement park restaurants. Vote for The Chocolatier once per day until the polls close on Monday, April 24 at noon ET. The winning restaurants will be announced on Friday, May 5. 

Best Theme Park Hotel

The Hotel Hershey is a sweet spot to lay your head, whether you're in town to take the Hershey's Chocolate World factory tour, check out Hersheypark, or you're just in the mood for a little pampering with a cocoa-infused spa treatment. A member of Historic Hotels of America, the four-star Hotel Hershey is an elegant retreat that references its chocolate town roots without drowning guests in cloying fudge. Best of all, the hotel has a wide range of sports and recreation facilities where you can work off all those tasty treats, including a fitness center, golf, tennis, hiking trails and a pool with waterslides.

A day at a theme park is undeniably fun, but it can be exhausting as well. Staying at a hotel in the park means all your favorite attractions lie practically right outside your front door, and getting back for an afternoon swim in the pool or to crash in the evening is easier than ever. 10Best polled a panel of theme park experts on the best amusement park hotels in the U.S., and now we need you to vote for The Hotel Hershey once per day until voting ends on Monday, April 24 at noon ET. The winning hotels will be announced on Friday, May 5. 

Hersheypark Now Open Weekends

Hersheypark amusement park kicked off its 117th operating year on April 1, with eight fun-filled spring weekends of coaster rides, new food and beverage offerings, Hershey Characters selfies, ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park visits and endless Hersheypark Happy moments. For more information, visit our Guide to Spring Weekends 2023 at Hersheypark. 

Guests can save on tickets when purchased on Hersheypark.com with the current offer. Tickets purchased online will be valid on any 2023 public operating day through Jan. 1, 2024. 

Visitors looking to extend their stay in The Sweetest Place On Earth can book a sweet spring getaway at The Official Resorts of Hersheypark: The Hotel Hershey luxury accommodation, Hershey Lodge resort and Hersheypark Camping Resort campground. It’s also the perfect time to plan for summer fun. Check rates on our website. 

All guests of The Official Resorts of Hersheypark also receive FREE Resort Benefits, including the best price on Hersheypark tickets, extra hours at Hersheypark with Preview Plan, free front-gate shuttle service to the exclusive resort drop-off location, free admission to Hershey Gardens and The Hershey Story Museum, and more. See more information here.