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Electerik Hershey Oddventure September 25 - 29, 2025 Part 1 of 2: Cookies 'n' Cream [*record scratch*] Yep, that’s me. I bet you’re wondering how I got here…. I hadn’t been to an amusement park in over 2 years (see Erik & Smisty & TPR do Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland) and Hershey is probably the most “important” US park that I hadn’t yet been to. So, I picked a late-season weekend and struck out on a solo trip. But, if you know me, you know it was never going to just be about Hersheypark, but about the town of Hershey and all the things in it. Such as Chocolate World. Which is a totally separate thing. Well, a partially separate thing, anyway. I spent 5 full days in Hershey, and Hersheypark was only open for 2-and-a-half of them. But Chocolate World was open all 5. So that’s where we’re starting! So, yes, that first photo was me making my own chocolate bar. Kind of. You don’t really do much. You just select the ingredients and watch machines put it together. In fact, you don’t actually get anywhere near foodstuffs. It’s all behind glass. But they still made me wear the hairnets and apron. I assume so I wouldn’t distract all the other guests with my handsomeness. But they made the other folks wear that stuff too. So, I don’t know. I’m out of ideas. The Great Candy Expedition is an “immersive theater” experience in which your seat vibrates a bit and you mash buttons to vote on which 3 (out of 6) candy lands to visit. It was cute and inoffensive. Though the train you’re supposed to be on is constantly turning into a boat or a hot air balloon or whatever, so I’m not really sure how “immersive” it is. And also, the fact that you visit 3 out of 6 possible destinations means that it should theoretically be pretty reridable. However, it’s expensive for what it is, and since the destinations are determined by popular vote, I sincerely doubt that you’ll ever get to see Almond Joy Junction or whatever, 'cause b!tch we goin’ ta Reese’s Ridge again! Does “Hershey’s largest candy store” mean that it’s the largest candy store in Hershey, Pennsylvania? Or the largest candy store in the world that’s run by Hershey? Or that sells Hershey products? Or…? Asking for a friend who overanalyzes things. Speaking of pricing…I was on vacation, so whatever. But it’s hard not to notice just how all-over-the-place Chocolate World’s pricing is. Maybe it’s genius. I don’t know. But Hershey products (packaged candy bars and such) are very reasonable. (Maybe that makes sense, since all the factories are in town.) Food and beverage is just slightly below theme park normal. Merchandise is at theme park level. And experiences are quite expensive in a way that mostly doesn’t make them seem worthwhile--except for the obviously best one, which is completely free. Shake flight. I am not disappointed. Chocolate World has real cocoa trees in it! I don’t know if they’re actually used for anything. Or even how they’re doing. Hopefully they’re enjoying their lives on display indoors in Pennsylvania. Hershey’s Chocolate Tour is of course the main attraction here, and the ride I was second-most looking forward to on this trip. The queue is quite long, though the line never was. (Apologies to my UK friends for that sentence. Just swap the words ‘queue’ and ‘line’ and it will all make sense.) Lots to read in the queue, as well. Stuff about making chocolate, mostly. But the “extended queue” is all about the history of Chocolate World and the Chocolate Tour itself. So, I liked that. What I liked less was that there weren’t many opportunities to bypass queue sections, which tended to make it awkward when others were trying to read but didn’t seem to want to invite you to pass them, even though the ride itself was a walk-on. Probably not everyone rode this 6 times over 5 days, though. It’s an omnimover. That looks to me like it maybe had half its cars removed at some point? Maybe it’s just not as popular as it once was? Or maybe it never was? But I loved it! “It’s the milk we make that’s at the heart / Sweet inspiration from the very start / And you can taste the love all over the world! / Got that feel good feeling every day / Where they can shovel in the Hershey way / And you can taste the love all over the world!” Wait...shovel? Remember how confused I was about “Hershey’s largest candy store”? Well, according to this ride’s narration, “Hershey is one of the only companies in the world that uses fresh milk in its chocolate.” I have questions. Free chocolate at the end of the free ride. So, theoretically, you come out financially ahead on this deal. And, yes, this employee was kind enough to pose for this photo for me. One last thing on my list for Chocolate World: Ride around town on a trolley. But this trolley is a lie! I lived in Pigeon Forge for a while, and they do the same thing. Paint a bus green and call it a trolley. But nobody out-lies me, Hershey. Have at thee! (This will make more sense soon. Actually, it won’t make any sense, but at least you’ll see why I’m saying this now. Um…maybe.) The trolley takes you around to look at notable sites throughout the town, while a narrator tells you all about how great Milton Hershey