Hershey would be more likely to split entrances than to put in a people moving transport ride. That’s the unfortunate truth. And even at that split entrances or two parks is highly unlikely.
Truth is Hersheypark is uniquely positioned. While not a WDW level draw, they are akin to DL in being a super regional park wile being able to draw multi day guests from across the country.
I would look for the two parts of Hershey (HERCO and the Entertainment, I think that’s the two parts) to continue their strong relationship. I would expect more tourist like attractions outside the park, Hotel Hershey expansion or more value hotels from Hershey.
Keeping the park as a two day park with one ticket encourages more long terms stays. Making it easier to get around the park or splitting or extra entrance to get to what you want means there’s less reason to do multiple days.
Drove past Park Blvd last night, looks like they are adding more fencing behind Candymonium.
Image below shows old fence line in Red, and what looks to be new fence line in Yellow (some of the yellow overlaps the old fence, which was chain link, to more modern fencing with vertical slats, behind SkyRush and Comet):
The park obviously has a lot more room, that makes use of the old Parkview golf course that Candymonium was built in the center of. This is just a small portion, but with some crude Google Earth math this comes out to around 7 acres:
Speculation on my part, but it would be possible to run a path under the Candymonium brake run to a new large area (or around the front of the station under the lift), which could be used for new catering facilities or events (like Dark Nights or Candylane) in the future. If they moved some Catering over here, it may open up more space for development behind Fahrenheit or to convert one of the existing catering structures into more Dark Nights facilities.
I don't think it would be too far from the main path and could give more room for rides in the future, but I know there are underground gas lines and other issues with this space if they were doing normal park expansion. Would also make a lot of sense to wait until Ridge Road gets a new bridge, which is currently one-way due to how small it is, and likely the road will need some realignment in the future. There's also some space they will want as a buffer and there may be stormwater retention issues that keep them from using the entire plot for the park.
Edit: Did some recon today on the ground. First photo is where the new fence roughly starts, behind Comet (If you notice there's the old fence line in front of the cherry picker, with some tree stumps still showing). Next one is the new access gate that's being built. 3rd picture is more in-progress fencing, including rolls of new fence.
Fourth picture is more of the look back at the entire area. Final picture is where the old fence line is, with a marker showing where the new one will go (three more markers are along the road, but barely show up in my photos).
Let me stress, there's no rumors that I'm aware of for any of this. This could all just be expanding the fence perimeter for security reasons (there are cameras along other portions of Park Blvd, but not this area in the past). Basing the Catering idea off the old Creekside Catering area that was previously there (removed in 2015-ish), but it wouldn't be a bad idea given how easy back-of-house access would be in that location.
However, I think the timing is suspicious, because the park hasn't really said anything about 2024 beyond Comet renovations. And if they were looking to expand Dark Nights with a new building/more indoor haunt spaces, there certainly could be planning for this now to open by September 2024 with a permanent structure, plus new pathways and utility work for future additions. Picturing something like the Midway tent setup, with two houses in a single structure, plus extra area for two large queues in front. It would be something new in the front of the park to soak up crowds (which, other than Spirits Bar, is basically a wash for Dark Nights), and still be off the main pathway so it's more secluded during the rest of the year.
I've always thought that Hershey could use a dedicated kids area close to the entrance, and this feels like it'd be a good spot for that. Chocolate Town is the perfect place for them to flex their brand and have a set of relatively decent-themed kids flats and a play area (something I feel the park is sorely missing).
But also, your idea for more venue space sounds spot on as well, and based on the decent turnout I saw (rather anecdotally) this year at Dark Nights, I think it's smart for them to expand their seasonal offerings like this, especially to this part of the park, which was lacking anything substantial.
I've always thought that Hershey could use a dedicated kids area close to the entrance, and this feels like it'd be a good spot for that. Chocolate Town is the perfect place for them to flex their brand and have a set of relatively decent-themed kids flats and a play area (something I feel the park is sorely missing).
But also, your idea for more venue space sounds spot on as well, and based on the decent turnout I saw (rather anecdotally) this year at Dark Nights, I think it's smart for them to expand their seasonal offerings like this, especially to this part of the park, which was lacking anything substantial.
This is kind of older information I have, but there was a time where they said to not expect a kid only area. The belief came from Milton Hershey where he wanted all areas to feel all inclusive for the entire family. So I would always expect things like thrill rides to be paired with kid friendly rides.
On top of that the area around Founders Circle is pretty much all kid friendly rides as well as everything around Dry Gulch Rail Road is as well.
There is a plan under review this upcoming Tuesday to approve Hershey Lumber, LLC, which is a plan to replace the former Lumber Yard (and former track storage area for Candymonium) with "Dwellings for Employees and Students." While this is mainly focused on Milton Hershey School, there is a note that some "excess capacity would also be utilized by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts." Building is supposed to include up to 118 one, two, and three bedroom apartments.
I'm under the impression that this may be used by entertainment (a lot of which is scouted outside Hershey and brought to town to work under contract), more than normal frontline theme park workers. For example, Oceans of Fun or RWS Entertainment, which usually do short-term rentals locally for their performers.
These aren't Hersheypark's first brush with housing. There is a Leadership Intern program that offers housing in Elizabethtown, PA (roughly 20 minutes away) that's more connected to the Penn State campus nearby. These are actually owned by Campus Heights Apartments, but subsidized by the intern program... not exacly housing on the level other resorts like Cedar Point or Morey's Pier offers.
Although, the Hershey Trust does own acres of land to build employee dorms elsewhere. This does not appear to be in the works for now, but it could be one day. As Hersheypark grows and struggles with staffing/retention, dorms would be an excellent offering to keep employees nearby. Spaces along Loudermilch Rd or Lingle Ave could keep a nice separation from the touristy areas, while providing closer access to shops and restaurants for employees to use during off-hours. With new apartments going in, I have to wonder if this is the next step for Hersheypark, as they intend to operate more year-round (basically nine months a year).
