5 Sweet Things You Can Do at Hershey’s Chocolate World

We recently spent the weekend in Hershey, Pennsylvania and couldn’t leave without visiting Hershey’s Chocolate World. This edutainment center celebrates Hershey’s chocolate with fun and interactive attractions that include — you guessed it — free chocolate! We spent hours exploring Chocolate World and had an incredible time. We actually enjoyed it more than Hersheypark!

Here are the sweetest things you can do at Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

1 – Take a Free Tour

Hop on an Omnimover car that’s been wrapped like a Hershey’s Kiss and explore the chocolate-making process! The Hershey’s Chocolate Tour takes you from beans to bars with warm, roasting beans, singing cows, and the scent of chocolate.

The tour is about 10 minutes long and at the end, everyone receives free samples. It is perfect for visitors who have limited time to spend at Chocolate World or are trying to save a bit of cash. The tour is free and short-term parking is, too!

Our Take

All of us enjoyed this attraction. We liked seeing the steps of chocolate production and learning what set Hershey apart from other chocolatiers. The attraction is definitely worth a short wait and the classic mini milk chocolate we received at the end was a nice touch.

2 – Create Your Own Candy Bar

If you’re willing to don an apron and hairnet, you can create your own custom chocolate bar and wrapper! The process starts with a base bar in milk chocolate, white chocolate, or dark chocolate. Using a touchscreen, chocolatiers can choose from several inclusions, then follow their chocolate bar down the conveyor belt of the factory as it is made.

Designing your own wrapper is part of the fun, too! The bar is packaged in a keepsake tin with your wrapper on the exterior. You’ll leave with a souvenir (even if you eat the chocolate).

The whole process takes about 30 minutes. A list of ingredients is available for folks with dietary concerns or allergies. A ticket is required for this attraction. The price point was around $26 if purchased individually (not in a bundle). The Reese’s Stuff Your Cup experience is also available; this 30-minute experience also requires a ticket ($20).

Our Take

Using tickets with QR codes, we were able to set up our accounts, design our candy bars, and create our wrappers without worrying that someone else would end up with our chocolate. It was a little tricky to navigate multiple children in the same room due to the setup of the touch screens, so we ended up taking turns rather than all completing ours at once.

The inclusions available at the time of our visit were toffee bits, pretzel crumbles, semi-sweet chips, butterscotch chips, and white chocolate chips. We were able to select up to three. Everyone was also offered the option of rainbow sprinkles on top, which did not count as one of the three inclusions.

We all chose milk chocolate, but our inclusions varied. I chose butterscotch and pretzel and it was really good, though the bar was quite thick, much larger than a typical candy bar. The bars were delicious and watching the process was everyone’s favorite activity of the day.

Did I mention you have to wear a hairnet and apron? We felt so official!

This experience requires a ticket ($29).

3 – Hershey’s Unwrapped: A Chocolate Tasting Journey

Hershey’s Unwrapped, an interactive theatrical experience, is the newest addition to Chocolate World. Audience members receive Official Chocolate Tasting Kits and can complete experiments right alongside Doc Chocolate!

This 30-minute show requires a ticket ($15-18).

Our Take

This was the sleeper hit! Everyone loved this show, which combined a tiny bit of education with antics and chocolate tasting. The small venue made us feel like we were right on top of the show and really gave it an individualized feel. The actors were fun and engaging and happy to take photos with us at the end. We were shocked that this was as enjoyable as it was and, as our first attraction of the day, it really set the tone for a wonderful all-day experience.

Also, the tin that the chocolate tasting kit came in is a nice keepsake! My kids have already repurposed theirs as keepers for pencils, coins, and candy.

4 – Hershey Trolley Works

All aboard for a trolley tours of Hershey, Pennsylvania! This Chocolate World attraction is part ride, part live show. It included town history, Hershey chocolate facts, a few corny jokes, and, yes, more free chocolate! During holiday seasons, you can expect a few seasonal jokes and decorations in your trolley car, too.

This 45-minute tour of Hershey requires a ticket ($15-18).

Our Take

We learned so much about Milton Hershey and the town of Hershey on this tour! I thought the topics might lose our kids, especially the youngest, but this wasn’t an issue at all! The performances were good, the information was presented in an accessible way, and there were regular chocolate stops.

Our version, the Trick-or-Treat Trolley, included Halloween costumes and seasonal chocolate (like Dracula kisses). We received 5 pieces of candy overall, which was the perfect amount.

We left the trolley with a newfound appreciation of Milton Hershey and the positive changes he made in the world.

5 – Special & Seasonal Activities at Chocolate World

Hershey’s Chocolate World offers several seasonal activities, but if you aren’t visiting in late September or October, you don’t have the chance to experience the Trick-or-Treat Trail.

Chocolate World has announced that, in 2023, a brand-new 4-D movie will be released as new attraction! It will be part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration, which is sure to include several special activities of its own.

Our Take

We were lucky enough to experience the Trick-or-Treat Trail. This was a free event; it did not require tickets or reservations! There is a similar trail in Hersheypark, though it has more stops.

Tips

Hershey’s Chocolate World offers several attraction bundles for visitors who want to experience multiple ticketed attractions. These are cheaper than buying individual tickets and some include free all-day parking. Since we spent several hours at Chocolate World and experienced every attraction, purchasing bundles resulted in a big savings for us!

The chocolate shop at Chocolate World is massive! Be sure to set aside some time to shop the seasonal, international, novelty, and not-yet-released sweets at the world’s largest Hershey store! We were able to find several adorable souvenirs, including a practically priced pound of Hershey’s cocoa powder! The checkout line, which was incredibly long, moved very quickly.

Chocolate World was very crowded in the middle of the day. When we visited, Hersheypark was running on its fall schedule and opened late, driving traffic to Chocolate World. I recommend buying tickets well in advance and completing the free tour early.

Meal options were limited, but reasonably priced for a tourist attraction. We all had children’s pizza meals, which retailed for $12 and included a pepperoni or cheese pizza, bottled water, applesauce, mini chocolate bar, and keepsake lunchbox.

Plan Your Visit

Hershey’s Chocolate World
101 Chocolate World Way
Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
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