Welcome to Hershey & Harrisburg

Some places are famous for a single thing. Hershey & Harrisburg is famous for the chocolate, the Capitol, and the coasters — and quietly remarkable for everything in between, from river trails to craft breweries to a story that gets more interesting the deeper you go.  Less than 20 minutes apart and around two hours from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C., the Hershey Harrisburg Region is two distinct destinations that share one generous spirit: a genuine desire to help you make the most of your time here. Whether you're planning a family adventure packed with big moments, a relaxed grown-up getaway, or simply a weekend where you finally do all those things you've been meaning to do — you've come to the right place.

Two towns, one region, and more to discover than you ever expected.

Family Fun in Hershey & Harrisburg, PA

Chocolate World Character Photo

This is a region that has a way of bringing people together — and giving them something worth sharing long after they've gone home. Hersheypark® delivers 15 roller coasters and 20 kiddie rides, so no one in the family sits on the sidelines. Hershey's Chocolate World offers a free tour ride, candy-making adventures, and enough sensory magic to make even the most world-weary adults feel like kids again. Across the region, family fun comes in all forms — minor league baseball on an island in the middle of the Susquehanna River, underground cave tours that stay a steady 52 degrees, and a safari and wildlife park experience at Lake Tobias Wildlife Park, where bison, elk, giraffes, and hundreds of exotic animals await just a short drive from the city.

Adulting Upgraded

Hotel Hershey Cocktail

The Hershey Harrisburg Region has always understood that the best grown-up getaway delivers options — and lots of them. Spa days at The Hotel Hershey®. Craft beer at over 20 local breweries. Date night dining with real atmosphere. Live music at venues that range from intimate to arena-scale. There's the thrill of live horse racing at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course (free to watch on select weekdays), a quietly impressive regional wine scene, and a growing arts district in Harrisburg where an afternoon gallery walk can easily turn into dinner and a show. This is a region that respects what adults actually want: quality, variety, and the feeling that every hour was well spent.

Fresh Air Awaits — Get Outside in Hershey & Harrisburg

Outdoor Activities - Appalachian Trail

Most visitors come for the chocolate or the Capitol. Then they discover what's waiting just beyond the obvious — and they come back for the trails. The Hershey Harrisburg Region is threaded with outdoor experiences that range from a casual morning walk along the Susquehanna River to a challenging hike to Hawk Rock, a celebrated overlook along the Appalachian Trail. The Capital Area Greenbelt offers 22 miles of on-road and dedicated paths connecting Harrisburg's landmarks. Swatara Creek winds through pastoral scenery ideal for a relaxed kayak float. 

Budget-Friendly Attractions

A remarkable amount of what makes this region special doesn't require spending a lot to enjoy it. From under-$12 rounds of championship-style mini golf at City Island's Water Golf — voted the #1 place to play mini golf in Pennsylvania — to guided tours of Fort Hunter Mansion for less than $10, the Hershey Harrisburg Region has mastered the art of delivering memorable experiences at prices that keep the whole trip from feeling expensive. History, nature, art, and family fun are all well within reach.

Free Things To Do

Fresh air is always free — and in the Hershey Harrisburg Region, it comes with quite a lot of company. In Hershey, the Chocolate World tour ride is a free, immersive journey through the entire chocolate-making process, from cocoa bean to candy bar, and it ends with a free sample for everyone. The free guided tour of the Pennsylvania State Capitol building is one of the finest such experiences in the country, taking you through a rotunda that President Theodore Roosevelt once called the handsomest building he had ever seen. Harrisburg's Riverfront Park delivers scenic Susquehanna River views at no cost. The Capital Area Greenbelt winds 22 miles through Harrisburg's most beautiful green spaces. And the Harrisburg Arts District's 30+ public murals and 20+ monuments are yours to discover on foot — with a free audio tour app to guide the way.

One Town. One Dream. An Entirely Sweet Story.

