Pennsylvania parks

The bottom line is, Pennsylvania has three of the best amusement parks in the country. Get to one of them and you'll be glad that you did. Get to more than one, and consider yourself even luckier.

The few times I've been to Hershey (I think on saturdays) the lines were horrendous and the cost was in the $50's. On the other hand, I've never waited for anything at Dorney for more than 15 minutes except for Talon when it first opened.

Hershey does get crowded on summer weekends but since the park started adding roller coasters ever other year, the lines seem to be fairly short by theme park standards. Comet always has a long line because it's a mild coaster and is near the park entrance but rides like Lightning Racer, Great Bear and Fahrenheit don't seem to get crowded enough to make the experience unbearable.

Hershey is a must do park. They have a great ride line up and the added area to the water park looks great. Plus having a roller coaster where you can shoot people with water is just cool.

I have found Hershey's operations to have really gone downhill. I don't think it would stop me from visitng since I really like the selection of coasters and other rides but I used to say that Hershey was my favorite park without thinking twice years ago, now I'm not so sure.

What I am talking about is running 1 train on Storm Runner when it is a 75 minute wait, running only 2 trains on Fahrenheit and having the single rider line closed when as many as 2 seats per train are going out empty (on a train that only seats 12, 2 seats is a lot), on Easter this year having only 4 coasters open and not running at capcity causing long lines even though the park wasn't crowded.

I am hoping the boardwalk expansion will hopefully keep people in the boardwalk area longer making coaster lines a little shorter but I doubt it will have the same effect that Wildwater Kingdom has on Dorney's lines where all coasters except the mouse are a walk on or 5 minute wait on summer weekdays.

That's upsetting to hear, although I have to say I have never experienced any of that in the past. Each time I go to the park, all rides are being run at capacity. The only problem seems to be the Reese's Challenge, which has weird bouts of downtime. Not saying that you're wrong, just pointing out my recent experiences.

Lord Gonchar said:
As official "Odd Man Out" I'd just like to point out that when we passed through the area last year we went to Hershey and Dorney.

I expect no one to endorse that route. :)

I have no problem with the parks. It's just the highway between them that I can't stand. Well, the part from Hamburg east to Allentown. I also don't know if that will work for timberguy. It puts him pretty far east to head back toward MI. But I like the sound of Lord Gonchar, O.M.O.

I thought we all knew that Hershey Foods doesn't own Hersheypark-- there's just a lot of cross-pollination between the two.

Glad to see so much love for my homeparks. :)
If you are planning on hitting a park on the way to or from Hershey, it sounds like Kennywood is the park for you. If you want to do a "day trip" from Hershey, then Knoebels is the way to go. Either way, both parks are great and neither will disappoint. Enjoy whichever one you choose, you can always come back to the missed park at another time.
A few tips for Hershey that I haven't seen mentioned yet, if you have the time in your schedule do the preview plan the night before. You can get in at 7:30 with your next day's ticket and only pay for parking once.
A second tip, look at the map beforehand. My one (and only) complaint about Hershey is the weird layout. It is not hard to get lost here so just be aware of where you are in the park.
While it is more expensive than Knoebels and Kennywood, you really get a lot for you money. Along with the coasters, tons of flats, there are also entertainment venues everywhere, Hershey 'characters' travel throughout the park, and one of the only Aquatheaters left. Plus the free 'Great American Chocolate Bar' tour at Chocolate World and ZooAmerica is free with admission to the park.
If you are going on a weekday, capacity shouldn't be an issue. I have only noticed that on Saturdays or when there is a mechanical issue.
Most importantly, have fun! These are all great family friendly parks!

Wow, KGC... I've been to Hershey many times with it being only a few minutes away and you managed to get me all excited about my first visit of the season! That was a great endorsement.

I can't really add too much that hasn't already been said. I would choose Kennywood this time around, but only because it's on the way and you have to choose one. I also think it's pretty cool to experience what all they have done with the limited land space they have. The way the coasters roll off the topography of the land is pretty awesome, too.

