Hersheypark is a popular amusement park located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The amusement park has been standing for over a century, and was initially founded by Milton S. Hershey, who was also the founder of the Hershey Company. Milton S. Hershey founded the amusement park as a place where the many workers employed by his company could spend their time off. Today, it draws in crowds from all over the world thanks to both it’s plethora of thrilling roller coasters and it’s historical appeal. Hersheypark is not only a great place to experience some of the most awesome roller coasters around, but it’s also a great place to try out some Hershey’s chocolate. From Candymonium to the Cocoa Cruiser, join ViewCation as we take a look at the best roller coasters at Hersheypark, Pennsylvania.
Candymonium
Candymonium is the newest roller coaster at Hersheypark, and it’s one of the few that actually pays homage to the Hershey Company’s status as one of the country’s preeminent candy manufacturers. Though candy is sweet and typically beloved by eaters of all demographics, visitors might want to be a bit more selective about whether or not they choose to try out Candymonium. The roller coaster was intended to be the most thrilling in all of Hersheypark. While there are plenty who debate whether or not the coaster actually succeeded in it’s goal, there’s no doubt that it ranks at least somewhere close to the top. For popularity’s sake, we’ll be listing Candymonium as the best coaster in the park.
Candymonium is no joke, despite it’s somewhat corny name. The coaster reaches a top speed of nearly 80mph, though it clocks in at around only two minutes. Though Candymonium is incredibly fast, it’s not quite as jerky as some of the other roller coasters that can be found within Hersheypark. This helps make Candymonium a bit more accessible for visitors that aren’t as experienced with intense roller coasters.
Since it’s introduction to Hersheypark in July of 2020, Candymonium has quickly become the most popular ride in the entire amusement park! The steel roller coaster is certainly worth the oftentimes-exuberant waits that tourists might be forced to suffer through to ride it, though there are plenty of other exciting coasters at Hersheypark that are bound to have shorter lines than this newest addition.
Great Bear
Though Candymonium has eclipsed the other roller coasters at Hersheypark in the eyes of the general public, there are still many who consider the Great Bear to be the most thrilling coaster that the chocolatiering amusement park has to offer. The Great Bear is an inverted roller coaster that has been standing since 1998. Unlike the relatively quiet and smooth Candymonium, the Great Bear is shaky and loud! This can make the roller coaster seem quite a bit more intense. The Great Bear features a 120-foot drop, and the fact that it’s an inverted roller coaster means that you’ll be able to get a good view of the ground below you.
Skyrush
Besides Candymonium and the Great Bear, Skyrush is another coaster that is often brought up in conversation when the subject of the best roller coasters at Hersheypark is broached. In terms of pure thrills, Skyrush has a lot to offer over those two competitors. Skyrush features a 200-foot ascent, though it’s not a slow crawl to the top. Instead, riders are shot right out of the gate, with the coaster going around 70mph for the duration of the ride. Skyrush was opened up in 2012, and instantly became one of the most thrilling rides featured at Hersheypark. Skyrush’s fast pace makes it so that the entire ride is only around a minute long, and riders are likely to feel like they are legitimately flying through it’s whole duration. Besides Candymonium, the Great Bear, and Skyrush, there’s one more roller coaster that is often seen as a contender for being the most thrilling coaster in all of Hersheypark, and that would be Fahrenheit.
Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is a steel rollercoaster that opened up at Hersheypark in 2008. This rollercoaster features a 120-foot ascent, but it’s height isn’t all that it has going for it. Instead, it’s the steepness of the coaster’s main drop that serves as the biggest things that keeps the crowds coming back in line for more. The roller coaster’s name is a clever homage to the fact that the coaster’s aforementioned drop stands at a 97-degree angle. For those that don’t know, 97 degrees Fahrenheit is close to the ideal human temperature. Given that the majority of Fahrenheit is centered on it’s 97-degree drop, the ride isn’t all that long. However, for the duration of the drop itself, you’ll feel like time has slowed to a standstill.
