Retired Nomads - Part 2 : Hersheypark, Hershey, PA

Hersheypark, Hershey, PA - June 25

Those that know us know we are not just roller coaster people, but front row roller coaster people. I love to watch the track drop away as we go over the top. So, we spend a longer time in line waiting for the front row. There was only 1 coaster that didn’t have a line for the front row, you just took the row that was open as it was your turn. We got the last row on that one. The descriptions of the coasters are taken from Hersheypark’s website. We left our cameras at home, but did take a couple of cell phone photos of some of the coasters. They have several old wooden roller coasters, which I loved as a kid, but older bones can't take the banging around. Not smooth like a steel coaster.

We got to the park when it opened at 10:00 and headed straight to find some coasters. We started with the sooperdooperLooper® coaster. It was a less intense coaster with a course of small dips, drops, and bunny hills on the classic steel coaster. It wasn’t as smooth as most of the newer steel coasters and wasn’t worth getting banged around for not much excitement.

We then rode the Great Bear®. It was our favorite. It’s one that is an inverted steel coaster where your feet dangle as it lifts 90 feet off the ground and launches into a thrilling, yet graceful course of drops, loops, corkscrews, and a zero-g roll. You also get great views of the park from up there!

The next one we did could have been one of our favorites, but there was no over the shoulder harness and only a lap bar that rested on your thighs. To hang on, your hands were close to your body with your elbows facing out. Not comfy at all. Once we got to the top and came face down at the great speed, the thigh bar tightened and was downright painful. I was in so much pain from the bar that I didn’t enjoy it at all. It was an intense coaster and with a “normal” restraint it would have been really fun. The coaster was the Skyrush® and it climbs 200 feet into the air before flying downhill at 75 mph. We experienced 4 high speed turns, 5 zero-G airtime hills, and the highest drop in Hersheypark®.

It was now lunch time and we went in search of Simply Cheese that serves gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches with home-made chips. Yummy!

Our next ride was the Laff Trakk℠ coaster which is the first indoor, spinning, glow-coaster in the United States. This family friendly house of laughs spins riders through an exciting adventure of sights and sounds complete with glimpses of colorful characters, a dizzying hall of mirrors, and more! Laff Trakk is the fun house of the 21st century offering a new experience with every ride. It was fun and it was weird to spin as you went around the track.

Another really fun but painful one was Fahrenheit® 97 degrees and falling fast! Climb the steep, 121-foot lift hill before plummeting down the signature Fahrenheit® coaster 97-degree drop. And that's just the beginning, next, fly through a memorable course of loops, corkscrews, dives, and plenty of thrilling airtime. This one was really a good one, but it had a similar harness as the Skyrush only this one didn’t hurt your thighs, but the area below your armpits. I felt the pain for a couple of days. LOL

Our last coaster was the Sidewinder℠ coaster billed as so much fun that you get to ride it twice! This steel roller coaster completes its spectacular flight, only to return to its starting point in an exciting "boomerang" style. Sidewinder is perfect for guests looking to spend more time upside down. With a total of 3 loops each way, a single ride involves being turned upside down 6 times! This was our second favorite. Way more fun that it looked. Being shot forwards and backwards was awesome.

We ate at the Smokehouse for dinner and we split beef brisket, beans, mac & cheese and a corn muffin. Everything was good, but lukewarm at best.

After lunch we watched the show called Now Recording Dietz & Watson Grill.

We did much better with ice cream at our last stop. We split a brownie sundae with chocolate ice cream, hot fudge sauce, 2 huge brownies and whipped cream and sprinkles. We almost each ordered one, until we saw the size of one another couple was splitting. I was too full to go back and ride our favorite coaster again.

We rode the Kissing Tower for glorious views of the park and the surrounding areas and the Monorail and finished with the Skyview ride. We the sunsetting, we headed for “home”.