Chocolate Avenue Hershey PA

Hershey, Pennsylvania is one of America's most iconic small towns — and also one of its most surprising. Everyone arrives knowing the chocolate. Most discover something much richer: a community built from the ground up by a visionary candymaker who believed that prosperity, beauty, and opportunity should be shared with everyone around him. Hersheypark® brings the thrills. Hershey's Chocolate World brings the stories. Chocolate Avenue brings the HERSHEY'S KISSES®-shaped streetlights, the local dining, the craft breweries, and the boutique shops that reward a slow afternoon of wandering. And The Hotel Hershey® — a landmark of luxury with a view over the town Milton built — brings the kind of stay that makes the whole trip feel like it was elevated (just a little).

Milton S. Hershey

Understanding Hershey, Pennsylvania means understanding Milton S. Hershey — and understanding Milton means encountering a story that is genuinely extraordinary. He failed more than once before he succeeded. He built a chocolate empire and then gave most of it away. He constructed an entire town — homes, schools, parks, a trolley system, a hotel, cultural institutions — for his workers and their families, because he believed that a good life should be accessible to everyone. In 1909, he and his wife Catherine founded a school for orphaned boys that has since become the Milton Hershey School, still educating and housing thousands of children in need today. His is an American story that deserves to be told slowly — and Hershey is the perfect place to hear it.

Things to Do on Chocolate Ave.

You know you've arrived somewhere special the moment you spot the HERSHEY'S KISSES®-shaped streetlights. Chocolate Avenue is Hershey's iconic main corridor. It's a destination in its own right, with over 25 things to see, taste, and explore spread across a stretch of road that rewards both spontaneous wandering and deliberate planning. Dining ranges from upscale to casual. Craft breweries and the Hershey Story Museum share the same sidewalk. Fresh Market at Hershey Towne Square brings local produce, baked goods, and craft spirits to the avenue every weekend. And on the second Saturday of the month from June through September, Music on Chocolate fills the street with live music and creates the kind of easy summer evening that's hard to leave.

Family Activities in Hershey

Hershey, PA was not designed to be a theme park town with family-friendly extras tacked on. Milton Hershey built his entire community — parks, schools, gardens, cultural spaces — with the explicit intention that families could live, play, and thrive here together. That founding philosophy shows up in the remarkable depth and variety of family experiences available today. From the height-chart-defying thrills of Hersheypark® to the gentle wonder of a 23-acre botanical garden, from a guided tour through an underground limestone cavern to a leisurely morning watching animals roam at ZooAmerica®, Hershey keeps every member of the family genuinely engaged.

Things to Do in Harrisburg, PA

Harrisburg Capitol Aerial

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is a Capital City that consistently exceeds expectations. Anchored by the magnificent dome of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building and framed by the wide, scenic waters of the Susquehanna River, Harrisburg is walkable, welcoming, and packed with things to do for every kind of traveler. The Harrisburg Arts District brings 30+ public murals and a thriving live performance scene within easy walking distance of the riverfront. City Island — accessible by pedestrian bridge from downtown — delivers minor league baseball, championship-style mini golf, and river views that turn an ordinary evening into something worth remembering. History, culture, creative energy, and a dining scene with more personality than its size would suggest: this is Harrisburg in 2026.

Harrisburg Arts District

The Harrisburg Arts District is not a single venue or a curated block — it's a living, walkable stretch of the city's downtown, midtown, and riverfront neighborhoods where creativity is built into the walls, the stages, and the storefronts. More than 30 public murals and 20 monuments are woven throughout the streets, all free to discover on foot with the help of a free audio tour app. Performing arts venues anchor the district, including the Forum Auditorium (home of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra), the Sunoco Performance Theatre at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, and independent galleries that rotate new work every few weeks. On the third Friday of every month, 3rd in the Burg transforms the district into a city-wide arts celebration that stays free and stays welcoming.

