Places to Stay Near Hershey Park: Hershey Lodge Review
Disclosure: While visiting Hershey Park recently my family and I were given a discount on our stay at the Hershey Lodge. I was not required to write a review of the Lodge, but I wanted too because my family and I loved the Lodge so much.
The Lodge
Recently during our trip to Hershey, PA, to visit Hershey Park, we had the opportunity to stay at the Hershey Lodge. (My family and I have never stayed at a Hershey resort before so we were excited to try it out.) From where we are located in Maryland it takes us about 1.5 hours to drive to the Hershey, PA area. The Hershey Lodge is located about 3 miles from Hershey Park, and the Hershey Gardens, and about 2 miles from the Hershey Story Museum Experience. It is close enough to everything, but far enough away to get you out of the hustle and bustle. True to its name it feels just like a lodge inside. Dimmed lighting, wooden beams, and darker rustic decor. The resort grounds are beautiful, and I am sure it is just as gorgeous in the fall and winter.
Rooms
The Hershey Lodge is a large resort but provides easy access to all of its rooms and amenities. The room blocks are named after different Hershey candies. During our trip, we stayed in a double queen room in the Hershey Kisses Tower block. It had easy access from the main lobby, and only a short walk away from the Hershey Water Works indoor pool. The beds were very comfortable, and to top it off the sheets even had Hershey Kisses on them. (I don’t know if it was because my kids were so tired or what, but I had one of the best night’s sleep in years at the Lodge. Haha!)
Kid’s Check-In
How many resorts do you know of that let kid’s check-in? Hershey Lodge does! Kids can sign their name in the Hershey Lodge guest book, collect their “room key” (a card with their name and a lanyard), grab a resort activity calendar, color pages, and lastly guess how many chocolates are in 2 containers. The winners get their names displayed on the board, and you walk away with candy after guessing. My 3-year-old LOVED being able to check-in to the Hershey Lodge. There are also character meet and greet’s during kid’s check-in time.
Places to Eat
At the Hershey Lodge, there are many places to eat. There is the Hershey Grill, Fire & Grain, Cocoa Cabana, Cocoa Beanery, The Bears’ Den, and the Forebay. We were really hungry when we first arrived and decided to try out The Bears’ Den. If you are a sports fan or have kids The Bears’ Den is a great place to eat. They have an arcade, and TV’s to be able to watch the game. Their menu was a lot bigger than I expected, and so were their meal sizes.
To start we got the Philly Cheese Steak Tots as an appetizer. (Delicious) For our main meals, we got my 3-year-old the kids pizza, my husband got a burger, I got their mushroom beyond burger, and my MIL got their South Philly Pork Sausage Sandwich. It was all very delicious, but the portion sizes were so big we couldn’t finish it all. Later in the day while we were at the Water Works I got a walking taco at Cocoa Cabana. (If you haven’t had a walking taco yet. you should really try it. So good!) Unfortunately, since our stay was short those were the only two places we were able to eat at the Hershey Lodge. (Next time we are at the Lodge my husband and I plan on trying the Hershey Grill, and Fire & Grain.)
Hershey’s Water Works
One of the areas we love is Hershey Water Works. It has something for all ages. Located just a short walk from all the rooms the Water Works has an indoor pool, splash area for younger kids, a water slide, food, activity room with Legos, an arcade, and a fitness room. There is also a small splash pad area outside. There is so much to do you could spend all day there. Cocoa Cabana has a large food/drink menu, and an adult beverage menu. (I enjoyed their walking taco with Frito’s. Haha! Great poolside snack.)
Activity Room 
Cocoa Cabana 
Indoor pool and splash area 
Hershey Water Works
Perks of Staying at the Hershey Lodge
Not only are Hershey resorts nice, but staying at one also provides other perks to help make your vacation a little bit sweeter. Here are some of the other perks you will receive staying at a Hershey Resort: Chocolate at check-in, free shuttle service to/from the park, extra park preview hours (up to 4.5 hours instead of up to 3), an extra morning hour in the park called their sweet start hour, free admission to the Hershey Gardens and The Hershey Story’s Museum Experience, and access to their indoor/outdoor pool and water park (Water Works). (Other great amenities are access to basketball courts, tennis courts, and mini-golf!) There is also a huge souvenir shop in the Hershey Lodge resort that offers a wide variety of toys, clothes, candy, and pretty much anything else you may need to make your vacation that much sweeter.
Cost
The cost of a room at the Hershey Lodge really depends on when you are planning on staying. If you plan on going during peak summer months or staying over the weekend, you may be looking at $300 or more a night. (Example: A 2-night weekend stay in August is listed as $449.00 a night.) If you plan on going during off-peak times, or during the week, you may pay less. (Example: A 2-night weekend stay in September is listed at $199.00 a night.) So, I would really sit down and plan when you want to go. If you have kids you may want to take advantage of their Kids stay, play, and eat free packages.
Like I mentioned above we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and actually wish we had stayed longer. We plan on staying at the Hershey Lodge next time we visit Hershey Park. If you would like to visit the Hershey Lodge website CLICK HERE. Before your next trip to Hershey Park make sure you check out my Hershey Park Review & Tips post before you go! Have you ever stayed at a Hershey Resort? Any questions? Let me know in the comments!
