A Hershey's Chocolate World Christmas

Right after our Thanksgiving dinner, Lew, Little Lewie, and I packed our bags and drove for four hours to Hershey, PA--"the sweetest place on Earth."  We had been to Hershey Park and Hershey's Chocolate World before, but we thought it might be fun to "experience" it at this time of year. 

The park transforms into Christmas Candylane with festive decorations, colorful lights, and an opportunity to meet Santa and his reindeer.  (Plus, fifty rides are open.)  After a day at the park, Hershey also has a drive-thru light exhibit called Hershey Sweet Lights.  Here you can drive on your own or make arrangements with the Hershey Trolley Works company to tour the two miles worth of light displays.  (Our favorite was The Twelve Days of Christmas--there were actually twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords are leaping, etc. etc. all on display in a big open field.)

On that Friday after Thanksgiving, we chose to ditch Black Friday and go to Hershey Park.  At night, we took the trolley to see their Sweet Lights tour.  Then on Sunday, we did a Chocolate and History Trolley Tour along with a visit to Hershey's Chocolate World.  The entire town of Hershey was busy with visitors, but I didn't think lines were much longer than those during the summer.

When planning this trip, I made a promise to myself to do the historical tour again.  I was so inspired by Milton Hershey's story and his philanthropy that I had to hear it again.  (I would suggest a quick read here: https://www.biography.com/people/milton-hershey-9337133)  The man went bankrupt twice but succeeded his third time thanks to the financial help of his aunt and a loan officer.  His first fortune was in caramels, but he spent years trying to figure out a way to make chocolate less expensive, so he could sell it to everyday people--and not just the rich.  He succeeded when discovering he could use milk in his chocolate, which was the inspiration for his Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars. 

Now, of course he would have been my hero just because he invented the Hershey Chocolate Bar and the Hershey Kiss; however, during his lifetime, Mr. Hershey spent his fortune helping others.  While rich tycoons of his time (early 1900's) bought mansions and hoarded money for themselves, he spent his money building "schools, parks, churches, recreational facilities, and housing for his employees."  Perhaps his greatest contribution was establishing The Milton Hershey School.  He put all of his money into a trust, so the school could continue serving orphans and/or students that come from poverty.  Today, the Milton Hershey School is a boarding school known for its academic rigor as well as its emphasis on teaching classic family values.  Students don't have to pay a dime to attend and live there, and they are given a stipend for college once they graduate.  What an incredible way to give back!  I'd personally love to work there and continue the mission!

While in Pennsylvania, we took a few more side trips, but I'll save those adventures for another post.  It was a fun four days, which ended as we drove home on Monday.  I'm almost certain I gained a few pounds off of eating one too many Hershey's Kisses.