The Hershey Story, Hershey, PA – Fun Adventure Families

Thinking Of Hershey

Last week when I thought of Hershey, the first thought that popped in my had was s’mores. We’ve been living the RV, travel, and camp life for so long now that those two just go hand in hand. But this week I have a whole new appreciation for Hershey. When I think Hershey, I think of Milton Hershey, the man who started it all. Visiting The Hershey Story Museum was a real treat! I’m not talking about the yummy chocolate we had, although there was plenty of that. I’m referring to digging deeper into the history behind the man, the chocolate, and even the town!

Know Before You Go

Some things you should know before you visit The Hershey Story is that this Museum Experience has some serious techno gadgetry that our kiddos truly loved and connected with! They were each given a wooden coin with a digital chip that they were able to personalize with their name and favorite color. When stopping at each of the kiosks, the kiddos would scan their coin and watch their color flash then see their names appear, followed by a short shadow show relevant to that portion of the exhibit. There are 32 rotating stories with different stories for adults and children, so there’s no arguing over who gets to scan their coin at the kiosk. Brilliant!

Wooden Media Chips at Hershey Story Museum

Enter your name for personalized tour at the Hershey Story Museum

Selecting your color at The Hershey Story Muesuem

Interactive Exhibits

Along with the coin reading kiosks, there were people stationed around the main upstairs exhibits to give brief talks on several different topics. There were some electronic games. There were plenty of short documentary snippets. There were even pieces of equipment, like the kiss machine and a conche machine from the 1920’s!

Learning about an old chocolate machine at The Hershey Story Museum

Hershey in Cuba

Downstairs the kiddos enjoyed the exhibit about Hershey, Cuba. The exhibit takes a look at the economic and personal impacts of Mr. Hershey in Cuba. There was a tasting station there, as well as some hands on pieces like a filtration station and a microscope you could look at sugar, powdered sugar, bagasse, bone char, and more. There was even a spot to create your own town with building blocks.

Learning about gravity fed shaker filters at The Hershey Story Museum

The Chocolate Lab

Now on to the good stuff! The chocolate! When it comes to the Lab experience, it’s important to know that this is only available for kiddos aged 5 and up. It is more hands on than the Hershey’s Chocolate World candy bar experience was. This lab delves into the finer details of making chocolate such as tempering. While Silly Adventure Sam and Dorky Adventure Dad enjoyed that more personal portion I took the little kiddos around to scan their coins and watch the video snippets. I don’t want to give too much away, but Milton Hershey was an extraordinary man. He was persistent, charitable, thoughtful, a bit eccentric, but mostly truly a caring person who I for one, am really glad to have got to know through this museum.

Tasting Chocolate From Around The World

At the chocolate tasting everyone got to enjoy the yummy fun! While they do offer a more child friendly and magical taste adventure, our Fun Adventure Foodies opted for the “Chocolate from Around the World” tasting. It features exotic warm drinking chocolate using single-origin beans from various regions. I was so happy they picked this option because they really got to expand their palate and use their senses to learn about cocoa in a new way. I was shocked that our kiddos actually liked the higher percentages more! My favorite was Ghana, and Dorky Adventure Dad’s was Mexico, but we all agreed that the Hershey’s tasted like our childhood.

Fun Adventure Family Approved?

What do you think? Fun Adventure Family approved? Heck yes! For us the Hershey Story Museum Experience was the kickoff to our time in Hershey, Pa and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Starting our visit with a solid foundation of knowledge about the area was perfect. After our visit there we jumped on over to Hershey Gardens. Read all about it *here*. We recommend you do the same! Luckily there are combo tickets you can snag for both the Hershey Story and Hershey Gardens. When you visit be sure to use #funadventurefamily and #hersheystory on Instagram so we can see your family’s fun adventure!