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When we decided to spend a day in Hershey, PA, I admittedly didn’t know much about the history of the town or the man it’s named for. I mean, I am a huge fan of Hershey (the chocolate), but it turns out that there’s quite a bit to learn about Milton S. Hershey and this little town built on a chocolate candy bar. If you love history – or Hershey – then you’ll want to make sure you stop at The Hershey Story Museum the next time you’re passing through Pennsylvania.
Disclosure: I received complimentary admission to this attraction. As always, all words and opinions are completely my own.
The Hershey Story Museum was easy to find as it’s located in the heart of downtown Hershey. We arrived around lunchtime so we decided to stop at The Pantry Cafe first. The cafe is located just inside the museum and offers salads, sandwiches and bakery items. It was really convenient for us to go directly from the cafe into the museum. I definitely recommend checking out their menu online first, especially if you have little ones who are extra picky or anyone with food allergies.
Travel tip: You can park for free in the Hershey Downtown Parking Garage. It’s located at 103 W. Chocolate Ave.
There’s quite a bit to do and see at the museum, even though the building isn’t that large. It’s a self-guided tour and you can go at your own pace. As a family with young kids, I found that we spend most of our time with the interactive activities and minimal time going through the permanent museum galleries. The history lover in me cringes at this thought, but I keep reminding myself that in a few years they’ll likely be interested in everything more to spend time reading through the exhibits.
Museum exhibits
A docent at the door recommended that we start with the upstairs museum galleries first. It starts at the very beginning of Milton Hershey’s life and then goes through the history of his business endeavors and then his legacy that still thrives today. You can start downstairs if you prefer, but we thought we’d start from the beginning. Jamie and I had to take turns reading all the details in the exhibits, because kids.
We both found it fascinating. For instance, did you know that Milton Hershey’s first TWO candy businesses actually failed and he had to file bankruptcy? And that he only started Hershey Chocolate Company after having some success in the caramel business? Or that Milton Hershey’s greatest legacy isn’t necessarily his chocolate company but rather his contributions to education and his other philanthropic endeavors? Liam (who is 5) wasn’t that interested in most of these details, but there was at least one interactive piece of each exhibit he really enjoyed. We got to see a working machine that was used to wrap Hershey’s Kisses and design some Hershey chocolate bar labels. My favorite exhibit was the last one about Milton Hershey’s living legacy and the lasting impact he made on the community of Hershey.
Insider tip: You can purchase an Apprentice Guide with your child’s admission ticket. This allows them to participate in a scavenger hunt throughout the exhibits. We didn’t do this activity, but it sounds like fun. We definitely plan to do this the next time we visit the museum.
Special exhibit gallery – Mr. Hershey’s Cuba
The downstairs special exhibit gallery is always rotating, which is something I love about museums – you can always go back and see something different. This particular exhibit is all about Hershey, Cuba. Oh, you didn’t know that there was a town in Cuba called Hershey too? Neither did I. Milton Herhsey also started up this town in Cuba in order to get into the sugar manufacturing industry. The exhibit shares details from Hershey’s entire venture from 1916-1946, but it primarily focuses on 1940, which is 14 years after the town’s creation.
This was probably Liam’s favorite out of all the exhibits because there were more interactive displays. He and Jamie had a blast putting different sugar and fiber samples under a microscope to see what they looked like close up. There was also a centrifugal machine which allowed us to see how the liquid reacted when spun. This exhibit will run through 2019.
Chocolate tastings
Forget beer and airplanes – this is the only kind of flight you really need. Hands down, the chocolate tasting was our absolute favorite part of our entire visit to The Hershey Story Museum. There’s an additional cost to this experience, but in my opinion, you’d be doing yourself a huge disservice if you skipped it. You can get a full or half flight (live on the edge – get the full flight) of single-origin warm drinking chocolates from around the world. It’s a great way to sample chocolate from different cacao-growing regions and learn what unique tones and flavors come from where. Chocolate makers typically combine cacao beans from different origins in order to create their desired flavor profiles. So that’s part of why chocolate tastes so different depending on form or brand.
The chocolate you’ll taste here will be from Java, Tanzania, Ghana, Venezuela and Mexico. You’ll also get to compare them to Hershey’s milk chocolate. My favorite was the chocolate from Java – I would have happily enjoyed an entire mug. Jamie’s favorite was the chocolate from Ghana while Liam loved the Hershey’s milk chocolate (no surprise there).
Cost is $10 for a full flight of six or $6 for a half flight of three. They also have chocolate tastings for kids for $6. These include a cup of warm milk a chocolate stirring lolly.
Insider tip: start with the sipping chocolate with the highest cacao content first and work your way towards the Hershey’s milk chocolate.
Chocolate Lab
This hands-on experience is equal parts fun and educational. Since the Chocolate Lab is only available to ages four and older, Jamie and Caleb toured the museum shop while Liam and I donned some super fashionable aprons. It was a holiday-themed class because it was the week of Thanksgiving. Liam and I got to pour and decorate our own snowflake chocolate bars. While we waited for our chocolate bars to set, we learned more about growing and harvesting cacao beans and about the chocolate-making process.
This activity takes around 45 minutes and class themes will vary. You can check out the museum’s event calendar for times and descriptions. Tickets can only be purchased in person on the day of the class. Just because a class is on the calendar doesn’t mean that there will be openings. The morning class on the day we visited was reserved for a school group and wasn’t open to the public.
Although this class is open for kids as young as four, I do want to mention that it’s a lot of sitting and there are some rules everyone needs to follow for kitchen safety. Liam is five and was fine during the class. However, it’s not something I think we could have done a year ago. You know your child best, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.
Special programs
The Hershey Story Museum has several seasonal programs and special events throughout the year. Their holiday activities include Little Elves Workshops (with sensory-friendly classes), Snowball Saturdays, and a New Year’s Eve countdown. You can find upcoming special events here.
The hours for the museum vary depending on the season, so check their website while planning your visit. Admission to The Hershey Story Museum costs $9 for ages 3-12, $12.50 for ages 12-61 and $11.50 for ages 62 and up. Kids under three are free. The admission fee doesn’t include the cost of the Chocolate Lab or Chocolate Tasting. Both of these experiences can be purchased in person at the museum.
Insider tip: Guests of Hotel Hershey and Hershey Lodge get complimentary admission to The Hershey Story Museum and Hershey Gardens.
We are so glad we stopped by The Hershey Story Museum on this trip. Liam can’t stop talking about our Chocolate Tasting and Chocolate Lab experiences. Can’t wait to visit again someday!
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