Movieguy Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 So, as my old signature told you for so many months, I finally got a chance to go down to Hershey, PA this year. I lucked out big time with the weather, as I had 3 really beautiful days to enjoy in both Hershey, and Harrisburg, where I stayed. I'll keep the text part as brief as I can, because I have a lot of pics. I'll get right to some of my thoughts on what I thought were the two highlight coasters: Farenheit: I LOVED this coaster. Inversions, smoothness, and speed are what I like in a coaster, and Farenheit delivered in all that and more. There were even some sweet moments of airtime. Best of all, the longest I ever had to wait in the 4 times I rode it was an hour, because of the very efficient ride ops. Storm Runner: Very rarely do I ride a coaster that absolutely takes my breath away, and Storm Runner is the first one in years to do it to me. The launch is both frightening and thrilling at the same time, and the amount of airtime you get is unparalleled in anything else I've ridden. My only complaint is that my neck got thrown into the otsr's more than once. Unfortunately, after the second day at Hershey Park, I found that my 3 day flex pass had fallen out of my pocket somehow...but, I still decided to stay an extra day to relax, and found other things to enjoy, which you'll see in these photos. I should also note I ate well down there too. In addition to the park food, I got to have breakfast in places like Waffle House and Cracker barrel, both in Harrisburg, and dinner at a Red Lobster. I also went to the local DQ a couple of times for chocolate dipped cones. Good stuff! So Long, Hershey Park. I hope to come back and experience your awesomeness again someday. Hardee's! I haven't been to one of these in 10 years. Those thickburgers are great! Gotta love performers who'll put up with anything they have to dress in. Whoops...almost forgot Comet. Another great little woodie. This computerized map had to be the coolest thing they had in there. A lot of modernized displays populated the place as well. They even show you the tub where the man got his start. A theater that showed you the chocolate making process. All kinds of displays, and posters from the past. This place was very elaborate and well kept. And here's what I discovered on the 3rd day. A wonderful museum dedicated to Mr Chocolate himself. Singing cows...free chocolate. What's not to love? Of course, I went to Chocolate World too. Don't mind me kid...I'm just busy geeking out here. They've even got some old sit down cabinets. Stern Pinball credits are always good. I've never seen half of these machines in person before. A mix of old...and even older! So many childhood memories come back in this place... There are so many old video games here. Including a Name That Tune machine, which I haven't seen since I was 4! The giant Hercules table still works though. Joy! Most of them were broken, though... Pinball? *queue Hallelujah music!* Little shot of the Hershey School, from Farenheit's queue. Subway has become the new Starbucks...they're EVERYWHERE, even Hershey. Big splash time! Nice little shot of the Ferris Wheel. The ride's a bit short, but the unique layout more than makes up for it. It's quite possibly the smoothest B&M invert I've ever been on. People have said good things about this one for years, and I can see why... For the first time since 2004, I get my Beemer fix! The SuperDooperSingleLooper...an oldie, but still a goodie! (Always a short wait, too.) A Schwarzkopf looper without otsr's. I had never experienced such a thing before. After lunch, it was on to a mild, but still unique thrill. Now here's something that caught me off guard. Great place to get lunch! The Boardwalk looked nice. Decided not to do the water rides, though. The Racing aspect, however, still made this coaster a fun experience. To be honest, this one was just a little rougher that I was expecting. The lift hill... Peeps coming back from a ride, as I prepare for mine. After Wildcat, I made my way to the other GCI woodie, Lightning Racer. And the Smoke Stacks of Hershey itself. The Lightning Racer... The station even offers a good view of other things, like the Flume... This was my first ever GCI Woodie, and I have to say, it impressed me. After my Dots, I set my sights on Wildcat. You've been on one, you've been on them all. I bypassed Sidewinder. Personal trip tradition. Always gotta get me some Dippin Dots! The launch on this is awesome. Really gets your heart pounding. Luckily, the queue was always fairly short on this one, thanks to the unique double station. Next stop, Storm Runner. Great ride. Easily in my top 10 coasters now. Look at that hill! Incredible. Getting ready to go. My first wait was about an hour, but it was well worth it. First stop, Farenheit! At last, I have arrived! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jslim39 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Sweet TR! I hope to get back there someday to ride Fahrenheit... my visit was the year before it opened... Glad you agree on Great Bear... I liked it more than Raptor at CP... love the short but snappy layout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECZenith Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 All of a sudden I find myself missing the east coast... Fahrenheit looks epic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emiroo Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Loved this TR. Especially the arcade shots. They have some real classics in there...and a working 720 cabinet is near impossible to find! I've never been there and Hershey is definitely on my to do list. Would you say 3 days was too long, short or just right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Movieguy Posted July 24, 2009 Author Share Posted July 24, 2009 ^ I'd say 3 days was just long enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dino Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Cool TR. I so want to go to Hershey Park now. As much as I love coasters though, I'd probably spend all day in that arcade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeboy23 Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Great TR! I need to make it back there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowaymang Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Awesome TR. A room of mostly broken pinball machines is always a little sad though *sniff* At least the Hercules was working. Last one I saw was at Cedar Point and it was not working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willh51 Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 I haven't done the PA parks in three years now and definitely need to get back to Hershey. Wildcat and L-Racer are definitely awesome, though I think I liked L-R more than Wildcat, which was sick when I rode it opening season. I wouldn't be surprised if Kings Dominion actually gets something like Fahrenheit, which wouldn't be such a bad thing I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavs Fan Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Great TR. It sounds like you had a bunch of fun. The museum is pretty cool. Almost as cool as the arcade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastercrazed49 Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 That's strange that you found Lightning Racers rough. I was there the week before you and I found the ride to be very smooth. I found Wildcat to be a lot more rough. Cool pictures. Makes me wish I was I could be there again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Movieguy Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 ^ Well, keep in mind, this was my first experience with GCI coasters. I didn't even know Wildcat was GCI until recently. I've always heard about how smooth they are, so maybe my expectations were a little too high. Looking back on my comments, though, I think I was a little too harsh on LR. It's definitely a lot smoother than other woodies I've been on, now that I really think about it. I'd like to go back there next summer, maybe, and give it another chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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