was. Which, you know, he kind of was. He created a company town but went way out of his way to make it actually good. He built housing for his workers and sold them those houses at cost so they could own their own homes. By all accounts he paid fair wages, and he built up the town to make it pleasant to live in. (And many of those things you are about to see.) He helped win WWII, and started a school for orphans. But…he was also a segregationist, which is hardcore advanced-level racism. And the school was not only for just for white kids, but only white males. So…yeah. Pretty progressive in regards to poor white men. But that’s about as far as he went. All of which is a heck of a caption for a B&M hypercoaster called Candymonium. Late in life, and not having any children of his own, Milton quietly transferred all of his stakes in Hershey to the trust that runs this school, currently valued at about $15 billion. So the school is doing alright. And it's no longer racist or sexist! (I mean, as far as I know.) “High Point,” the mansion Hershey had built for himself. Tours are available. Some Saturdays. And they sell out weeks or months in advance. So only "available" in the strictest technical sense. Not sure I would've done it anyway. I probably would've. But I'm not too bummed about missing it. I've been in houses before. “Parkview Manor,” the mansion Hershey had built for me. Rather nice of him. A better view of my backyard. Tours are available for a small fee. The trolley then drives right into the Hershey Story Museum and up those stairs to the second floor. (See? I can lie, too.) I also own a top hat. And caramel brass knuckles. Plus, I’m not dead. (As of this writing.) From there, the trolley takes you to Duck Donuts. Where you can get a donut breakfast sandwich and a donut sundae. Still not dead. But trying. It should be noted that Hershey, Pennsylvania, does not actually exist, legally. This is a bit of a semantic argument, of course. It has a zip code. It’s just not incorporated as “Hershey,” and is instead a part of Derry Township. Also, they water the grass with milk. The trolley then sucks you off to another dimension where chocolate does not come from plants. But where plants can nevertheless be used to make a mocking approximation of something almost, but not entirely, unlike chocolate. Back in our home dimension, where chocolate is good, the trolley squeezes through this pedestrian tunnel to cross under the road to ZooAmerica. So named not because it is America’s Grandest Zoo, but rather because it only has American Animals. (/Salutes in Bald Eagle) A lot of ZooAmerica feels old, but in a way that’s almost good? Like, maybe instead of “old” I should’ve said “classic”? It’s small zoo with some quaint old buildings and a wooded setting, but the animals don’t seem cramped or poorly cared for. I kind of got the impression that over the years they repurposed old buildings to hold different, smaller animals? But that might just be my own personal head-canon. The exotic ocelot. (“You hear that? He called you 'exotic'. Which is just people talk for awesome, which is what you are.”) I’m trying to come up with a caption worthy of this photo. Bear with me. Most zoos have some sort of specialty. ZooAmerica’s is skeptical owls. Next we motor through Hershey Gardens and get stuck in this lake. Allegedly, Milton Hershey was asked (by whom is apparently not important) to build a garden in Washington, DC. His response was to build one in Hershey instead. Baller. (Still racist, though.) New “Hot Steam” Kisses! Did you know that chocolate is actually ground-up butterflies? In that other dimension where they have to make the weird fake version out of plants? Everything we eat is gross if you think about it. A view of Hersheypark’s Hershey Triple Tower from Hershey Gardens across Hersheypark Drive in Hershey, Pennsylvania, via the Hershey Trolley Works. A view of Hersheypark and Hersheypark Arena from the Hotel Hershey across Hersheypark Drive in Hershey, Pennsylvania, via the Hershey Trolley Works. This is what the Trolley sees when it looks in the mirror. We end our amazing journey back at Hershey’s Chocolate World, wiser yet acutely aware that ten years have passed in our absence due to time dilation, and while the chocolate tour dark ride is still free, all of our other tickets have expired and we forgot little Joey and he’s in a Christian punk band now and dating a chatbot named TwizzLiar869. Also, Reese’s Oreo is back by popular demand! Directly next to Chocolate World is Chocolate Town. And what exactly is “Chocolate Town”? Well, it’s kind of strange, in that it encapsulates Hersheypark’s entrance plaza, exit gift shop, and first themed area. So some of it is open and accessible even at times when the park is not, sort of hand-in-hand with Chocolate World, while other parts are inside the park gates and off limits when the park is closed. Did that explain it? No? Hersheypark does not serve Hershey’s Ice Cream, because Hershey’s Ice Cream has nothing to do with Hershey’s Chocolate. Both companies started in the same area at around the same and were both founded by unrelated folks named Hershey. As you might imagine, there have been quite a few trademark battles over the years, that