Kids Love The Hershey Story: The Museum on Chocolate Avenue

The Hershey Story, the Museum on Chocolate Avenue, is a fun experience where families learn about the life and legacy of Milton Hershey through artifacts, animation, and interactive activities. It is a fantastic way to sneak some learning into your vacation. The Hershey museum is located in the heart of historic Hershey in the Amish Country region of Central Pennsylvania. It is a great way to spend half a day.

In addition to the interactive Hershey museum experience, the Hershey Story building also includes two additional family attractions. The Chocolate Tastings is a delicious chocolate trip around the world. The Chocolate Lab is a fun way to make your own chocolate creation while learning more about the fascinating Hershey company. Read more about both experiences below. The building also houses a gift shop and a cafe.

THE HERSHEY STORY LOCATION

The Hershey Story is situated in downtown Hershey on Chocolate Avenue. It is a roughly 2-mile drive from the Hersheypark amusement park area. There is a free parking deck located next to the building. 

HISTORY OF THE HERSHEY STORY

The Hershey Story, the Museum on Chocolate Avenue, opened in January 2009. It was built by the non-profit M.S. Hershey Foundation. Milton Hershey founded the M.S. Hershey Foundation in 1935 to promote educational and cultural opportunities in the town he created.  

INSIDE THE HERSHEY MUSEUM EXPERIENCE

There are several different attractions inside The Hershey Story. The main draw is the Hershey Museum Experience—an informative, interactive exhibit that spotlights the founder of the chocolate company, Milton Hershey, and the town he built. The museum has more than 1,600 positive reviews on TripAdvisor! The Chocolate Lab, a hands-on opportunity to learn about chocolate and make your own creation, is also one of the fun attractions. Plus, there is a Tastings experience that allows you to sample a variety of chocolates made from beans from around the world. 

The main floor of The Hershey Story features Grand Lobby, a café and the Hershey Museum Shop. The Pantry Café offers breakfast and lunch along with a full coffee, smoothie bar, sweet treats, and even chocolate-covered bacon…Where else can you try that?! The Pantry Café opens an hour before the attractions and remains open until attraction closing time. The Museum Shop sells hard-to-find Hershey candies and gifts. It is small but worth a browse.

The Hershey Community Archives is in the basement of The Hershey Story. When we visited, I was not quite sure what it was. It turns out that the M.S. Hershey Foundation created Hershey Community Archives to collect and preserve information documenting Hershey’s corporate and community history. Researchers should check-in at the Museum’s front desk. The archives are open from 10 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday and by appointment only on Saturday.

OUR EXPERIENCE AT THE HERSHEY STORY

We were lucky enough to get tickets to the Museum Experience, Tastings, and a Chocolate Lab. We decided to do the top floor—the Museum Experience—first. Then, we took a break to do Tastings and the Chocolate Lab. Finally. After that, we explored the museum’s special exhibit gallery, which tells the story of Mr. Hershey’s Cuban sugar venture. 

THE MUSEUM EXPERIENCE AT THE HERSHEY STORY

We started our adventure at the kiosk located in the museum’s Grand Lobby.  The kiosk is where we personalized the big “H” coin we received at the front desk.  Once we personalized our coin with our last name, we then used it upstairs throughout the Museum Experience at each interactive station. When you scan the coin, the station plays a brief animation that tells a story about Milton Hershey.  

Going through the Museum Experience, we learned about Milton Hershey’s early life and failures that subsequently led to his success.  Even though our kids were more excited about building their chocolate production line on an interactive screen, we tried to emphasize the lesson that Hershey succeeded by learning from his mistakes and working hard to achieve his goals. 

“I failed….I suppose I never would have done anything if I hadn’t kept coming back.” ~ Milton Hershey

We continued scanning our coin to follow along with Milton Hershey’s story.  After learning about the Hershey chocolate factory and life for the workers, we looked at historical advertising and Hershey memorabilia. One of my favorite parts of the exhibit was learning about how Milton Hershey gave back to the community in such a big way and continues giving back through his trust. Once he started making a lot of money, he created an orphanage for boys. Rather than boast about this, it remained a secret until it was published by the media years later. The school is now over 100 years old and accommodates over 2,000 students.

“One is only happy in proportion as he makes others feel happy….”~ Milton Hershey

Another neat fact that we learned about Milton Hershey is that he was almost a passenger on the ill-fated Titanic! Mr. Hershey put down a deposit for a cruise on the Titanic. Luckily, an urgent business forced him to cancel his trip! The check that he wrote for his voyage is on display in the museum.

After we finished browsing the galleries, the final interactive area instructed us to choose an area to impact to help make a difference. Since we love to travel and explore, we chose to support culture. The helpful museum guides happily took our picture next to the final display.

THE HERSHEY STORY MUSEUM: SPECIAL EXHIBIT

After we took a break for Tastings and a Chocolate Lab class, we went into the special exhibit room called Mr. Hershey’s Cuba. Upon arriving in Cuba in 1916 for vacation, Mr. Hershey was charmed with the island and the Cuban people. He was immediately impressed with the tropical island and saw the potential for building a business there around sugar—Cuba’s predominant industry and a key ingredient to Hershey’s milk chocolate. 

