Looking for a small budget friendly student travel destination? Consider visiting Hershey, PA. Hershey, is a popular student group-friendly destination in Central Pennsylvania, known as “The Sweetest Place on Earth” for its ties to the Hershey chocolate company. The town is filled with chocolate-themed attractions, a major theme park, and other educational and performance opportunities.
The most popular attraction is Hershey Park. This large amusement park boasts over a dozen roller coasters, a seasonal waterpark, and a zoo, all with a chocolate-themed atmosphere and all included with your daily admission. Educational Days are offered throughout the year and include Zoology Day, Business & Marketing Day, and STEM & Physics Day. Performance groups can participate in Music in the Parks which is an educationally focused music festival that provides school groups to perform in front of experts in their field at a local school followed by an awards ceremony at Hershey Park.
Other chocolate themed attractions include Hershey’s Chocolate World which offers free admission and a variety of chocolate-themed rides, a large retail store, and optional hands-on activities. There are two theatrical experiences: Hershey’s Unwrapped that will guide you through a fun and educational chocolate tasting journey and Hershey’s Great Candy Expedition which is an immersive train-themed cinematic experience that explores the different candy worlds. All aboard the Hershey Trolley Works for a scenic narrated tour to learn about the history of the company and its founder, Milton Hershey. This picturesque town even features lamp posts shaped like Hershey’s Kisses.
Just a short bus ride away is the city of Harrisburg which is the state capital of Pennsylvania. The State Museum of Pennsylvania offers guided tours exploring the history, art and science that took place to shape the Commonwealth with an in-depth tour of the featured exhibits and concludes with a visit to the Planetarium. STEM groups will want to visit the Whitaker Science Center. Explore interactive STEM-based exhibits housed within the multi-level Science Center, experience an awe-inspiring documentary in their four-story Select Medical Digital Cinema, or participate in a coding lesson in the PNC Innovation Zone, Whitaker Center guarantees a hands-on day of learning!
The National Civil War Museum is great way for groups to learn history face to face. With extraordinary displays, this museum covers the entire American Civil War from beginning to end. They bring history to life with outstanding collections of Union and Confederate artifacts, high-definition videos, and life-size mannequins. The self-guided tour includes 17 galleries of inspiring presentations. The Museum also offers complimentary performance space for student groups looking to delight visitors with a patriotic performance.
You’ll want to catch a game at the Harrisburg Senators for an evening of popcorn, peanuts, and fun! Home to the minor league team of the Washington Nationals, the stadium is uniquely situated on a 63-acre island in the middle of the Susquehanna River. Choir groups can apply to perform the National Anthem in front of thousands of fans prior to the game.
Although a small town, Hershey offers groups not only a thrilling amusement park experience but sweet explorations of delicious chocolate alongside other unique historic attractions both in and around town. Both performance and educational groups have opportunities to showcase their talents or go behind the scenes for out of the box classroom lessons to enhance their science or technology curriculum. Contact UR Tours & Events to start planning your student trip today!
Whether you’re looking to travel with your students across the country or around the world, we’re committed to delivering a unique, meaningful experience for you and your students. Let UR Tours and Events be part of your next travel experience.
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“To all my music educator friends….you would be crazy not to use Livy with UR Tours for any trips you might be planning! This past weekend was the third time I used her and she is the best. Thanks for taking care of us the weekend Livy. We had a blast!”
“I couldn’t have asked for a better trip. I was nervous about traveling as a chaperone with 30+ high schoolers, as I have been on badly organized trips, but this was amazing! Enough information was handed out before hand and, as unexpected things came up (Covid-19 national crisis) . . . . Thanks for a great trip!”
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