have mostly just resulted in bad blood. So, while Hershey’s Ice Cream is very popular in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Hersheypark mostly serves Turkey Hill Ice Cream. Milton’s is inside the park’s main (exit) gift shop, which is open year-round(-ish). Or, at least more often than the park itself is. As you are no doubt aware, by law, all amusement parks’ main gift shops must contain the word “emporium” or the phrase “supply company” in their name, and Hershey is in compliance. Above the Hershey Supply Company is the full-service Chocolatier Restaurant. I was well aware of this place going in and planned to eat there at least once. As it happens, I ate there four times in five days. I like a full-service restaurant at a park. Gives me a chance to sit relatively comfortably and take a little break in the middle of my day. Plus, the food tends to better. It was, admittedly, a bit overpriced for what it was. But I did enjoy everything I ordered and I kept going back, so I guess it wasn’t…? This Ferris wheel of appetizers is clearly meant for more than one person, but I couldn’t resist…especially once I realized that one of the items on it was Cuban (as in sandwich) spring rolls, which paired quite nicely with Twizzlers hot sauce. And yes, I did pimp my server into taking this photo. Which makes it the only photo of the trip not taken by me, and isn’t in any way pathetic. A view of the park. And of Heath bar encrusted salmon with chocolate dusted carrots and embarrassingly non-candy accented potatoes. Note the train on the roller coaster. I’m very proud. Thus endeth part one of this report. Oh, you wanted to actually see inside Hersheypark? Sorry, that's part 2. I am wildly inconsistent with my use of number formatting.

Rogue Rides has announced that their first trackless ride will open at Hunderfossen Eventyrpark in Norway in Spring 2026. https://boldmove-nation.prezly.com/rogue-rides-announces-first-trackless-dark-ride-system-at-hunderfossen Rogue Rides proudly announces at IAAPA Expo the first installation of its trackless vehicles at Hunderfossen in Norway. The BoldMove engineering and design team selected the innovative trackless vehicles for this exciting new media dark ride, slated for Spring 2026. Meanwhile the new Kamino show control is on its way, with a sleek design and using the latest, proven technologies. Hogne Hostmaelingen, Hunderfossen's Park Manager, comments: "In view of the compact space we have in the existing building, the trackless ride system of Rogue Rides has proven in our tests to be the most suitable on the market. We are not limited by infrastructural restrictions and can create a BIG experience on a small surface with maximum flexibility. The story already builds up in the preshow with the innovative motion of the vehicles being an important part of the overall dark ride experience." Comfort in all directions Rogue Rides trackless vehicles go far beyond smooth transport; they move with personality, responding to narrative beats and heightening every dramatic moment. At the heart of Rogue Rides is a groundbreaking application of mecanum wheel technology, long proven in the logistics sector and fitted with all the technologies to ensure a smooth ride. For the first time, this system brings the freedom and dynamics of large-scale steel rides into dark ride environments. Unlike traditional wheel-and-platform systems, mecanum wheels allow instant acceleration in any direction: forward, backward, or sideways. This unlocks a whole new vocabulary of motion, surprising riders with unexpected pivots, spins, and glides. Comfort is equally essential. That’s why every Rogue Ride is equipped with pneumatic air-oil suspension to absorb vibration and tilting axle technology for perfect ground grip, even during the most action-packed sequences. Kamino: Next-Level Show Control Rogue Rides pushes boundaries in show integration with Kamino, the most advanced show control platform on the market. Built on Unreal Engine, the same toolset used by top game studios and car developers like Tesla, Kamino bridges the gap between the virtual and physical worlds. This open, non-proprietary approach unlocks creative freedom for designers and operators: Seamless synchronization of ride motion with media and effects Predictable, high-fidelity simulations that improve budgeting accuracy, Opportunities to integrate AI-driven interactivity and adaptive storytelling. Operational efficiency and flexibility are key features in Rogue Rides development. The dual-boarding station allows for a more flawless boarding and unboarding, saving time and allowing one single operator to supervise the process. It can also be programmed to function as an extra buffer in case of delays during the ride. "By combining iconic vehicle design, unsurpassed motion capabilities, and future-ready show control, Rogue Rides sets a new benchmark for dark rides. The engineering team checked all existing dark ride systems on the market and validates Rogue Rides as a universal solution, overcoming current problems in power and reloading." concludes Benoit Cornet, CEO of BoldMove Nation. For more info about Rogue Rides visit: www.rogue-rides.com

Latest Tormenta construction photos!