Shortly thereafter he purchased his first plantation and sugar mill and quickly built a town—also called Hershey—that included a railroad, employee housing, a hotel, a botanical gardens and a school for orphaned boys. Once again, Mr. Hershey created jobs and a vibrant community for his sugar mill workers. We walked around and read the information on the fascinating story of the rise and fall of the town for about 20 minutes while our kids enjoyed building their own model town. 

CHOCOLATE TASTINGS

Chocolate Tastings was a nice break after strolling all over the museum! My husband and I opted for the sample flight of six drinking chocolates from around the world. The six samples of warm drinking chocolates were delivered on a color-coded mat with a brief description of the chocolate, percentage of cacao, and country of origin.

The friendly staff instructed us to sample the chocolate from the highest percentage of cacao beans to the lowest. My favorite was from Tanzania. It is the one with the highest amount of cacao – 75%. My husband and our kids’ favorite choice was the one with the lowest amount of cacao, good old-fashioned Hershey’s Milk Chocolate!

As my husband and I sampled our exotic chocolates, our kids enjoyed their own special Tastings for Kids. It came with a mug of warm milk and chocolate star-shaped lollipops that they could stir to make hot chocolate or eat. They decided to do a little of both. We also shared our chocolate with them, but they preferred their own treats better. 

CHOCOLATE LAB

We chose to participate in the Chocolate Lab class called “Planet Chocolate.” When we entered the lab, we were seated at our own table with a stainless-steel counter in a pristine room with about 30 other participants. The lab facilitators gave us plastic aprons and hairnets to wear. Men with facial hair had to wear ‘beard nets’, which was pretty comical!

Chocolate Lab Learning

At the beginning of the class, we learned about all the places that Hershey sources cocoa beans from around the world and how the beans are different from place to place. The facilitators passed around a giant cacao pod so we could feel and smell it. The tree that cocoa is sourced from is called Theobroma Cacao and it means food of the gods. 

Make sure you pay attention during the lecture part because they will ask questions. You get a Hershey’s Kiss for each correct answer. Our son racked up a handful of candy. 

Next, the facilitators explained a little bit about the cocoa mixing process. We did not get a recipe because it is a top-secret! But, we did find out that being a professional chocolate taster IS a real job! How cool is that?!

Chocolate Lab Hands-on Fun 

Then, the creative fun began! We each received a small plastic candy mold and a bowl of melted chocolate to divide up among the four of us. After we filled our molds, we could use the shakers of cocoa nibs, crushed red pepper, and cinnamon to devise our own special candy bar. The kids kept theirs plain while my husband and I had fun experimenting with the ingredients. 

Finally, the facilitator gave us material to wrap our bars up in so that they could finish cooling and setting. He said that we couldn’t waste all the leftover chocolate and gave the kids spoons so they could scrape the bowl…I am pretty sure that was their favorite part! More chocolate!! 

As for the finished product, I don’t like a lot of red pepper, but it tasted surprisingly amazing in chocolate. It did not taste hot at all! I’d love to go back and do another lab sometime!

“Roll up your sleeves and get ready to have fun at Hershey’s sweetest hands-on activity” ~ The Chocolate Lab

Chocolate Lab Notes

• For the Chocolate Lab, children must be at least FIVE years old to enter and those under 13 must be accompanied by a paying adult.
• Chocolate Lab times do fill up quickly and you can only buy tickets on-site. It is recommended to buy tickets at least an hour in advance to ensure you can get into the lab of your choice.
• The Chocolate Lab schedule is subject to change. Tickets are non-refundable.
• The Chocolate Lab is NOT Kosher or NOT allergen-free. However, they make every effort to exclude the use of tree and ground nuts.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU VISIT THE HERSHEY STORY

• The Hershey Museum experience is open daily year-round except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Hours vary by season, so consult the website for the latest information. 
• We recommend allowing at least an hour to tour the museum and 30 minutes for the Chocolate Tastings. The Chocolate Lab also runs about an hour between the time you need to line up to the time you leave the class.
• You can download a map on the website to help plan your visit. 
• Free parking is available in the lot next to The Hershey Story building. 
• The facility is wheelchair accessible. Visit the Accessibility Information page for resources to accommodate visitors with hearing loss, autism, or sensory disorders.
• You can buy combination passes for the Museum Experience and Chocolate Lab or the Museum Experience and Hershey Gardens. There are also special discounts for seniors and children under 13 years old. 
• Active duty military can get into the Museum Experience for free with valid identification and receive special discounts on other attractions. 
• Teachers, veterans, and families of active-duty military personnel also receive discounts with identification. 

If you are looking for the best attractions for kids in Central Pennsylvania, the Hershey museum will not disappoint! From hands-on activities to indulging in chocolate treats, this Pennsylvania Dutch Country region attraction is so much fun for families!

If you have more time to explore the area, we highly recommend visiting the beautiful Hershey Gardens, including its stunning year-round butterfly atrium!