Travel with Terri
Chocolate Town, USA
By Terri Marshall, Photos Courtesy of Hershey Resorts
When checking into The Hotel Hershey guests are presented with a choice – a Hershey chocolate bar with almonds or a Hershey chocolate bar without almonds. Arriving in the assigned guest room or cottage, guests will discover more chocolate treats. Taking a walk
down Cocoa Avenue and Chocolate Streets visitors to this sweet destination will find street lamps shaped in the familiar Hershey Kiss shape as the smell of chocolate permeates the entire town. This is a special place created from the vision of a very special man.
Even more important than Milton Hershey’s vision for the town that now bears his name is the legacy he left behind in the Milton Hershey School. This unique school was founded in 1909 by Mr. Hershey and his wife upon learning they could not have children of their own. Originally established to provide education for orphaned boys, today the school has approximately 1,700 students comprised of boys and girls from under-privileged homes. Many former students have returned to Hershey later in life to become executives with the various Hershey corporations. Since his death in 1945 at age 88, Milton Hershey’s legacy has thrived. The school and the Hershey philanthropy are maintained through the holdings of the Milton Hershey School Trust which derives much of its support from the profits of The Hershey Company and Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company.
Today the town that chocolate built is a perfect family vacation destination. There are numerous attractions including Chocolate World, Hershey Park and Zoomerica. The Hotel Hershey is home to the Chocolate Spa where guests choose from a chocolate enhanced spa menu of services including the Chocolate & Roses Decadence Body Treatment, the Cocoa Facial and the Whipped Cocoa Bath. Chocolate Avenue is home to The Hershey Story, an inspiring museum with exhibits detailing the history of Hershey’s chocolate and Milton Hershey’s legacy. The museum’s interactive Apprentice Program brings the Hershey experience to life for children. A ride with Hershey Trolley Works takes visitors to the birthplace of Milton Hershey, the Milton Hershey School and several other points of interest throughout the community. The conductors are both entertaining and informative – and have lots of chocolate treats to share!
Visitors to Hershey come for the chocolate, but it is the legacy of Milton Hershey that truly makes Hershey “The Sweetest Place on Earth.”
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