City Island Harrisburg

City Island sits in the middle of the Susquehanna River, just steps from downtown Harrisburg via a pedestrian bridge — a little slice of Americana packed with baseball, mini golf, a carousel, a train, and river views that make the whole thing feel like a postcard come to life. This is where Harrisburg Senators baseball — the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals — plays home games at FNB Field with the river as the outfield backdrop. This is where Water Golf, voted the #1 place to play mini golf in Pennsylvania, sets up beautifully landscaped holes with panoramic river views. And when the sun goes down, Harrisburg Beach Club brings themed parties, live music, and craft cocktails to an outdoor venue that earns its view with every visit.

PA State Capitol

The Pennsylvania State Capitol Building is one of the finest public buildings in the United States — and its doors are open to everyone, every day, free of charge. Completed in 1906 and designated a National Historic Landmark, the Capitol draws visitors into a world of sweeping architecture, priceless Pennsylvania art, and stories that connect the Commonwealth's past to its present. The rotunda alone — its dome inspired by Michelangelo's St. Peter's Basilica — is the kind of space that stops people in their tracks. President Theodore Roosevelt, who attended its dedication, called it the handsomest building he had ever seen. Free guided tours run daily, and the East Wing Welcome Center features interactive exhibits that make the legislative process genuinely engaging for kids and curious adults alike.

Events in Hershey & Harrisburg — Festivals, Shows & Concerts

Events in Hershey & Harrisburg

Wondering what's happening this weekend? The Hershey Harrisburg Region's events calendar has the answer — and then some. Whether you're looking for live music at a venue that holds thousands or an intimate gallery opening in a converted midtown space, a major festival along the Susquehanna River or a quiet horticultural show in a historic garden, our events listing goes well beyond this weekend, this month, or this season. It's a comprehensive, constantly updated planning tool that makes it easy to discover what's on during your visit — whenever that visit happens to be. Browse by date, by type, or just by the weekend you've blocked off and let the calendar do the rest.

Great Days Out. Zero Cover Charge.

Free Community Events

Some of this region's most memorable events come without a price tag. Free community events throughout the year bring live music, local art, food trucks, fireworks, and cultural celebration to public spaces that were made for exactly this kind of gathering. From Memorial Day weekend's Harrisburg ArtsFest along the Susquehanna River — with 200+ juried vendors, live music, and family entertainment — to the annual Kipona Festival over Labor Day weekend and the Harrisburg Fringe Festival each July, there is something worth showing up for in every season.

The Brew Barons Beer Trail

The Hershey Harrisburg Region's craft beer scene is bigger than most visitors expect — and the Brew Barons Beer Trail is the best way to explore it. Over 20 participating breweries and tasting locations are spread across the region, each delivering its own take on local craft beer along with food, atmosphere, and a reason to linger. The free Brew Barons mobile app tracks your check-ins, accumulates points, and lets you choose prizes as you go — turning a perfectly enjoyable afternoon of beer exploration into something that feels a little bit like an adventure.

Trails & Experiences App

The free Visit Hershey Harrisburg Trails & Experiences app is the region's built-in companion for discovery — a single download that opens up a collection of themed passports designed to help you find sweet treats, outdoor adventures, and hidden gems you wouldn't find on your own. Each check-in earns points. Points unlock prizes. And the more you explore, the more you realize just how much this region has tucked away in unexpected places. Current passports include the Sweet Treat Trail and the Outdoor Adventure guide, with more on the way.

No Off-Season Here. Just Different Reasons to Come Back.

The Hershey Harrisburg Region is an all-season destination — and each season makes a strong case for itself. Spring brings rare blooms at Hershey Gardens and the return of baseball season at City Island. Summer fills the calendar with Hersheypark® thrills, outdoor concerts, festivals along the Susquehanna River, and kayak days on Swatara Creek. Fall brings harvest flavors to farm-to-table restaurants, autumn color to hiking trails, and the particular magic of Hersheypark®'s Halloween season. Winter brings craft breweries, warming comfort food, intimate museum visits, and the glow of the holidays in a town where even the streetlights are shaped like HERSHEY'S KISSES®.