Home Hershey, PA

[basil]

Anyone live there or have been there?

I''m thinking of planning a little getaway weekend with Mr. Basil...we picked Hershey cause it''s about equidistant from where we each live, so we could both drive there instead of having to pay for an airline ticket ($$$ these days - two days in a hotel is cheaper).

Any suggestions of where to stay and what to do? We don''t care about a hotel that is really fancy, just clean and comfortable. We''re thinking of going in early December, but it will depend on how his call schedule works out, otherwise it might be late January. I''d rather go in December cause it seems things might be decorated for Christmas, though.

We''d also be looking for a nice fancy-ish restaurant for dinner on Saturday.

Thanks!

 

[decodelighted]

I went to the Hershey Spa last October & it was WONDERFUL. There's a fancy eatery right inside the hotel (maybe more than one). And I had a luxurious chair massage/chocolate manicure combo!

There's a small outlet mall nearby -- not much to write home about .. and DO NOT GET YOUR RINGS CLEANED at the KAY (or maybe it was ZALES) outlet. My friend's lovely EC got chipped somehow there!

 

[neatfreak]

I think Sabine lives there...

 

[Sabine]

I do live there!

I can tell you that the hotels right in Hershey are terribly overpriced because Hershey is such a tourist town. If you want to be right in Hershey, there is a Days Inn right on the main street of downtown Hershey, and a Best Western and Comfort Inn that are both within about 2 miles. Even though these tend to not be the "nicest" hotels, these are the really popular ones for tourists, and compared to these places elsewhere, they are really overpriced. There really isn''t anything between these type of places and the really nice places (Hotel Hershey, Hershey Lodge).

If you don''t mind a few minute drive, I can suggest a few places of the same variety that are not quite in Hershey that would be the same quality for a lot cheaper.

As for restaurants, for something nice I would suggest the Hotel Hershey. And I just posted in the restaurant thread about this place called Sakura Do that is a Japanese/Italian place that is really great! Anywhere else nice, you kinda have to go outside Hershey, but there are tons of chain places like Hulihan''s, Applebee''s, etc. that I can direct you to. Oh, and the Hershey Pantry is great from breakfast/brunch, but it''s always packed.

As for stuff to do, well, unfortunately there isn''t all that much. Hershey Park is the only real big attraction, and they are open for Christmas, so that is fun, and there is Candy Lane, the lights attraction that is right by the park. There are the Hershey Outlets, although there are better outlets in Lancaster. Depending on the dates, there might be a Hershey Bear''s hockey game or something else going on at the Giant Center, and that''s about it for Hershey.

Hershey is only about 15 minutes away from Harrisburg, so there is more to do there. They have a wider variety of restaurants (breweries, Irish pubs, etc.), a science center, and other stuff.

If you want more details or want to know anything else, just ask!

 

[ljmorgan]

Ms. Basil, you must do Sunday brunch at the Hershey hotel. Jackets are required for men, but the food is soooo good. It''s served buffet style, with a great display of seafood on ice, and of course, a huge table filled with an endless array of gorgeous mini Hershey desserts!

When the husband and I go, we book a room at the Crown Plaza in Harrisonburg, maybe 20 minutes away. We can get it for less than $60 a night through priceline, and it''s a very nice hotel.

 

[diamondfan]

The Hotel Hershey is nice. It might be pricey. The whole town smells of chocolate and the street lights are shaped like Hershey Kisses. It is fairly clean, but the park closed the last weekend of September I think. The hotel has a spa.

 

[Sabine]

We were out and about in Hershey last night (haha, about as much as you can be...we went to dinner and then to Hersheypark in the Dark, the Halloween attraction at the park) and I thought of 2 more things to suggest. Hershey has a decent theatre that puts on some decent shows (just google Hershey Theatre), and a restaurant that is nice, but not right in downtown Hershey and not really too well-known by tourists (so you won''t have a ridiculous wait)is Fire Alley, which is close by and right by a movie theater.

 

[basil]

Thanks Sabine! That''s really helpful! I think Hotel Hershey is out of our price range for accomodations. We wouldn''t mind staying a little further away if it means a cheaper price or a nicer place, since we''ll have a car anyway.

Is Hershey typically crowded in the winter? We''d be going in either early December (my preference) or late January.

It''s not a big deal if there isn''t too much to do...we''re kind of sleep in, late lunch, mantinee movie, dinner, then bed type of people these days anyway. That''s probably what we''d end up doing if we flew to each other''s cities, so we''re really just trying to cut out the plane flight, which has been running us $300+ lately.

 

[Loves Vintage]

I was just in Hershey on Friday! I went to Harrisburg on business and stopped over at Hershey on my way back to CT. I didn''t know you lived there Sabine!! Small world, isn''t it? I went on the "Hershey how chocolate is made tour" (not too exciting, but kind of fun) and then picked up some freshly made chocolate in their very large shop. I also went to the outlets, but didn''t have much time to spend there. Loved the Jones New York though.

I second Lindsey''s recommendation to stay at the Crowne Plaza in Harrisburg, especially for that rate. You''ll have plenty of good dining options in Harrisburg. I wanted to go to the Appalachian Co. Brewery (or some name like that), but never made it. Sabine can probably advise if that would have been a good choice. They had lots of interesting beers on the menu.

 

[cbs102]

I live in the town over from Hershey.. around christmas time there is something called Sweetlights .. a xmas light show that hershey puts on. chocolate world is open year round..so that is something to do. you can drive to Lancaster and visit Amish country. and Harrisburg is very close so i would recommend going to Rock Bass on the river.. very good sea food restaurant. i was in hershey for New Years Eve last year and it was actually a really good time. they close chocolate ave off and raise and 400LB hershey kiss at midnight.

I hope that you have a good time in hershey. it really is a cute little town.