Hershey, PA, is like no other place on earth: A town made from chocolate. Okay, that's every kid's dream but not quite accurate. In truth, Milton Hershey made his fortune with milk chocolate and built a town--and then the beginnings of an amusement park--for his workers. I've been going to Hershey, PA, all my life. We didn't have family vacations, but we had Hershey Park, my father's favorite destination.
Now I live nearby. Of course I take my houseguests to Hersheypark and to Chocolate World--the rides, the candy, the "sweetest place on earth!" But that's not the Hershey from my childhood, not the Hershey I love. Most people would say that place is gone; I like to think it's just harder to see. When I drive through town, I know which routes around the park give me the best view of the days before fences and admission prices--where the Comet wooden rollercoaster, or the picnic pavillions, or the little carp-packed creek. For those few minutes, it's a nice little trip back.
Recently, a section of town has undergone a metamorphosis. The Hershey Museum of old (you knew there had to be a museum in this piece!), which used to sit at the edge of the park, has closed. Its resplendent replacement, the Hershey Story, shines prominently on Chocolate Avenue, just west of the chocolate factory. In one word: "Gorgeous." In two words: "Well done."
The first floor is Cafe Zooka, the Chocolate Lab (I'll get to that one), and ubiquitous gift shop. My friend Matt and I started with lunch, Cubano panini for him, chicken and strawberry salad for me. Excellent. It was good that we did not choose dessert, because the cafe offers the Countries of Origins Chocolate Tastings. We shared a "flight" of six from around the globe, all within 20 degrees of the equator. Even though Java was the lightest and I'm a milk chocolate kind of girl, I liked Equador the best. Full bodied, velvety texture. Now I know why they call it chocolate liquor.
Matt and I walked upstairs to the Hershey Story itself--a beautiful museum dedicated to the life and accomplishments of Milton Hershey. Hershey failed at business a number of times before turning to first caramel and then (what I consider a natural progression) to milk chocolate. But that's only part of his story. Milk required cows, so he moved his business to the PA countryside (closer to the dairy!) and then began to build the town. After that it was gardens, a carousel, a bandstand, a pool, a school for orphans . . . on and on. Not just a candymaker, Milton Hershey was both visionary and philanthropist.
And that's where I got to see "my Hershey" again. Photos of the town through the years. A machine that wraps Kisses (it moves when you push a button). Chocolate-bar molds people lucky enough to have toured the factory will remember. A timeline of Hershey bars through the years: the Rally bar? Hershey-ettes? Butter-chip? I'd forgotten all of them.
For those looking to do more than reminisce (yes, the kids!), the Story has many interactive features. I got to design my own chocolate bar and get my picture taken as though I was riding the first Hershey coaster, the Wild Cat. (Would have liked that better if it had been the Lost Jungle, but this was pretty good.) I even got to email them to myself! I wouldn't recommend this as a place for toddlers, but school-age children will really like it.
The Chocolate Lab, on the first floor next to the cafe, is a chocolate classroom. When we passed, the room was full of school-age children in food-prep bonnets listening attentively to a woman talk about geography--as it relates to chocolate, of course. The Lab offers a number of hands-on classes, open to the public, and tickets are discounted if bought with a museum ticket. I'm glad I got to see the factory when they still had tours, but I think if given a choice back then--hmm, look at chocolate in vats or actually touch, smell, taste chocolate. Not a tough decision.
The Hershey Story will probably fill up every time it rains (parents need to take their kids somewhere until the rides open again), but it shouldn't be relegated to just a dry alternative to the park. It's a interesting and engaging--I'd even call it sweet--trip in time.
Nice piece and strong ending, Boyd. Well done. Having been there, it's interesting to see how you approached it.
Posted by: Matt | April 05, 2009 at 02:58 PM