Electerik Hershey Oddventure September 25 - 29, 2025 Part 2 of 2: Special Dark Inside the gates. Is Candymonium the best name for a roller coaster ever? Yes. If you disagree and insist that it is in fact Thunder Dolphin, I can respect that. Any other answer will simply be dismissed as wrong. Unless there’s a really good one I haven’t thought of. Because I like my egomaniacal certainty lightly dusted with crippling self-doubt. Look who I ran into! Totally unplanned. But it’s said that if one lingers around long enough trying to get a good photo of a roller coaster, eventually AJ will appear. Okay, let’s get nerdy: I absolutely loved Candymonium. It reminds me a lot of Mako, which was my favorite B&M hyper, but this one is better. I’m not sure anything on Candymonium is quite as good as Mako’s third hill, but this one’s second hill is close, I like this layout more, and most importantly, while they both have noticeable trim brakes, Candymonium’s are far less ruinous to the second half of the ride than Mako’s are. The Starbucks really makes me feel like I’m at home. (In the sense that I didn’t go in and I don’t go to them here in Seattle either.) So, Candymonium doesn’t have a midcourse block brake. But really it does, it’s just weirdly at the end of the ride, right before this pointless little transitional dip over the midway and into the brake run. Except, the thing is, on paper, while this looks pretty silly, it kind of won me over. I mean, it’s not particularly forceful. But it’s visually-interesting and acts as a sort of false ending to the general public--who react like the ride is legitimately over and then scream when it isn’t quite. It’s kind of fun. Speaking of screaming, I have a fun story. But this caption is already long enough, so I’ll save it for the next photo of Candymonium. Here we have left Chocolate Town and entered the wilds of Hersheypark, where we find this statue of some guy. dooperdooperLooper is sort of the sister coaster to Magic Mountain’s Revolution. The little sister. The less attractive, less talented, less successful one. Which is not to say that it’s bad. It’s not. It just doesn’t do a whole lot, especially when compared to other Schwarzkopfs of this type. Even the visual placement of its loop is “lesser” than that of Revolution. Still fun, though. Glad it’s still around and that I got to ride it a couple of times. Interestingly enough, my first ride was a zen front seat night ride, as it had just come up from a short downtime and the few other guests in the area hadn’t quite caught on yet that it was open again. (Of course, the fact that they closed and reopened the queue by putting up and taking down a simple chain at the front entrance, with no signage and no team members posted, did make it a bit hard to suss out.) Onto the next old school family coaster, Trailblazer. Unlike most Arrow Mine Trains, this one has just one relatively-large lift hill, and then a fairly short layout. But like most Arrow Mine Trains, it manages to be both smooth and janky at the same time. This photo of pathways with some Halloween decor awaiting the darkness might be a good opportunity to share that this park’s layout absolutely befuddled me. A lot of coaster parks (and I would classify Hersheypark in this way) evolve into places with lots of dead ends, but this is more like a series of circuitous pathways that occasionally connect at random intervals. Even by my third day in the park, I often had trouble getting exactly where I wanted to go or finding some particular thing without getting turned around a couple of times. Here, of course, you can see two pathways that cross without connecting. So that’s fun. Storm Runner looked to have an interesting, if rather short, layout. But I didn’t ride it. Why? The trains. I absolutely despise these. I did give the test seat a go, just to double-check/remind myself. And even just briefly and carefully sitting down in said seat, without even touching the restraint, I experience immediate pain in my boy apples. I can’t even imagine how that would feel if I was pinned in, the thing was moving, and there was airtime. Actually, I can, because I’ve been on Maverick. Once. No idea who these seats are designed for, but it’s certainly not big burly men with adult-sized man… um, I need a synonym for balls. Anyone? Thesaurus says “courage,” but that doesn’t quite seem right. Parts of this park are quite pretty. Well, mostly the nature parts. But that’s still something. I didn’t ride their Boomerang either. But I do appreciate that they rethemed it to Jolly Ranchers! It does look like it has the newer vest restraints, but you could still see people jostling around in there as the train bounced its way through the course. Well, this is surprisingly honest. Did they know it was going to be hot this weekend? Also, why is it always hot when I go