Hersheypark

 

Welcome to Hersheypark, the 4th park on our Eastcoaster 2023 Roadtrip

Really like that new front gate.  This was our first time seeing it in person

Let's go ahead and skip to the good part.  Wildcat's Revenge is amazing

I currently have it as my number 1 coaster and most in our group have it in their Top 5

I know people are going to whine "But what about SteVe?" Wildcat's Revenge has, in my opinion better pacing from start to finish.  It also doesn't rely heavily on repetition like SteVe.  The pacing is what causes it to be better in my opinion

Laff Trakk is like an acid trip.  This indoor spinning mouse is more fun than it should be

It is interesting that Wild Mouse still exists across the street from Laff Trakk, but here it is.

Lightning Racers really needs a complete retracking.  I found it extremely uncomfortable on both sides.  Thunder seemed to be the consistent winner every time

Fahrenheit!  How I have missed you.  This ride is stupid fun

I really like how they placed Mix'd in between the boomerang element of Remix.  As for the ride, I found that it was more fun to watch it then it was to ride it

Jolly Rachers Remix got me to ride a Boomerang.  The scent tunnel was a fun addition, but at the end of the day, it was still a Boomerang and I quickly remembered why I don't ride them

Storm Runner is one of my favorite rides

The final roll and dive gets me every time.

Trailblazer was a decent minetrain.  Nothing special, but still fun.

Across from Trailblazer we got lunch.  I had brisket and mashed potatoes.  I have to admit I was impressed.  Very tasty

Making our way around the park we came to the S&S 3 pack.  We only rode the Hershey's tower

We rode Reeses Cupfushion two times in a row and I made the Top Scores board twice (look for DH)

It was time to ride the other "new to us" coaster in the park - Candymonium

We enjoy B&M hypercoasters.  Mako is by far our favorite.  While Candymonium was a solid ride, it felt rather "vanilla" to us.  Nothing, other than the swoop around the Kisses fountain really stood out

I know that I told you guys that I swore I'd never ride SkyRush again after it killed me last visit.  Well I rode it twice this visit and while it was still not a comfortable ride, I might have figured out a way to minimize the pain ... just don't ride it.

With all of the headliners at the park, Comet can easily be forgotten - but don't sleep on this quality wooden out and back

Yep.  More swings

Someone in the group remembered the monorail so we had to go do that next

It is kind of fun to see the old factory

Nice little leisure ride

Nightmare fuel.  I think that's the Jolly Rancher mascot

Petition for people to talk more about Great Bear.  This is an excellent B&M inverted

I love that helix off the lift.  It is so unique and really gets the momentum going into the first drop

Every time I underestimate how intense that loop is and every time it gets me.  SooperDooperLooper is the real OG of the park

Had a great day.  The line cut wristbands were definitely worth it.  I wish this park was closer

Hersheypark

Welcome to Hersheypark

Upon entering the park you are greeted by a statue of Hershey's Chocolates founder, Milton Hershey.

Turning right you head into the Hollow, home of Comet, the park's oldest coaster.

This classic out and back wooden coaster hugs the edge of one of the park's lakes.

Next door is Skyrush, a hypercoaster that features a very unique seating arrangement.  The two outside seats are floorless while the inside two seats have a floor.

The coaster features a lot of very tight curves and several small airtime hills.

The setting of the ride is great as it circles around and over the park's lake.


Also in the Hollow is the SooperDooperLooper which is the park's original looping coaster.


Rounding out the major rides in this area, you have the Skyway which is a roundtrip gondola ride over the section.  It's a nice relaxing ride.

Moving up the Hill you meet the next coaster on our tour - The Great Bear.

This is a nice family B&M inverted rollercoaster.

While not as intense as some of the other models out there, I really like Great Bear because I was able to ride it multiple times and just have fun.  That's not always the case with the more intense models.

The Hill is also home to the famous Kissing Tower named for its Hershey Kisses shaped windows.

New this year is the Triple Tower which features three different sized S&S tower rides.  Kisses Tower (on the left) is the shortest and it is a mild space shot perfect for families.  Reese's Tower is a normal space shot that actually packs quite the punch.

The final tower is Hershey's Tower and it features S&S new circular seating arrangement.  It is a double shot tower which combines both a space shot and a turbo drop.  This is also the tallest tower of the three.

Moving into the Pioneer Frontier section we come across Trailblazer, the park's minetrain

Sidewinder, a Vekoma Boomerang.

and Storm Runner, one of the marquee attractions at the park.

This launched coaster hurls you down the track and up and over this hill before taking you through 3 inversions and some great airtime hills.  This is by far my favorite ride here.

The final big ride in this section is Fahrenheit which starts with a vertical lift hill and a 97 degree first drop.  It is quite the rush.

The ride then progresses into numerous inversions and quick turns.

Utilizing a smaller train, the elements can be a little more intense than normal.

Midway America is the next section and the first ride we meet is Wildcat.

This is a classic wooden twister coaster built by GCI.  I will admit it is getting rather rough.  If you do decide to ride make sure you ride near the front.

Across from Wildcat you see Wild Mouse.  This is just a good classic mouse ride.

New since my last visit is Laff Trakk, an indoor spinning mouse coaster that navigates through some very trippy decorations.  This coaster is so much fun, I wish there was a version closer to home.

At the far end of the Midway America section is Lightning Racers.

This racing/dueling pair of wooden coasters makes a great skyline for this section of the park.

Much like Wildcat, it is also getting rough - but I do love the two different courses of this ride.

Also in this area is the Whip.  These are always "must rides" for me when I come across one.

Back to Founder's Way - this is Reese's Xtreme Cup Challenge, a shooter ride that puts two carts against each other to see who will reign supreme.

There is also a beautiful carousel.

Finally there is a Monorail which gives you views of the actual Hershey's Factory.  We will have those photos in the Chocolate World report.

This is such a great park.  I truly wish Hersheypark was closer to home.