Hershey’s Chocolate World

You like chocolate, you like theme parks — Hershey’s Chocolate World is a no-brainer. With the swirling chocolate and dancing Kisses, it’s about as close as you can get to finding a Golden Ticket. Especially since The Wonka Candy Company isn’t actually run by oompa-loompas.

In Chocolatetown, Pa. — where you’ll find Hershey’s Chocolate World — chocolate is a way of life. Visitors can take a free tour of the factory on a ride that will take them from the rainforest to the wrapping of a candy bar. But the coolest attraction is a floor where visitors can make their own candy bar. From the ingredients to the wrapper, it’s up to you, though Hershey’s chocolate doctors will be there to guide you.

Other attractions are Hershey’s Great Chocolate Factory Mystery in 4D, an interactive movie experience in which the audience has to help solve the mystery, and — the one you’ve been waiting for — the Chocolate Tasting Adventure! This, of course, needs no explanation, but visitors will learn about the origins of chocolate and get to taste their way through the world’s different types of chocolate. You can also take the historical Trolley Works tour of Chocolatetown.

The Chocolate World also has a Dessert Creation Studio which is pretty much like jumping in a ball pit of candy and a Bake Shoppe, because all those sweets weren’t enough.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Being in Hershey (or Chocolatetown) is an experience by itself that no ride can surpass. There is a magical quality in the air, as though you are part of something special. Chocolate, after all, is something special.

Hershey’s also has candy shops in towns across the world. Some have more attractions than others, but nothing compares to the original in Pennsylvania.