Let’s talk about the 4th of July in Pennsylvania, and more specifically HersheyPark, where I did an internship for a Summer. Previously I covered the everything to do in Lake Las Vegas for the Fourth, so this is the second in my Independence Day series!
Since my I was lucky to have the employee access to Hershey, why not try it out and do some great things for the Fourth that Hershey had. I was super excited about this. Let’s go!
Hershey’s ZooAmerica
Wait a minute… I said Hershey Park, so why is the first place ZooAmerica? Well, I never had been there, and it actually is connected to HersheyPark, and you can go there on a Hershypark ticket. Just remember to get your hand stamped for re-entry as you take the direct entrance from the park into the zoo!
So, I had never yet been to ZooAmerica, and it made sense to give it a try. It is a cute walkable zoo attached to Hershypark. The zoo is split into different regions of the United States, each tastefully housing wildlife that are native to that particular region. Some of the regions are northlands and southwest. Hershey is so good at providing context. So next to each animal enclosure are informational plaques. It was so cool learning about all the different animals.
My favorite? The bears, and the Duckbill.
Ferris Wheel
The ferris wheel is in Midway America. Any height category can ride. You can also see the whole park from the top. It also goes around multiple times.
Smokehouse
This is a barbeque restaurant that was recommended to me a lot by my fellow interns. The food is freshly barbequed on-side, so it is fresh. I got a brisket sandwich and liked it a lot. It was super juicy and flavorful. This has become my favorite place to grab a meal in Hersheypark. I wanted to show it off to my parents when they visited, but it was temporarily closed for maintenance that day. Bummer.
Our Friends From the Sea Show
The “Our Friends From the Sea” is an environmentally sensitive display of sea lions behaviors. Interestingly sea lions also have a natural ability to do movements that people view as “tricks”. In this show, they sea lions were not prompted or forced to do anything, but it was fun to see them do what they do. A lot of information about the sea lions, their habitats and nature also is shared.
The best part was that all of the sea lions had been rescued providing a safe and healthy place to be healthy and thrive.
Sweet Escapes Acapella Shows
The Sweet Escapes is a new acapella show for this year. They were performing by the waterpark. Acapella is when you sing without music. They sung a bunch of coverers of popular songs. It was so fun to see.
Fireworks
Since it was the 4th of July there were fireworks. The central Pennsylvania region also had a fireworks show, and Hersheypark was a great place to view them. Everyone gathered in the front part of the park for viewing. It was the perfect way to end the 4th of July.
