Follow along with Joe Berk as he tells you about what makes Hershey an exciting motorcycle touring destination: fun back roads and plenty of chocolate.
The Skinny
- What: Hershey, Pennsylvania. Milton Hershey’s company town and museum make for a great destination.
- How to Get There: Hershey is 93 miles west (and a bit north) of Philadelphia. From Philadelphia, take Interstate 76 west and follow the signs for Hershey. From the west, take Interstate 81 east.
- Best Kept Secrets: The riding and the food. For world-class dining, a restaurant called “What If” is tucked away in the basement of a Howard Johnson motel (if you don’t look for it, you won’t see it). For breakfast or lunch, The Pantry (just outside of downtown) gets my nod. Trust me, both are awesome.
- Don’t Miss: It’s all good; with the Hershey Museum a personal favorite.
- Avoid: Not checking the weather. This part of the world can get cold and icy during the winter months.
- More Info: Pennsylvania Family Vacation Destination | Hershey, PA
- More Photos: The ExhaustNotes Blog
There’s an old saying: The difference between a success and a failure is that a failure is a person who stays down, and a success is a person who refuses to stay down. By that measure, Milton Hershey (the man who started the Hershey candy company) certainly was a success. His first two attempts at candy companies flopped, but Hershey made it big on his third attempt, his company became an American icon, and the town where it is all located came to bear his name. On that topic, this article touches on three Hersheys: The chocolate company, the town, and the man.
I first visited Hershey back in the 1960s. Two things stood out in my mind on that first visit: The streetlights looked like giant Hershey’s kisses and the entire town had a chocolate aroma. The streetlights have not changed (they are still the same Hershey’s Kisses), but I was surprised on my most recent visit: There was no chocolate smell. Folks who live in the area tell me the aromas change daily, a function of the weather and what the Hershey plant is making that day.
There are several things to see and do in and around Hershey, but the factory tour I remembered as a kid is no more (more on that in a second). The Hershey Museum is impressive, with exhibits related to the chocolate company, the town, and the man. Milton Hershey was a visionary. As he built the Hershey Chocolate Company, he also created a modern town. Hershey built homes with electricity, indoor plumbing, and central heating (all modern amenities in the early 1900s). Hershey included a trolley, a free public education system, a zoo, an amusement park, a golf course and more.
The Hershey Museum (now called The Hershey Story Museum on Chocolate Avenue) is on the main drag through Hershey (U.S. Highway 422, or Chocolate Avenue). It focuses on Milton Hershey’s development of the chocolate manufacturing process. The exhibits include equipment from the early days of Hershey’s work. It’s an easy place to spend a couple of hours. The factory tour I remembered as a kid has been replaced by what is essentially a theme park ride (you get into little cars that run along a track through a Disney-like make-believe factory). I suppose Hershey is protecting its proprietary processes, but I was hoping for the tour I remembered. Still, it was fun, and the exit for the tour deposits you into what has to be the world’s largest candy store. I had no idea the Hershey umbrella included so many brands.
The best kept secrets in Hershey? Pennsylvania’s back roads. If you get off the freeways, just about any country road makes for a magnificent ride. Lancaster is a short 28 miles away, and Lancaster County is the heart of the Amish country. I rode many of these roads more than 50 years ago when I was stationed at nearby Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, and the roads today are as magnificent as they were then (Pennsylvania is a motorcycling paradise). Next up is the food; it’s all great (see The Skinny for a couple of gems).
The riding, the scenery, the history, the cuisine, and of course, the chocolate all come together in Hershey. If you have a sweet tooth, Hershey is where you want to be. — Joe Berk