I love Pennsylvania! :) Be sure to soak up our rolling hills when you travel through. ;)

I've never been to Knoebels, so I might not be as much help compared to others. However, I have been to Kennywood, and I can atleast say that Kennywood is a very nice park. It's a very old park, so some of the history that comes with it makes me excited, because I'm just a nerd like that. But for the roller coaster line-up they have, I'm in love with them. They have some of the oldest coasters that you hardly see anywhere else, and by the sounds of it, you and your family aren't exactly looking for the major thrill rides. And also the flats and walk-through attractions are just fabulous. Kennywood is a very family-oriented park, it's not costly, and the food is very good as well. I highly suggest going here.

^^And what a great deal on Hershey. I did not know that admission to the park also came with admission to the zoo and factory.

^Thanks Carrie. I love Hersheypark almost as much as I love Knoebels.
I think Hershey has its own special magic that doesn't get talked about quite as much as Knoebels does. I always leave there Hersheypark Happy. :)

CoasterInsider, just to clarify, technically admission to Chocolate World (the factory tour) is not included with Hershey admission. The tour is free to anyone who would like to visit whether they are going to the park or not. This is a good way to spend your time if you arrive early for preview night and have some time to kill. It gives you an insight to what a great time you will have in the park.

Rob Ascough said:The bottom line is, Pennsylvania has three of the best amusement parks in the country. Get to one of them and you'll be glad that you did. Get to more than one, and consider yourself even luckier.

Where IS the love, Rob? I'd say at least five or six of the best in the country...with strong argument for adding Waldameer, and I'd argue for Lakemont and Idlewild. And maybe even Dorney (if they'd bring back The 'Hawk that I rode about a dozen years ago or so). Hershey may or may not be considered corporate - like I care, but it's one of the best "megaparks" in the country. Not that I'd be caught that close to Knoebels without stopping by...Pennsylvania almost always demands a week... ;)

^^Thanks for the clarification. How's the zoo? Is it big, lots of animals, etc?

If you choose to go to KW, visitkennywood.com has tickets for just $23 each.

^^Zooamerica is awesome! I would HIGHLY recommend it especially if you love zoos and animals in general like I do. The first time I went to Hersheypark I had no idea they had a zoo. I just kind of "discovered" it on my own. I must of spent over an hour in there! It rocks! I visit it everytime. :)

It's very beautiful and they have a little bit of everything. My personal favorite are the prairie dogs and of course, the big kitties. :)

On top of that, it's free with park admission. :)

-Tina

Okay, while we're on the topic of zoos, you guys want to make a quick stop in Toledo, OH and visit their cool zoo.

Yess, I said TOLEDO, the forgotten child of Ohio, had a preety damn good zoo.

Speaking of zoos, Akron's is installing a new carousel for 2010:

http://www.akronzoo.org/news/news.asp?NewsID=112

Now if we can just get zoos to start one-upping each other with Intamin hypers!

I agree that ZooAmerica is great for a few hours, especially if you appreciate animals like Tina and I.

Sorry to have ignored those parks, Bill. I meant no disrespect to places like Waldameer, which has jumped to the top of my list with the addition of Ravine Flyer II. It's just that Kennywood, Knoebels and Hersheypark have been fantastic all-day destination parks for so long. Waldameer is just getting there.

Yeah depending on where your coming from in Mich. you can go to Waldmeer ( they still have there Ticket system) hit the coasters and move onto Kennywood spend the day. Next day drive across state you might want to hit Idlewild can be done in 2 hrs. hit Lakemont park for a 2 hrs. and end the day at Knoebels. Next at Knoebels all day then down to Hershey's all day. But it depends on how much time you have?

^^^^Ahh Toledo Zoo! This is my home city! Toledo Zoo is pretty big and has plenty of offer, and it's rated in the Top 10 in America each year.