Despite living a short two-hour drive from Hershey, Pennsylvania, we’ve somehow never made the journey up to visit Hersheypark with the kids. I went to the park years ago (when I was a kid), but I had absolutely no memory of it. I just had a vague recollection of the “factory tour” at Chocolate World and getting a Hershey’s Kiss on the way out.

So the day we recently spent in the park for Christmas Candylane – their holiday-themed annual event – was essentially the first time any of us had been to the park. And I’m just going to get this out of the way right now: We’ll be back. With 14 roller coasters (only 5 that were in operation the day we were there), we HAVE to go back.

The Deets

Christmas Candylane runs throughout December, and the park is open every day through New Year’s Day (except Christmas Day). Check here for hours. Because of the reduced number of attractions, tickets for Christmas Candylane are significantly cheaper than full-price summer tickets, and I’d even go so far as to call them a bargain! Tickets, packages, and add-ons are available here.

Before we dive into the weeds here, I really want to put in a plug for the all-day souvenir mug that’s available during Christmas Candylane. We’re not usually ones to be suckered in to those all-day, refillable gimmicks, but when you taste Hersheypark’s hot chocolate, you’re going to understand what I’m talking about.

Now, I’m not sure how this hot chocolate is made, but there are signs around the park that announce each mug has almost two entire Hershey’s bars worth of chocolate melted in. A sip is all it takes. You’ll be addicted. I drank more calories worth of chocolate in one day than should be legally allowed. But I regret nothing.

The Rides

The park boats more than 70 rides, but many of those rides are geared toward the youngest members of the family. And a vast majority of the 45+ rides that are supposed to be open during Christmas Candylane are for toddlers and little kids.

Don’t get me wrong; that’s fantastic. We’re BIG fans of amusement parks that cater to the little ones (see our love affair with Kings Dominion), but with a 7- and 9-year-old in tow who are now tall enough to brave the thrill rides, that’s what we lean toward. Fourteen roller coasters is a LOT for one park, but when only 1/3 of them are open and running . . . well, I had to deal with some grumps and harrumphs. But, like I said, we’ll be back in the summer for a proper coaster marathon.

The Holiday Spirit

The entire park is draped in red and green, sparkly lights, and an abundance of Christmas spirit. The decorations are obvious during the day, but the magic really shines through when the sun goes down.

One of the two unique, must-see attractions of Christmas Candylane is NOEL, a light show featuring more than 250,000 lights synchronized to Christmas music. The show is set along a waterway beneath a few roller coasters (in an area of the park called The Hollow), and there are four different shows beginning at 5 PM (and continuing every half hour until close).

It’s quite a spectacle, and if you can time it just right, I’d highly recommend riding the Skyview gondola attraction while NOEL is running. You’ll literally pass right through the middle of the show and be surrounded by dancing lights and thunderous music. Even if you can’t time it just right (let’s be honest; lines can be finicky), riding the Skyview at night is still a magical experience worth doing.

The other unique, must-see attraction is Up on the Rooftop, Hersheypark’s only show performed during the Christmas season. It’s an original musical set on Christmas Eve night, featuring two kids who are determined to meet Santa. It’s a charming show that will give you the warm holiday fuzzies.

Other holiday-specific attractions include visits with Santa, Santa’s reindeer stables, “ice skating” (which wasn’t on actual ice but rather a large plank of wet wood), and meet-and-greets with Hersheypark’s usual candy bar characters dressed up for the winter.

The Usual, Year-round Suspects

Included with your Hersheypark admission is ZooAmerica, an 11-acre zoo that is home to more than 200 animals. The day we visited, the animals were incredibly active. The zoo isn’t decked out for Christmas at all, but it certainly makes a nice change of pace if you’re looking to escape the crowds or Christmas spirit.

Outside the entrance to the park is Hershey’s Chocolate World, the epicenter of all things sweet. There’s a massive Hershey’s store here, along with a few attractions that cost extra, but if you do only one thing in Chocolate World, it should be the (FREE!) chocolate tour ride. This dark ride runs continuously and takes only about 15 minutes, but it gives you a good primer on the chocolate-making process and all the steps involved in making a Hershey’s bar.

Plus, you get free samples at the end of the tour! How can you argue with that?

Hershey Sweet Lights

Finally, if you’re going to spend the day in Hersheypark or if you’re in the area during December, might I suggest a detour to the Hershey Sweet Lights? Drive-through Christmas light displays have become a fairly routine sight nowadays, with even the smallest towns having some kind of display.

The Hershey Sweet Lights, however, boast some 600 illuminated, animated displays; synchronized lights that dance along to music on a hyper-local radio station; and 2 miles of wooded trails.

Seriously, we thought we were at the end at least three times before we really got to the end. It’s surprisingly long and completely satisfying.

It’s a bit pricey (about $20-25 per car, depending on what day of the week it is), but if you’re only going to visit one drive-through Christmas light display (and one really is enough), it should be the Sweet Lights.

Plus, it stays open later than Hersheypark, so you can spend an entire day in the park and still have time to check out the lights. Win-win!