Hershey Park Weekend 2017

Another one of our annual summer trips is a weekend at Hershey Park.  We always enjoy this trip, but Lauren was especially excited because she was hoping to move up a candy, and ride some of the big kid rides.  Last year, she was a Reeces, and this year, she barely reached the top of the line.  Her high ponytail made it appear as though she was taller.  Technically, she was only 47 inches, and did not meet the 48 inch requirement, but we were able to sneak her on some of the bigger rides, like the bumper cars!!

(Last year and this year)

Charlie was no longer a miniature and had moved up to a Hershey Kiss.  However, I took the pictures with my phone, which was killed by water later that day.  Sadly, all of my pictures from the day were lost, and since I am usually the one who takes the pictures, we were left with a small amount of photographs from the day.  (Thank goodness Chad and Grandpa took some photos as well)  But we had a large amount of fun, and that is what is important!!!

We started the day in the kiddie ride section.  Charlie, Quinnie, and even Lauren had a lot of fun there.  They rode planes, helicopters, fire trucks, and motorcycles for quite a while.  

           

                               

Then, we headed deeper into the park and took in some bigger kid rides.  Charlie and Quinnie were getting a little tired, so we put them in their strollers and let Lauren go on some rides with the grownups.  She did bumper cars with Aunt Sarah and MeeMaw, the Tilt a Whirl with Mom and Dad, the teacups, and the boat.

                               

We had some lunch, played some skeeball, and then headed off to ride the big log ride.  Lauren went last year and loved it.  So we decided to let Charlie give it a try.  This would be his first grownup ride, and we were curious what he would think.  Right as we got to the entrance, we were told that the park was closing all rides due to weather.  A big storm was rolling in and there was a threat of tornadoes.  So, we quickly headed inside to the big cafeteria area, grabbed a table, and waited out the storm.  Charlie even took a much needed nap.  Win/win!!

After an hour and a half, the storm passed and most of the crowds were gone as well.  It was definitely worth waiting.  We headed outside and walked right through the lines up to the front of the ride.  As soon as we got in the log, Charlie pushed Chad's hands away and did not want to be held.  That quickly changed as soon as we started moving in the water.  We rode all the way to the top and he tightly grabbed Chad right before we made the plunge.  As soon as we were done, he was all smiles, and we went again!!

                               

We finished the day with some swings, plenty of rides on the tilt o whirl, the scrambler, the wooden roller coaster, and the rocket ships.  Charlie even managed to get some Reeces Pieces to enjoy while Lauren rode the roller coaster.  We grabbed some Subway sandwiches, from the park, and took them back to the hotel for a late dinner, which was followed up with birthday cake to celebrate Aunt Sarah's birthday!!  To say everyone crashed that night is an understatement!! 

                               

The next morning, we woke up, had some more birthday cake for breakfast, and headed to the Strasburg Railway Station for a special treat.  We booked tickets on the 12 pm train, and were having lunch in the dining car.  Charlie is very interested in trains, so I knew he would especially like this.  And let's face it, most of the grownups really like the train as well!!

We had to wait a little while, so we walked around the train yards for a bit.  Then it was time to board.  We settled in to a few tables near each other and looked over the menu.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and drinks, and it was such a neat experience to eat while moving on a train.   I am glad we gave it a try and I know Charlie will be talking about this for a while!!

                               

       

Quinnie even loved her food, and she did so well using her utensils.  We just passed her from table to table and she was more than content to look out the window as we passed fields and farms.  

It was the perfect way to end the weekend, and I hope it will not be our last time eating on the trains at Strasburg.  We always have so much fun on this trip and I am already looking forward to and planning ideas for next year!!!