Hershey Chocolate Factory

On the afternoon of Black Friday we departed in the early afternoon for Hershey, Pennsylvania. The drive was uneventful and the kids both slept after a bit of movie watching in the back seat of the car. We checked into our hotel and had to make an important decision. Was this trip about (1) us, (2) the kids, or (3) both. We decided that the evening was all about us and that Saturday was for the kids. That decision being made, I distracted Ben, making him look out the side window of the car opposite the McDonalds as we searched for a good dinner restaurant. It took a little bit of driving and circling back to find the Texas Roadhouse we were looking for. We passed the same McDonalds three times. Luckily the McDonalds was across the street from Lowes, which we call "the Blue Home Depot" and he loves shopping there. Brian and I had a fantastic dinner and the kids loved throwing peanut shells on the ground. Maddie ate and ate and ate the peanuts. Then we discovered she wasn't talking anymore, just a mumble. Finally about 15 mintues later, she emptied her entire mouthful onto a plate. Peanut mush mountain. She wanted a drink of water. Then it was back to "eating" more peanuts. Lucky for us, the bread arrived. For a bit of after dinner entertainment, we drove to Hershey's Sweet Lights Display. It was a drive through display of millions of Christmas lights. It was about an hour of fun, slow driving. The kids LOVED it. Ben was old enough to start recognizing some nursery rhymes and other classic stories. Their favorite part was the fact that we let them out of their carseats and rolled down the windows. They loved the freedom to wander the car as we wound through the lights at a superfast two miles an hour. Bedtime proved interesting. We had two full beds in our hotel room. We're not so sure they were actually full sized beds though. Looked more like twin and a half. We opted to sleep one adult with one kid for comfort reasons. Then again, who are we to plan that stuff? The kids had other ideas and we played musical beds all night long. First both kids on one bed and we were together. Then Maddie had to sleep with Mom, so Dad moved with Ben. Then Maddie had to sleep with Dad, so I was alone, Brian with both kids. Maddie moves to the floor and falls asleep. Ben eventually decided the floor looked like more fun too, but he would only sleep in the exact spot Maddie was in. Finally, he settled in another floor spot. Everyone fell alseep. Through the night, Maddie screamed several times, woke and climbed in and out of bed with Dad several times. Brian had piled pillows up on the potential landing zone in case Maddie fell...and she did. He calmed her down and got her to just stay down. Eventually the sun rose and we all got up. Breakfast was a hit. Ben is a huge fan of buffet style eating. Ben kicked off his Chocolate day in style. He had a chocolate muffin and hot chocolate to drink. Heaven for a four year old. Maddie ate all the sausage Brian dished up everytime he refilled his plate for himself. After we finished our buffet feast we checked out and headed to the Hershey Chocolate Factory. First thing we did was watch a 3-D movie with "special effects" where they do bubbles in the air, wind, smells and rain from the ceiling. Maddie thought the rain was so funny. She'd wipe it off her arms with a smile, "It rained on me again, Mommy!" The last time it "rained" she wiped me all dry too. Ben didn't appreciate it quite as much. He liked the 3-D dancing candy part but did not like getting wet or the 3-D spider. Everyone was a fan of the free treats at the end of the show though. Unfortunately for Ben, it was sour candy so he was disappointed. Then it was off tohe the fake factory tour. Turns out you can't actually tour the Hershey Factory anymore. They have constructed an amusement park style indoor ride. You board a car and are driven through the process of chocolate and candy making. Lots of music and lights and moving pretend machinery, oh yeah, and singing cows. The kids loved the ride and we got a yummy chocolate treat at the end. Next it was off to the trolley tour. This I would skip next time. It was overpriced and really, they just drove you around the town to see what you can see on your own. We did get a visit from Santa at least. He boarded the trolley for a quick ride and gave the kids an ornament and the parents a kazoo. When we got back we did the factory experience where the kids packaged Hershey Kisses and got factory worker hats. Then we rode the factory tour ride again before we did a bit of shopping and headed out the door for lunch. Then we headed home. The kids napped the first part of the drive but woke up too soon. We had about an hour before we got home. Maddie wiggled and whined and said over and over "I want to get OUT!" Poor kids. They survived. They were so happy to be released from the prision called their carseats. Brian had them playing and giggling like wildmen in the house. It was fun to hear such beautiful pure laughter in our home. Ben loved the trip and wants to go back when the amusement park when it's open in the summer.