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Hometown Tourist: A Ride on the Trick or Treat Trolley

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By Patsy Gilbert, Hershey to Elizabethtown Macaroni Kid - www.hershey.macaronikid.com October 21, 2016
Living in the Hershey area, many of us may take for granted a lot of the many amenities made available by living in such a wonderful place.  My husband and I often remind our boys that skipping by the park for a few hours in the evening during the summer months isn’t a normal thing for most families.  Chocolate World is a tourist attraction to the rest of the world.  For us, it’s a great place to buy a special occasion cake and spend an hour on a rainy afternoon.  The trolley is a common site, something we pass by every day on our way to work and school.  But what if we tried viewing our town from the other side of the trolley window?  What if we stepped into the shoes of a tourist and tried experiencing this place we call home from a completely different perspective?

This past weekend my family and I did just that.  Tickets in hand, we waited under the Trolley Depot in front of Chocolate World along with a number of other families, most from out of town.  Specifically, we were there for the seasonal Hershey Trolley Works Trick or Treat Trolley (hoping for more treats than tricks!)


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So what happens on those antique looking vehicles?  What draws thousands of visitors each year into its wooden seats?  Riders are taken on approximately a forty-five minute drive around town where a narrator briefly introduces the main sites in Hershey while telling the story of Milton Hershey’s life, his company and his school.  It’s an easy way for visitors to become familiar with the town’s history in an entertaining and comfortable fashion.  Accompanying the narrator is a Conductor, essentially a sidekick who infuses a level of humor into the experience.  While she’s in charge of the facts, he's responsible for the jokes (and, for our ride, the candy).

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Our ride was a great refresher of a story we already knew well, but also a source of “random Hershey facts” that you may not know.  Can you list the top five Hershey products?  How about the number of Hershey Kiss streetlights that line Chocolate Ave?  Do you know the number of cows needed for one-day’s worth of chocolate making at the Hershey factory?  You can find out the answers to these questions and many others on a trolley ride!  Along the way, meet characters from Hershey’s past, including Milton’s father, Henry Hershey, who literally brings history alive.

Despite being called a Trick or Treat Trolley, it was far from scary and quite appropriate for the whole family.  The Halloween/fall theme is present through small touches, such as autumn leaf décor over the windows and some family-friendly Halloween jokes (What are werewolves called before they get dressed in the morning?  Underwerewolves!)  And what would Halloween be without a friendly ghost stopping by?  The Trick or Treat Trolley ends with a Hershey’s chocolate bar in addition to a couple of additional miniature treats passed around during the ride. 


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Hershey Trolley Works operates throughout the year with the exception of Christmas Day and in snowy conditions.  The Trick or Treat Trolley runs select weekends in October in the afternoon and evening.  Upcoming seasonal rides include the Holly Jolly Trolley and Sweet Lights Trolley to celebrate the holiday season.  The Chocolate & History Tour runs frequently throughout the year.  A complete detailed schedule and description of all trolley tours can be found here.

Hershey Trolley Works tickets can be purchased online or on-site at Hershey’s Chocolate World.

Ticket Prices
Adults (ages 13-61): $15.95
Children (ages 3-12): $12.95
Seniors (ages 62+): $15.45
Children (ages 0-2): FREE

Sweet Lights Trolley
All Tickets: $9.95


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Trolley Trivia
What are the top five Hershey's products?
5.) Chocolate Syrup
4.) Kit Kat
3.) Hershey's Kisses
2.) Hershey's Chocolate Bar
1.) Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

How many Hershey's Kiss streetlights line Chocolate Ave? 128 streetlights

How many cows are needed for one-day’s worth of chocolate making at the Hershey factory? 50,000 cows


I was provided complimentary tickets to facilitate this review, however all opinions expressed are my own.