on park trips? Do I just attract warmth? If you’ve hung out with me at all, I’m sorry. But also, you know I don’t particularly care for RMCs. I was interested in maybe giving Wildcat’s Revenge a try, though. Not entirely sure why. I’d been on 3 (Outlaw Run, Untamed, and Wildfire) and didn’t care for any of them. But I tried the test seat, and found it utterly unchallenging, so I decided to give it a go. The restraints seemed to fit me a bit better on this one (or maybe I’ve changed a bit), so I was actually able to experience, you know, forces. And I kind of liked it? But it also beat me up a bit, especially in the second half. So…while I would say that it’s the most fun I’ve ever had on an RMC, I still found that one ride was enough. Hear me out: Wouldn’t it be more scary if the radiation didn’t have a safety control unit? The park’s indoor Maurer spinner, Laff Trakk, was given a Shaq overlay for Halloween, because apparently there’s also a Shaq-themed Hershey gummy candy? I’ve never had it. Or heard of it. Or been on this ride. Not sure the Shaq stuff really added a whole lot, but the ride was fun (and arguably better themed than Crush’s Coaster in Paris), Probably not worth a long wait, but the park was slammed on Saturday, so I sprung for the Unlimited Fast Track. Lightning Racer is a pair of racing/dueling CGIs. Not top tier or anything, but fun. I’m not sure how I feel about the water park just being in/part of the amusement park. It seemed weird to walk through it closed, but I imagine it would also feel weird to walk through it open. Also, there’s a Wild Mouse coaster called Wild Mouse. I always forget what I bad idea it is to ride a wild mouse by oneself. But I do like Wild Meese, so I’d probably do it anyway even if I remembered. There’s also a dark ride inside the park, Reese’s Cupfusion. The storyline is about misfit candies trying to steal some kind of magical cup from vapid genetically-superior candies and I think I’m supposed to be rooting for the rich, entitled ones? I shot all the bad different candy and maintained the elites’ grip on power! Sta-tus-quo! Sta-tus-quo! As with literally everything, I may be overthinking it. The “trick-or-treat” event seemed…um… Well, this was pretty much it. Also, I’m not a big fan of real-world franchise food & beverage establishments inside theme parks. But they did have a Rita’s, so I was a happy hypocrite. There’s a scenic little side path shortcut that connects Chocolate Town to whatever BS made-up themed area Skyrush is in. (Um…The Hollow? Founder’s Way? Midway America?) Skyrush had some good airtime, but was quite rattly--at least in the outside seats. I would’ve ridden again in a middle seat to see if it was better, if I thought that was in any way achievable as someone in the park by themselves. It wouldn’t have helped with that particular goal, but worth mentioning that Hershey doesn’t have any single rider lines anywhere, as far as I could tell. Okay, time for my Candymonium story! (I’m sure you’re excited.) So I end up riding next to a kid with (I assume) both autism and Tourette’s, and his very patient and loving (again, I assume) mother. Kid’s been shouting odd things in line about how he’s being murdered and whatnot, which is turning a lot of heads, but I figure this’ll be fun. Let’s see how he does on the ride. So, he’s sitting next to me, and he’s carrying on a bit on the lift--which again, I’m finding amusing more than annoying—but he’s locked in during the ride. (Which is probably the point of mom bringing him here, right?) Anyway, train gets back to the station and overshoots. Now, I spent many years working rides, so I’m pretty sure I knew what had happened before the ride ops even did. But immediately my heart sinks, because I know that the restraints are tied to the ride's position in the station. So we’re stuck there for 10 or 15 minutes waiting on maintenance to come move the train back into position and this kid is losing his mind. He’s screaming at the top of his lungs about wanting his phone, why he can’t just get off the ride, how a kid died in the wave pool a couple of weeks ago, you name it. His poor mother is doing her best to distract him, but there’s no hope. And all I can do is wince (he is basically just screaming in my ear) and smile and try not to laugh at the sheer awfulness of it all. The ride manager comes out to talk to him, and he offers to let the kid ride again (because he’s mentioned that). The line was closed by this point, and I probably could’ve weaseled my way back on with them…but I was good at that point. His mother thanked me when we got off. Not sure why. Just for not being an a-hole, I guess. But what can I say? Just like the train overshot the station, sometimes a situation overshoots annoying and lands right in effing hilarious. Plus, let’s be real here. I only had to deal with