On our tour of covered bridges, we also stopped off at the Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania.
Our purchases; our first shoofly pie, very much like a date pie (and quite tasty), iced cinnamon raisin bread, fudge, and interesting honey flavors:
We drove through some of Pennsylvania Dutch Amish country in Lancaster County, to see some of the many covered bridges.
An interactive map of our route:
Several covered bridges:
Amish horse and buggy:
Amish working in a field:
We explored Hershey Gardens in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
An interactive map:
Map:
Butterfly atrium:
Rose gardens dormant at the moment:
Other flower beds:
We went to Soda Jerk Diner & Dairy Bar in Hummelstown/Hershey, Pennsylvania for dinner. A classic 50’s themed diner.
Ice cream soda and egg cream beverages:
Breakfast for dinner:
Pretty tasty stuff.
We visited the Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
An interactive map of our walking route:
View of Independence Hall:
But first, Campo’s cheesesteaks for lunch:
Old post office:
Passage to Franklin Court:
Ghost structures representing Benjamin Franklin’s house in Franklin Court:
Benjamin Franklin sign:
Bicentennial Bell in Benjamin Rush garden:
Second Bank of the United States:
Jenn getting her passport stamps; this roll of paper is an excellent idea we haven’t seen elsewhere:
Cranking for smashed pennies:
Snack at the cafe in the visitor center:
Flag reflected in a circular window:
Court room:
Our tour guide:
Assembly Room, where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were both signed:
We did the expanded guided tour (40 minutes vs 20) that got to go upstairs:
Historical.
We visited Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Pennsylvania, which showcases an early American landscape of industrial operations from 1771-1883.
Visitor center:
We visited Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania, the place where George Washington and the Continental Army took refuge during the winter of 1777-1778.
Visitor center:
Housing:
Cannon:
Oven:
Redoubt:
Monument:
Covered bridge:
We attended a double-A baseball game between the Harrisburg Senators (Washington Nationals affiliate) vs Erie SeaWolves (Detroit Tigers affiliate) at FMB Field in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
An interactive map of the ballpark on an island in the capital city of Pennsylvania:
Capitol building:
FNB Field:
Dinner options:
Weird burger and cheesesteak:
Snack:
View from our seats, section 110, row 1, seats 1 & 2:
Play ball:
Selfie:
Run scores:
Exploring the ballpark:
Hershey ice cream:
Ball hit the ump’s mask:
Wackiness:
Broken bat:
Final scores:
We visited Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
We did the Create Your Own Candy Bar experience, where you choose components for a bar; here are Jenn’s selections:
My selections:
Selfie:
Production line:
While the chocolate is drying, you design your packaging:
Production line:
Our packages:
Then we did the free Hershey’s Chocolate Tour, a ride showing what goes in to producing chocolate bars:
Dinner in the food hall:
Dessert:
Hershey’s Largest Candy Store:
Extra-big Kit-Kat (which we didn’t buy):
We did buy a lot of stuff, though:
Kissmobile:
My custom candy bar:
Jenn’s custom candy bar:
A fun experience.
We stayed at Thousand Trails Hershey RV Campground in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. (Campground Reviews listing.)
If you don’t mind the occasional farm smells and being woken up by geese, this is a delightful campground. And convenient to Hershey. You know, the chocolate place.
Dates:
Weather:
Noise:
Site:
Utilities:
Internet (in usage priority order):
Amenities:
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Nice park close to Hershey
This was a very nice park by Thousand Trails standards. The roads in the park are easily navigable, but the access roads are a bit narrow, so you’ll be fine once you get to the park. Our site was somewhat level, but the hydraulic levelers coped well. Utilities were all good, with 70 psi water pressure, so bring a pressure regulator. We enjoyed the view of the lake and the waterfowl wandering about. The Canada Geese are a bit of a hazard to navigation and sleeping in (better than an alarm clock), but seeing the goslings out and about was nice. This park no longer allows mail or packages of any kind, but the post office in Campbelltown accepts general delivery and was the cutest, friendliest, and most homey post office I’ve ever been to.
The most annoying thing about our stay was the check-in process. They took my TT membership card and held onto it until I trekked back and handed in the (unnecessary and redundant) paperwork where I had to give them my license and registration information for my RV and truck and any guests I might be expecting and pledging the soul of my firstborn child (or something to that effect), whereupon they deigned to give me my gate pass and return of my membership card. After a long travel day through the PA turnpike, dealing with asinine bureaucracy and being held hostage is one of the last things I want to deal with. I sure hope that once they get used to the assigned site situation, they sunset this ridiculous policy. Nevertheless, we’d be happy to stay here again. We camped at Thousand Trails Hershey RV Campground in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
Nice view:
Utilities:
Ducks below birdfeeders on our neighboring site:
Tortoise crossing the road:
Geese and goslings:
Bathrooms:
Other sites:
Cabins:
Welcome center:
Closed swimming pool:
Game court:
Mini golf:
Lake:
We’d be happy to stay here again.