Hersheypark is one of the largest independent theme parks in the United States. That being said, there is a lot to do and see here, especially if you have young kids and thrillseekers. We happen to have both kinds of people in our group, including a miniature thrillseeker.

I would recommend purchasing parking in advance before heading to Hersheypark, as the parking online is actually a few dollars cheaper than at the gate, and it’ll save you some time.

As always, I recommend purchasing tickets/passes, etc. online before your visit – typically you can get a better deal online than you can in person.

Full disclosure: we were generously given tickets by Hersheypark in exchange for content on my social media channels and on my blog.

We got to the park a little after park opening and realized that a bunch of local camps had made a beeline to the park that day. We decided that Fast Track (Hersheypark’s Skip the Line service) was worth it, especially in the July heat with two kids under 2.

Since we had the Fast Track wristbands (which by the way, allow you to load your dining plan and skip the line onto one scannable wristband), we did Candymonium first, which had a 45 minute wait. If we did NOT have the Fast Track wristbands, we would have headed to Fahrenheit and Wildcat’s Revenge, which had much shorter lines. Candymonium tends to get longer lines earlier in the day due to its proximity to Hersheypark’s front gate.

After Candymonium. we headed to Skyrush. I was a bit underwhelmed by Skyrush – I know most Coaster Enthusiasts rave about it (and my husband loved it), but I think Great Bear, Storm Runner, and Wildcat’s Revenge are much better rides. We did Sooper Dooper Looper and Comet – honestly, I was surprised by how fun Comet was!

Our two kids (7 months and 2.5 years old) fell asleep while I was riding Skyrush and my husband was their stroller chauffeur. My husband and I typically switch off and the Fast Track wristbands definitely helped speed that along. One thing (possibly my only critique) was that my husband and I noticed was that on a Thursday in July, operations seemed a bit slower than we are used to. Trains would take between 3-10 minutes, sometimes longer, to depart the station and restraint checks seemed to take a very long time, along with unloading trains.

Great Bear blew me away – it was so glossy smooth it made me not even miss Alpengeist at my home park, Busch Gardens Williamsburg. We ate some fries near Great Bear out of a literal bucket, which was a new experience – they were loaded with bacon, cheese, and ranch.

Just walking around, we noticed that the park was super clean, well-maintained, and beautiful to look at.

My oldest wanted to ride some rides (now that he was awake) and decided to go on the Sunoco Antique Cars/Raceway, located near Great Bear. For my Tristate area friends, this ride has a freaking EZ Pass lane for kids to drive under – how cool is that?

We grabbed some BBQ Brisket and Mac and Cheese at Springcreek Smokehouse – and the platter we got for $26 came with two sides, cornbread, and a drink. My husband and I split this and agreed it was a good value for two people to share. The restrooms near Springcreek Smokehouse were some of the cleanest amusement park restrooms I have ever seen – I changed both of my boys’ diapers and was blown away by how well-maintained this restroom was!

We rode Storm Runner and my oldest rode the Convoy Truck ride – the trucks were a huge hit with my 2-year old! In my opinion, I think Storm Runner is the sleeper hit of the entire park – my husband even preferred it to his rides on the original Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point (R.I.P.).

Fahrenheit and Jolly Rancher Remix pack a punch and at this point in the park, I started to wonder, “How many top notch coasters ARE there in this park?” And Hersheypark said, “But wait, there’s more!”

Wildcat’s Revenge is truly insane – I’ve rode Steel Vengeance, Iron Gwazi, and Twisted Timbers…and WR blew me away. Between Storm Runner and Wildcat’s Revenge, Hersheypark has an insane top 2 (in my own opinion).

My kiddos and my husband and I all rode the little train located next to Lightning Racer – and that was a hit all around. There are a lot of family friendly rides mixed in all around the park, but especially so tucked away in that little corner.

Our day was made complete by enjoying our meal at The Chocolatier – Hersheypark’s front gate sit-down restaurant.

We ordered a basic kid’s meal for my 2 year old, but my husband and I shared the Chicken & Waffles and Filet Mignon – you don’t need a park ticket to eat here but reservations are recommended, especially on weekends.

The desserts at the Chocolatier are to DIE for – we split the Chocolatier Cake – and even my littlest guy had a taste of the chocolate.

We had a wonderful time at Hersheypark and can’t wait to go back! My takeaways and tips for this park, especially with young kids:

1.) Bring 1-2 reusable water bottles – for you and your kids. Water is free throughout the park and you can stay hydrated without using flimsy paper cups this way. Just stow them on your stroller!

2.) Get parking and tickets in advance to save a little cash.

3.) Gauge park crowds before purchasing a Fast Track band. It may or may not be worth it depending on how crowded it is. On summer weekends, it will probably be worth it.

4.) Make a reservation for the Chocolatier restaurant if you’d like to dine there in the air conditioning. They reserve some patio seating but it gets hot in the summer and I can’t eat when I’m hot.

5.) If you don’t get a Fast Track band, start at Wildcat’s Revenge and Fahrenheit. If you do get a Fast Track band, feel free to take on Candymonium.

6.) Springcreek Smokehouse is excellent for lunch, and you’ll get some great views of Storm Runner from the patio area nearby.

7.) Love cute Christmas ornaments? There’s a super cute Christmas boutique located between Candymonium and Skyrush! We got a cute ornament for our tree this year and they have tons of cute ones.

8.) Skip the bucket of fries – not that great.

9.) Do the antique car ride! So much fun and severely underrated.

10.) Bring snacks into the park for your kids – any park is going to have expensive snacks – I always pack some applesauce, puffs, crackers, clementines, fruit snacks, etc. in a bag for my kids and it saves us lots of money. Most parks will let you bring in snacks for your kids! My favorite puffs (my kids will eat through 2 bags in a park trip) are the Mission Mighty Me Organic Peanut Butter Puffs – if you use my code “THETHEMEPARKMAMA”, you’ll get 15% off of your order!

Hersheypark is one of the best parks I’ve taken my kids to – clean, fun, and lots and lots to do. Your kids will probably love it too!

-TPM