it for like 15 minutes. For this kid and his mom, it’s basically a lifetime of no choice but to deal with it. Cars in the park as advertisement. Very Six Flags. And a lot of this park is, sadly, despite its charms. On the other hand, this is pretty great. I didn’t ride. Not sure if I could have. But I’ve been on a proper adult one at Kennywood. So no big deal either way. I always ride these things, though. Also, you can’t park your stroller there unless you promise that your child will one day shop at that grocery store. I did go to that grocery store while I was in town. As well as another one called “Karns.” Because I always like to check out the local grocery stores. Is that weird? Maybe the most interesting part of these is that they’re dual tracked “racers,” with classic cars on one side and sports cars on the other. Twizzlers Twisted Gravity was quite good. I think I just like anything named after candy. Note the Kissing Tower in the background, because that’s where we’re going next. The old power plant (still standing for…reasons?), the remnants of the old chocolate factory, the new-ish corporate offices, the Reading Railroad (as in, “take a ride on the Reading”) and the Hersheypark Monorail--which was closed all weekend, much to my unhappiness. I really wanted to ride that. I got the impression they just didn’t want to run it in the fall. The same way they didn’t want to run their water rides, since it was only in the 80’s all weekend. In the queue for the Kissing Tower, there’s a sign that says something like, “Smooching is okay, but no food or drinks, please.” So I get in line, and a woman directly in front of me, who’s by herself, looks at me, looks at the sign, and then exits the line. I’m trying not to take it personally. Fahrenheit. Same trains at Storm Chaser. I just can’t imagine a reality where I would not completely hate a ride on this. Which is unfortunate. But I can’t imagine not being incredibly handsome, either. You don’t always get a choice with these things. That Kissing Tower lady's loss. I assume they didn’t want to run their water rides because half the time the park was going to be open would be at night--and people tend not to ride water rides at night, even if it’s warm. On the other hand, they only ran Trailblazer during the day, and then shut it down at night so a haunted house could use its queue. Really, I’m just bitter because I really wanted to ride their log flume, Coal Cracker. Which this is not. I wouldn’t have ridden this anyway. Honestly, I probably could’ve predicted that the water rides would be closed when I was planning the trip, if I’d thought about it. But I don't have to like it. Lightning Racer’s exit at night. One side is called Thunder, and the other side is called Lightning. Which I just can’t get behind. That’s not the right way to name things. Do I have to explain this? It’s just…wrong. You get it, right? It's not just me? I did check out one of the houses. Auntie Mortem’s Something Something. It was alright. Haunted attractions aren’t really my thing. I do enjoy the theming and seeing how they do throughput, what little tricks they have, and things like that. I don’t scare particularly easy, though--especially not in this kind of setting. So I kind of feel bad when I don’t really react the way they expect me to. I was also there by myself, which is interesting in the “horror night” context, where you’re maybe supposed to experience it more as a group, I reckon. Otherwise, being by myself didn’t really have too many downsides. Oh. A photo so bad that it circled back around again to being good? I was under the impression that Great Bear was on the less forceful side, but I did not find it so. I also thought it rather rough. I liked its setting and the way it interacted with some of the other rides, though. If you’re already in Hersheypark, you can take this bridge over to check out ZooAmerica at no extra charge. But I saw it earlier when Hersheypark wasn’t open to maximize time over cost. Also, it’s closed at night, so you couldn’t do what I just described right now anyway. But here’s the entrance to that bridge, if you just wanted to know what it looks like. sooperdooperLooper, Skyrush, and Comet. Have I talked about Comet? PTC goodness from 1946. Nothing too crazy, but lots of fun. Cool weird T-shaped layout. Obviously more modern trains and braking system than it originally had. But just feels like (and is) a gem. Also a PTC carousel. (With special semi-hidden mirror selfie by me!) I don’t normally like to brag about my ignorance. But all weekend I kept seeing people with 21 Pilots shirts. And I had no idea what that was. At first I assumed it was a band or something. But there were so many. Like, 1 in every 10 guests had one of these shirts. Maybe it was a clothing brand? Or like a joke of some sort? Well, turns out it was a