As a 2018 Sweetest Moms Ambassador I’ve partnered with Hershey Entertainment & Resorts to bring you all the best news from the Sweetest Place on Earth. I’ve been provided with complimentary services in exchange for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
A few weeks ago I shared with you 5 Christmas traditions in Hershey, PA that my family enjoys every holiday season. This past weekend we got to cross a few of those off our Christmas to-do list. We have already had a bit of a rough winter with sicknesses, so this was a welcome escape for us, and a wonderful way to really get in the spirit.
Below is a photo tour of our visit. I hope it helps to get you in the spirit too! At the end of this post, you’ll find links to each of these attractions to help you plan your visit.
The Hotel Hershey
We stayed for two nights at The Hotel Hershey, which is my favorite Hersheypark Resort, particularly this time of year.
It’s totally decked out in holiday cheer!
The lobby is full of beautiful white poinsettias and there are Christmas trees sprinkled throughout the property.
I was delighted to see this mailbox for letters to Santa near the registration desk! Upon check in, they gave each of my kids a letter to fill out to mail to the Big Guy, with a promise that he’ll write back.
Before we checked out, they mailed their letters. Now we’re anxiously checking the mail!
The Fountain Lobby is a hub of activity and where you’ll find special events like Breakfast With Santa, and the restaurants are mostly clustered in this area, too. It’s beautiful at any time of year, but check out that giant Christmas tree.
There are more poinsettias here, too. Beautiful!
We found a lot more holiday cheer in the gift shops. The Hotel Hershey has a handful of shops that all feature unique items. I love to see what’s new every time we visit. There’s lots of fun holiday decor available right now. How cute are these gourds?
My Dad always loved a bright red cardinal, so I think of him every time I see one. These are gorgeous!
The Hershey Gardens
An overnight stay at any of the Hersheypark Resorts will also include tickets to the Hershey Story Museum and The Hershey Gardens.
I’ve been following Hershey Gardens on Facebook so I knew they had a huge Christmas tree display and had to see it for myself. If you are local, you need to check this out this holiday season!
In addition to the beautiful poinsettia Christmas tree in the middle of the floor, they have a bunch of professionally decorated trees available to enjoy. These are incredible!
Still need a festive Christmas photo? This is a great spot with plenty of natural light!
This tree is amazing with tons of monarchs all over it, a tribute to the Butterfly Conservatory on the other side of the building.
And even that is decorated for Christmas! The butterflies love all of the colorful lights. And I loved that it’s WARM in here. I could have stayed in here for hours and pretended I was in Florida. The Butterfly Conservatory is open year-round, so keep that in mind when you need a little tropical reprieve.
This butterfly is stunning!
It was pretty chilly during our visit, but we did bundle up and walk outside for a while. You can see The Hotel on the hill above the kids. There were special activities planned in the Children’s Garden and each of the kids got to make an ornament.
Hersheypark Christmas Candylane
Of course a visit to Hersheypark’s Christmas Candylane has to be on the agenda. They opened at noon when we were there, but we waited until dark (which is pretty early these days!) because it’s just more magical with the lights on.
Christmas Candylane gets bigger and better each year. There are over 4 million lights!
We bundled up and enjoyed a few rides. There are over 40 of them open, weather permitting.
One of our favorite things to do is to go see the reindeer. The staff at ZooAmerica are on hand to answer questions and tell you all about these magical guys. All 9 reindeer, Rudolph included, are here through January 1.
When in Hershey, eat (and drink) all the chocolate. There are several spots throughout the park to grab a hot chocolate. We stopped at the one right near the reindeer where they were serving them with ‘the works’ to include marshmallows, whipped cream, and mini chocolate chips. The kids were in Heaven!
We snapped one more pic with our hot chocolate and all of the lights in the background before heading over to Hershey’s Chocolate World.
Hershey’s Chocolate World
This year, there’s the coolest tunnel of lights between Hersheypark and Chocolate World. Definitely get some pics in there. It’s so pretty!
Chocolate World is all decorated up for Christmas, too, but the real joy is inside with all the candy! This is a great place to grab holiday baking supplies, and some stocking stuffers.
I stocked up on those brand new Hot Cocoa Hershey Kisses because I can’t find them anywhere else and they are AMAZING!
Toward the back of the building, Santa Claus is available for sharing wish lists and taking photos. I am convinced this is THE Santa Claus. Even my 13 year-old daughter was caught up in the magic.
Santa had my son laughing, too. This is so much fun for kids of all ages. Actually, it was just as much fun for me!
Santa sits right outside of the chocolate house which is made entirely of Hershey’s candy! The more you look, the more detail you see.
Isn’t it incredible?! And if it makes you hungry for chocolate, well, you’ll be in the right place.
Plan Your Hershey, PA Holiday Visit
Ready to visit Hershey over the holidays? These links will help you find out more about the things we enjoyed our our trip:
Gina says
My whole family is heading up to Hershey this weekend. I really liked your helpful idea’s to make it a fun weekend. Merry Christmas!
Lindsay Frank says
You’re welcome, Gina! I hope you had a wonderful time. We were just there last weekend. Hershey at Christmastime is magical. Merry Christmas!