Recently, I posted a blog about fun factory tours you could take as a family without having to pay a dime. I received wonderful comments, including one that suggested Hershey’s Chocolate World, in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Today I will take that reader up on her suggestion… and the timing is perfect because just a few days ago, the Great American Chocolate Tour Ride at Hershey’s Chocolate World just re-opened after undergoing a $5 million update.
The ride, which debuted in 1973, was updated to ensure the scenes reflected the latest chocolate-making technology. The ride is meant to simulate the experience of being in a chocolate factory, while educating visitors about the chocolate-making process, from bean to candy. And the experience begins from the moment you walk in.
First, you wait to board the ride in an area reminiscent of a tropical rain forest where cocoa beans flourish. From there you hop into cocoa bean shaped car and ride a would-be conveyor belt similar to the ones that transport cocoa beans into the factory. Along the way you find yourself confronted by three rhythm-and-blues singing cows. In their ditty, “It’s the Milk Chocolate,” the cows take all the credit for chocolate’s creamy consistency. Next, it’s on to the pasture and into the factory. That’s where you will learn how cocoa beans are sorted and blended on their way to a giant revolving roaster, which heats them up and spits them out ready to be powdered, pressed and combined with milk and sugar. Your cocoa bean car then passes through a maze of moving belts, where all your Hershey favorites whiz by, from Kit Kats to Reese’s peanut butter cups. The ride ends in the company store where you will receive a free sample of some of the goodies you just saw being made. If that’s not enough there are thousands of other sweet treats that you can purchase to satisfy your cocoa craving.
The ride’s new face-lift includes brighter colors, more multimedia entertainment and a hipper soundtrack. And the best part, the ride is free! If you would like more information on Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour Ride, visit www.hersheyschocolateworld.com.