peteb

I have a relative who rode SooperDooperLooper when it opened in 1977 and the wait averaged 2+ hours! And at the same time you could ride the Trailblazer as many times as you wanted without getting off; apparently nobody could find it is was so far tucked into a dead end corner of the park. Does anyone know when and why the cuddle up was removed? That was a pretty unique ride and a much larger version than some others, like the one at Knoebels.

A major coaster may not be a bad idea for Hersheypark; they've done it before. The SooperDooperLooper was one of the first if not the first looping coaster on the east coast when it was opened. That was a pretty major ride for it's day. That expansion in the 70's is what put Hersheypark on the map.

I think the downtown monorail station was closed when Hershey ended the factory tours and opened Chocolate World.(late 70's ?) There may have even been a station in the zoo as well, which was not in operation when Chocolate World openedl; I believe the zoo was wiped out in a flood and rebuilt years later into Zoo America. I seem to remember also that both skyrides were in operation simultaneously; the round tripper and the one way to Minetown. That's another cool thing about Hersheypark; if you look around hard enough you can find little bits of the past here and there, like the building that used to house the cuddle up, and the bridges and paths that criss cross the water of comet hollow near the aqua theater that were part of the roadway for the old trackless gas powered cars (replaced by the twin turnpike). And I'm sure there's more.

I agree. Hershey is a really interesting place; there is so much history inside and outside the park, it would be nice to have the town and park better linked together. I bet most people never venture into the downtown area, the most they get is a glimpse from the top of Great Bear or the Kissing Tower. Years ago the monorail had a stop for the factory tour visitor center downtown; the stop is still there but unused. It would be cool to bring that back. The park is pretty spread out, but the quirky layout has a lot of history behind it and makes the place really unique; it's always an adventure to find things. There used to be another sky ride (similar to the Skyview) which ran between founders circle(you can still see the loading station) and the Minetown Restaurant/Arcade. I'm not sure when it was removed, looks like it used to run where part of Great Bear now stands. A new resort would be nice; the Hershey lodge is too land locked and the Hotel Hershey is nice but expensive. One of the resort bus drivers a year ago was talking about a rumored resort, water park and connecting monorail idea that was being tossed around with the old Hershey Technical school (abandoned building on the hill down from the Hotel Hershey) grounds a possible site. Interestingly enough this summer I noticed demolition crews working inside the old buildings, removing materials, possibly remediation work. Does anyone have any information on what's happening to this site?

Back in 2004 I was searching for some information on Japanese coasters having been in Japan a few years back and came across a link for your Japan 2004 trip. I remember reading the TR's and thinking how cool it was to get great information and pics while laughing my head off. It's nice to read reviews that aren't all complaints from people that seem to know how to have fun even when things suck. Thanks for all the work you put into this site.

Just spent the last two days at Hersheypark and rode Stormrunner 5 times. The launch and tophat are excellent, but the rest of the ride was just average. And the OTSR's made the ride a headbanger; they need to be removed; they are poorly designed, especially the thinner profile big boy restraints we accidentally wound up in once which karate chop your neck in the quick right-left headbanger element just before the break run. The lap bar does all the work holding you in anyway. The ride ran without problems both days, so it seems like all the technical issues have been worked out with this size launched coaster. It's getting rough; we had less headbanging on the Sidewinder, believe it or not (Vekoma Boomerang). In the end I think Intamin has created a cool ride to add to any amusement park, but I don't think they are near the quality of a B&M ride. After riding Great Bear I was wondering how a B&M interpretation of this ride would come out.