band. And they were playing onsite/next door at Hershey Arena on Saturday night. Anyway, I can’t tell you if they’re any good or not, but their show contributed to this photo. So they can be proud of that, I suppose. What did I think of Hersheypark? Well, I really liked Chocolate World and Chocolate Town. But the rest of the park, while not without bright spots, was less to my taste. But one way I judge a park is by what they have that I like, and what they’re missing. I tend not to judge them poorly for having rides or attractions that I don’t like, because I can just skip those. It’s like a buffet. If I went to an all-vegetable buffet, I’d probably be pretty unhappy with it. But if I went to a pizza and ice cream buffet, I probably wouldn’t be too bothered if they also had some vegetables. I just wouldn’t eat those. Especially if they were first generation Intamin vegetables. Another way I judge parks in on their policies, and Hershey’s were fine and consistent. For example, on the aggressive rides, you could only wear glasses if you had a strap. That’s easy and clear. Signage, announcements, and employees were all on the same page. Every coaster had free lockers and/or someplace to leave your items in the station. That’s all great. I didn’t run into any policies that I thought were especially stupid, punished planning, or seemed unfair or inconsistent. So, on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being Europa-Park and 0 being Uncle Bernie’s, I give Hersheypark a 9. But if you took away Chocolate World and Chocolate Town, it would fall to like a 4. Although, if you did take those away, I’m not sure how you would get in and out of the park. Maybe the trolley? Wait…are we still on the trolley? What year is this? [*screaming from inside the house*]

Hard to tell much from this. The park looks realty cool, though. Thanks for sharing!

I definitely agree. I visited the park on the Friday later in the day. Sky Ride and Carousel are closed for annual maintenance. Falcon's Fury has been closed for weeks but may have reopened since then (the app shows a 5 minute wait but it isn't accurate with closed and open rides). That left the train, Serengeti Flyer and bumper cars as the only non coaster rides open while I was at the park. The rapids are open but close at 4, 2 hours before the park closes for the day. Same with the new Wild Oasis area, closed at 4. You would think that with the log flume closed, they would keep the 1 water ride they have open until at least 5 or even closing time. In addition to Iron Gwazi running 1 train, Sheikra was also running 1 train even with the wait up to 70 minutes earlier. The computer systems were also down meaning no way to get Busch Bucks or any other rewards that can't be accessed on your phone. They tried the mandatory lockers earlier last week at Iron Gwazi and it didn't go so well with not enough lockers. When I walked past the ride when leaving the park, they had the old loose article policy signs out and the metal detector was off to the side near the entrance but not in use. Even with the operational issues, for a 75 minute visit and being able to ride Kumba twice, Phoenix Rising twice and Sheikra (Quick Queue) is still good. I stayed in the back of the park because Howl O Scream visitors were allowed in at that point and the rides in the front of the park had longer lines.

I still find it a little odd that they didn't go with the 10-wide trains on this "worlds largest dive coaster." But thanks for the update!

We went to the park yesterday for the first time. CGA and SFDK are the last of the domestic legacy Cedar and Legacy Six for us to finally visit. We went into CGA with Fast Lane which was worth its weight in gold given the Labor Day crowds. What wasn’t worth its weight in gold was Gold Striker. What a disappointment to an otherwise great day. This ride is a 10/10 on pacing, layout, intensity, etc. - especially for a GCI. Even the luxury cushioning on my beloved Millennium Flyers couldn’t keep me from pulling a muscle in my neck mid ride from being jostled just right. Ended up in First Aid with an ice pack which I wore up until getting an epic front seat ride on Railblazer. Thankfully that didn’t bother my neck. As someone who doesn’t mind the roughness of Mine Blower, most SLCs, and the late Arrow mega loopers, Gold Striker scarred my ego a bit lol. Has it been too much for anyone else as of late? I thought we’d be safe in row 3. Really loved that Sky Buckets are on Fast Lane - did several laps. The old school B&Ms gave all the feels. Even Patriot was smoother than Penguin Trek. Having a full Starbucks was nice, which we are missing from Worlds of Fun. Glad we were able to experience everything and the park seemed to be firing on all cylinders. Not sure we’ll ever need back, but glad to get here for the history and nostalgia factor.