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Pennsylvania Originals

Hershey

At Hershey’s Chocolate World, visitors can design milk chocolate bars using authentic factory equipment and create personalized packaging while the chocolate cools. Attractions include “Hershey’s Great Chocolate Factory Mystery” movie in 4-D and the newly revamped Chocolate Making Tour ride for a behind-the-scenes look at the art of chocolatiering. Groups can hop on Hershey Trolley Works for a closed-loop tour of the town, Hershey’s childhood home and other sites.

“Hershey’s Chocolate Tasting Experience at Chocolate World is more like a wine-tasting class, but with chocolate, and it’s very interactive and educational,” said Rick Dunlap, public relations director for the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau. “Touch screens allow visitors to vote on what they smell and taste, and the results tally in real time on the stage.”

Another attraction, The Hershey Story: The Museum on Chocolate Avenue, houses the Chocolate Lab, a hands-on classroom with constantly changing confectionary experiments. The Origins of Chocolate tasting bar invites guests to become cocoa connoisseurs as they sample pure, warm liquid cocoa from six regions of the world.

Hersheypark entertains groups with 13 roller coasters and more than 70 rides and attractions. The Boardwalk features 14 water attractions, plus the Coal Cracker water flume. Opening in early April, the Hershey Triple Tower will be the first choose-your-thrill triple tower in the nation. The three towers stand at 189 feet, 131 feet and 80 feet high, and riders can choose positive and negative G forces. The park’s seasonal celebrations include Springtime in the Park, Hersheypark in the Dark and Hersheypark Christmas Candylane.

Ideal for educational programs and guided tours, Hershey Gardens added a 16,000-square-foot butterfly atrium last July that houses North American and tropical butterflies. The 23 acres encompass themed gardens, seasonal displays and more than 5,000 rosebushes.

Pennsylvania Dutch Country

In the heart of Lancaster County’s Pennsylvania Dutch Country, the Amish Experience offers its Amish Farmlands Tour at Plain and Fancy Farm. The 90-minute excursion weaves through back roads and country lanes for a glimpse of Amish life.

Unveiled in February, the “What Price Freedom?” presentation begins with the Magic Lantern Show, and a live actor portrays one of the show’s characters, recounting the story of slavery in America and the underground railroad. Afterward, a bus tour takes the audience to Underground Railroad sites. The tour concludes with the film “Jacob’s Choice,” which depicts the Amish quest for religious freedom in Pennsylvania.

Kitchen Kettle Village’s 42 shops and food specialties surround one of Lancaster County’s original canning kitchens. Local farm women “put up” more than 90 varieties of jams and relishes that visitors can sample. AAA Buggy Rides offers three different outings through the countryside with options to visit an Amish farm or business.

“Kitchen Kettle does a nice job incorporating its 1950s culinary heritage alongside newer offerings like fine wine and shopping for unique crafts,” said Joel Cliff, director of communications and advocacy for Discover Lancaster.

“Their new Village Insider tour puts visitors behind the scenes on both aspects of this community,” allowing them to experience its “renowned hospitality,” said Cliff.

At Kreider Farms, guided tours feature cows on their milking carousel and the maternity barn. For beautiful 360-degree views from the recently opened Silo Observation Tower, groups can climb the staircase spiraling around the outside of this former silo.

And from March 11 through October 14, “Jonah” at Sight and Sound Theatre delivers a spectacular performance. On three sides, a 300-foot stage surrounds the 2,000-seat auditorium. The production uses state-of-the-art technology and live animals.

Cook Forest State Park, Cooksburg

Near the Allegheny Mountains, Cook Forest State Park boasts the tallest trees in the northeast in its Forest Cathedral area. The 250- to 300-year-old white pine and hemlock trees reach almost 200 feet high and up to five feet in diameter. Nearly 47 miles of trails can be hiked within the park. The Seneca Point Overlook showcases the river valley, and the 70-foot climb up an old fire tower offers another lookout.

“This is the first Pennsylvania state park to preserve a natural landmark, which is the Forest Cathedral,” said Ryan Borcz, park operations manager. “The 1.2-mile Longfellow Trail is our most well-known trail and winds through this old-growth forest.”

The Clarion River, a nationally designated Wild and Scenic Waterway, invites groups to canoe, tube, kayak, swim and fish. Class I rapids provide excellent canoeing and kayaking, especially during spring and fall. Two popular paddling trips are four and 10 miles; canoes can be rented outside the park. In winter, groups can snowshoe, cross-country ski, ice skate and sled.

Year-round throughout the park, naturalists offer free, interpretive hands-on activities, guided walks and evening programs. The Log Cabin Environmental Learning Center provides indoor space for programs and displays historic logging and rafting tools, models and artifacts. Sawmill Center for the Arts, inside a historic sawmill, features traditional crafts, a gift shop and classes. Demonstrations and craft classes are presented summer through fall. The adjacent Verna Leith Sawmill Theater presents plays, musicals and other entertainment throughout the summer.

For more info contact the Pennsylvania Tourism Office at 1-800-847-4872 or go to www.visitpa.com.

Elizabeth Hey

Elizabeth Hey is a member of Midwest Travel Journalists Association and has received numerous awards for her writing and photography. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @travelbyfork.