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Storm Runner
Candymonium, the Great Bear, Skyrush, and Fahrenheit undoubtedly represent the “big four” roller coasters that can be found at Hersheypark. However, they’re far from being the only thrilling roller coasters that the park has to offer! There are several other roller coasters offering their own unique experiences to park visitors, including the Storm Runner. The Storm Runner was opened up in 2004. The roller coaster is known for the fact that it goes from 0mph to 72mph in the span of only a few seconds. Once the coaster has reached it’s operating speed, it’s riders are in for a series of twists, turns, and loops that will have them feeling as if they’re being tossed around in a tornado! Skyrush has taken a lot of attention away from the Storm Runner, but this only means that the lines are liable to be shorter for the latter. Both rides are certainly worth checking out!
Laff Trakk
The Laff Trakk is another of Hersheypark’s more unique roller coasters. There are several things that make the Laff Trakk stand out from it’s fellow Hersheypark roller coasters, but the thing that arguably makes it stand out the most is the fact that it’s the only roller coaster at the park that is entirely indoors. Some other things that make the Laff Trakk stand out from the competition include the fact that it’s carts spin riders around while they go along the track, and the fact that the entire ride has disorienting fun-house theming. Things can get pretty psychedelic while you’re riding the Laff Trakk, and there’s a good chance you’ll burst out laughing!
Lightning Racer
The Lightning Racer is another roller coaster at Hersheypark that can be said to be truly unique. The roller coaster consists of two separate tracks, and these two tracks allow for dueling cars. You’ll be racing the riders in the car adjacent to you, and it’s never a sure thing which of the cars will win! Regardless of whether you’ve ended up on the winning or the losing car, riding the Lightning Racer is a ton of fun. The wooden dueling coaster was opened up to visitors in the year 2000, and it still provides plenty of thrills.
Wildcat
The Wildcat is another wooden roller coaster that opened up in Hersheypark around the same time as the Lightning Racer. In fact, both of the roller coasters were designed and produced by the same company, with that company being Great Coasters International. The Wildcat opened up in 1996, just a few years before the opening of the Lightning Racer. When the Lightning Racer opened up, it eclipsed the Wildcat in popularity due to the fact that it offered all of the thrills of the Wildcat with the addition of dueling cars. However, the Wildcat has still been kept around, and a big part of this may be due to the fact that the wooden roller coaster is named after the park’s very first coaster ever. The original Wildcat opened up in 1923, almost a century ago.
Jolly Rancher Remix
This roller coaster was formerly known as the Sidewinder, but has since been giving branding more in line with Hersheypark’s general candy theming. The coaster consists of three loops that riders will be shot through at full speed, only to begin going in reverse at the track’s end. The reversed coaster then takes riders through the same three loops backwards, providing some pretty intense thrills.
Comet
The Comet is far from being the most thrilling roller coaster available to ride within Hersheypark, but it’s notable for being the oldest of the park’s coasters that is still in operation. The Comet was first opened up to the public all the way back in 1946. This fact means that the roller coaster is around three decades older than the second-oldest ride that can be found within the park. The Comet is a classic wooden roller coaster, and it’s thrills pale in comparison to those offered by the Storm Runner or the Wildcat. However, it’s impossible to deny the charm of Hersheypark’s oldest functioning ride.
SooperDooperLooper
If the Comet is Hersheypark’s oldest functioning roller coaster, than SooperDooperLooper is it’s second-oldest functioning roller coaster. Once again, the appeal of this classical coaster nowadays is largely historical. Following the coaster’s opening over four decades ago, Hersheypark launched a memorable campaign featuring the slogan “I Survived the SooperDooperLooper!” T-shirts bearing this slogan became especially popular, and are still sold at the park today despite the fact that the thrills offered to riders by the namesake coaster are no longer all that thrilling.
Trailblazer and Cocoa Cruiser
Finally, let’s take a look at the two roller coasters featured at Hersheypark that are aimed at a younger demographic. The Trailblazer is a roller coaster meant for families, while the Cocoa Cruiser is a roller coaster meant specifically for children. Both roller coasters can be a ton of fun for the right demographic, but will likely prove pretty tame for adults.
Hersheypark has an intimidating selection of roller coasters at visitors’ disposal, and this video has hopefully helped you decide which one you’re going to ride first! Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that Hersheypark was originally created as a place for workers at the Hershey Company to unwind during their days off, and that the park features over a dozen thrilling roller coasters? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more globetrotting ViewCation videos are on their way!