Chocolate World 2011 Trip Report
August 3, 2011
And there is a trolley tour through the town of Hershey, which we thought would be a great way to kill some time while we waited to start the "Create Your Own Candy Bar" attraction, the true star of Chocolate World. (More on that to come.)
See, it's got the little cow-catcher in front and everything...
Very nice interior: lacquered wood and polished brass, and wrought iron and glass light fixtures, and check out the pretty lady in the period dress up front! All good... except for the laminated sheets on the passenger seats with song lyrics printed on them. Whuh-waitaminit... there's going to be singing? No one said anything about singing.
Then this other guy got on... and a little "sketch comedy" started. Oh, dear...
Turns out this wasn't going to be just a tour; it's also a bit of a show, with songs and some bantering between our two guides to liven up what might otherwise be a fairly staid trip. The fellow ended up playing several different characters along the way - a newbie tour host (imagine a young Jerry Lewis, but even whinier), a boy taken in by Milton Hershey's orphanage, a cook, a soldier, some others I can't remember - jumping on and off the trolley at various stops.
In the end, it turned out to be, um, not un-charming, and we all had to give both performers a lot of credit for keeping the energy level high throughout. For more than one musical number, they encouraged everyone to "Sing along!" (hence, the lyric sheets), and no one complied, best as I could tell. But that didn't faze 'em much. Troopers.
Anyway, we passed the local golf course...
And the factory (smokestacks!)...
And Milton Hershey's house (nice!)...
And I can't recall what this building was, part of the orphanage Milton founded, I think?
All in all, a very pleasant and informative excursion. Recommended. (Milton Hershey did live a remarkable life) Plus, there's even more free chocolate. (And, honestly, our female guide was unbelievably pleasant to look at, in that wholesome theme-park-attraction-hostess way. You know the way I mean...)
All Rights Reserved
home random notes ride reviews special features photo shoppe privacy policy