Hershey Park or Dorney Park

[denny8569 Banned Find all posts View Profile Close denny8569]

Hello,
I am looking for opinions on which of two parks to visit - Hershey Park or Dorney Park in PA
I will be visiting this summer and will have time for one park.
Heard dorney was way better from people that have been there, but I really wanted to do hershey. curious about people thoughts.

thanks

[longtimer Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close longtimer]

I grew up in the Allentown area and loved going to Dorney as a child. The park has changed tremendously over the past 20 years. Despite the advertisements, I no longer consider it a family park. It gets very crowded, the patrons are very rude and the teens overrun the park. When my kids were small, we used to get season passes. Now we visit the park maybe once every two to three years. Most of the people I know who live in the Lehigh Valley feel the same about Dorney and avoid going there during the summer months. However, if you like water parks, then Dorney is definitely the better of the two options.
It's been about three years since I've been to Hershey Park. It's much better planned. There's more shade and more rides for families. IMHO, it's a wash comparing the roller coasters at the 2 parks. Hershey got some really great ones in the past few years. Hershey also has the zoo, which, at least in the past, had been free with park admission. And you can visit the chocolate factory for a nice break in theh middle of the day. (I can remember one very HOT summer when we rode the chocolate factory ride several times in a row because it was air conditioned and felt so good to cool down!) Let me know if you have interest in any specific types of rides or entertainment.