Hersheypark Happy!

This past weekend, we took Daniel to Hersheypark. This was a nostalgic trip for me, as I grew up making annual visits to Hershey with my family. I have very fond memories of spending many a hot August weekend riding the log flume, touring Chocolate World, and eating breakfast at the Hershey Lodge. So you can imagine my excitement at the prospect of visiting Hershey with my own child. We had originally planned to stay two nights, but changed our minds and changed the reservation to just one night. I was nervous about Daniel sleeping in the same room as Peter and me, and I wanted to minimize the amount of disruption to everyone's sleep schedules!

We drove to Hershey on Saturday morning, checked into the Lodge, and headed for the park. Daniel was immediately impressed by the "bus" -- the hotel shuttle which transported us to the park entrance. We knew not to expect too much from that day because we were getting a late start and Daniel was already a little sleepy. Oh yeah, and the park was extremely crowded...and it was really hot. So taking those parameters into consideration, we slathered on the sunblock and headed for the kiddie rides. The lines were long, so we only took Daniel on a couple of them -- most notably, the "Tiny Tracks" train ride, which he enjoyed. After a quick lunch and a couple more rides, we decided to call it a day -- but not before stopping at Chocolate World on our way out. One of my all-time favorites, the factory "tour," was a must-see. We climbed the ramp, refreshed by the air conditioning. We descended the stairs onto the moving platform and took our seats in one of the cars. Some of the ride had been updated, but much of it remains the same as it was all those years of my childhood: the liquid chocolate, Hershey kisses dropping onto the moving belt, going through the "roaster" and feeling the warm air engulf you. Pure nostalgia.

When we returned to the Lodge, we attempted to put Daniel down for a nap. It was already 4:00 at this point, and our hopes were fading fast. He cried for a little while from his crib, but Peter and I just planted ourselves in the hallway outside our room. Peter watched a DVD on our portable player and I read a couple of magazines. We lasted about an hour or so, until our butts were numb and we grew tired of people walking by and giving us strange looks. What the heck do other people do with their babies and toddlers at naptime? Were we supposed to sit in the room while he slept and stare at the wall?

Day 2 dawned bright and early. I received a 7:30 wake-up call, which inevitably woke Daniel as well. We were downstairs at breakfast by 8:30. One of the Lodge's restaurants, The Bears' Den, featured a Sunday morning cartoon breakfast buffet. Dozens of TV's, which normally featured sporting events, were tuned to kids' cartoons. There were even screens in each booth. Daniel was transfixed. He didn't know which TV to look at first! On our way back to the room, we stopped for pictures with a life-sized Kit-Kat bar. He was a chocolate bar of few words, but very friendly. I'm not sure if Daniel was intrigued or terrified.

We arrived at the park a little after 10:00, which is when it opened. There was a light drizzle falling from the sky, but not enough to keep us away! We got a little wet walking to the entrance from our car, but within a half-hour the sky cleared up. Either because it was so early or because of the questionable weather, the park was practically empty! We walked right on the Kissing Tower and the Antique Cars. I remember waiting in line for ages at these attractions! We also rode the Monorail, the steam train, the ferris wheel, the Ladybugs (which made me dizzier than any roller coaster ever has) and the kiddie log flume (not nearly as thrilling as the real one, but pretty decent from a toddler's perspective). We capped off our day with a walk through the park's new water section. There were some cool attractions, but not much for the little ones. Daniel and I took a break while Peter went on a wooden coaster (which he didn't entirely regret afterwards), and then we headed towards the front of the park. We stopped for a quick lunch and then hopped the tram for a ride back to our car.

If Daniel could tell you which ride was his favorite, I suspect he'd say the parking lot tram. Especially because he got to eat a Twizzler during the ride! Overall, it was a fun weekend. Exhausting, but fun. It was a treat to show Daniel something new and exciting, and it was a nice break from our regular routine. If you were to ask me my favorite part of the trip, I'd have to say it was Saturday night after dinner. We retired to our hotel room, turned on "Horton Hears a Who," and cuddled on the bed. Quality family time if ever there was any.