If they build a retaining wall, could make way for some flat rides. I'd love to see a Screamin' Swing or inverting flat like an Air Race go in that spot.
Has this stage been used any time recently? Also, it's right next to perhaps the loudest coaster I've ever heard. I can't imagine it's practical to have entertainment there, unless it's a bunch of mimes.
This theater's removal feels like a long time coming to me. Hersheypark real estate is in such incredibly high demand and entertainment is so low on the park's priority list that reallocating this space to an attraction use has to be the right choice I'd imagine. I'm always amazed that this facility and the dive theater both still exist in such a tightly-packed park.
Hersheypark real estate is in such incredibly high demand and entertainment is so low on the park's priority list that reallocating this space to an attraction use has to be the right choice I'd imagine. I'm always amazed that this facility and the dive theater both still exist in such a tightly-packed park.
The "Aquatheater" is still decently popular with families, despite no longer having dolphins. The shows there do have three California Sea Lions, and the show is outsourced to Oceans of Fun. That said, anything down near the creek is likely going to stay there for a long time, with construction issues surrounding Spring Creek and flooding prevent them from really investing in this area of the park. That pool (and Wave Swinger) was anchored by tons of concrete, so digging it all out would be a huge undertaking.
Has this stage been used any time recently? Also, it's right next to perhaps the loudest coaster I've ever heard. I can't imagine it's practical to have entertainment there, unless it's a bunch of mimes.
When Great Bear was added, they had all sorts of complaints over noise from outside performers. Eventually, a wall was built to dampen the sound on the left side of the theater. Before this wall went in, you used to be able to see and hear the live entertainment from the Sky View, too. While it was a nice theater space, the steep stairs (without handrails) were not great for wheelchairs and strollers. They also had issues with rain, despite being covered there were plenty of spaces that would leak onto the benches, leading to puddles and slips/falls.
The park does have the indoor Music Box Theater, which was rebuilt in the 00's and is ADA compliant, but they haven't used it much in recent years. They did have a small Halloween show this (2023) season and have used it for meet and greets, but it was nothing to write home about. It would be a fine venue for local and traveling acts, but since the waterpark was built, that does not seem to be the focus at Hersheypark anymore.
Resurrecting this thread for some ideas using the Dauphin County GIS. This is the current "Footprint" of the park, including a bunch of unused land behind the toll booths and land across Hockersville Rd which is used as Parkview Cross Country Course. Also 11.38 acres are for ZooAmerica, not included:
A lot of the land around the park is owned either by the Hershey Trust or Milton Hershey School, likely for tax purposes. There is temporary use of this land for parking for events, and seasonal things like Sweet Lights. The actual land HE&R owns for the Hershey Hotel is 242 acres on the hillside.
The Hersheypark Camping Resort is on 68 acres, about a little over half-developed and could certainly grow.
The Hershey Lodge is around 44 acres, pretty much fully-developed although they could always try to acquire more land around it.
Talked about this in another thread, but there is a new hotel under consideration for the new Hershey West End project, that would also be run by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts. This would have vacation packages and bus transportation like the other properties listed above.
There is land that Hershey Entertainment and Resorts owns near Lingle Ave backing up to the Hershey Country Club (364 Acres, probably untouchable), also owned by HE&R. That would make a great spot for employee housing one day, but that's my speculation. Three parcels that equal out to be 88 acres in size: (breakout box is shown for one of the three parcels below)
Something is definitely in the works, but I have a hard time reading too much into that crate sighting when we haven't seen any suspicious shipments to Hershey or from Mack lately.
I haven’t really heard much beyond “more Boardwalk” for next year. I’d take a PowerSplash or Water coaster if they want to add one, but that’s a reach.
Mack also changed their logo at some point in the past couple years, so it could be an older crate. Could totally see maintenance using a sturdy box like that for storage.
Just wanted to revisit this thread with some updates:
Hersheypark announced that "After 20 seasons of holiday magic, Hershey Sweet Lights will not return in 2026 as we focus on growing Hersheypark Christmas Candylane." This does free up 41.5 acres of land, although they still use this for concert parking during the Summer. This space also can get flooded due to the Swatara Creek that borders it, so maybe this is being looked at for improved flood grading (the other side of the Creek is more of a marshy area and likely protected in the next township over).
It does look like this area is property of MHS, although under the Trust it has multiple uses. It will be interesting to see if the structures will be removed or stay up on the site. Personal speculation but I think this would make for a good resort space if they can fix the flooding issue (and maybe connect the Hotel road with it for easier access around Catherine Hall), but nothing has been announced yet:
Elsewhere, the MeltSpa by Hershey is moving to a new home for 2027 by the Hershey Lodge (which is also getting a convention center upgrade). It's already fenced off for construction around the Pool area visible from 422. There is also more work being done on the new Lumber Company project (housing for MHS/Hersheypark downtown, where they stored the track sections for Candymonium in 2019-2020):
Just a note on "Hersheypark housing" - I think this is geared more towards Management Interns (currently houses in Middletown in PSU housing over the Summer for a few weeks) or stuff like Dark Nights people (who come from the West Coast and are put up by the park). Probably not housing like Cedar Point has, more than likely very selective housing and more focused on MHS and transitional housing for their graduates.
To tie this into what I said above about the Hershey Lumber project, that was used for Candymonium track storage - could we also see the Sweet Lights space used for track storage one day? Hmm.
For Christmas Candylane 2026, Hershey is adding a few new things. There is a "Fire and Ice Experience" (sounds like ice sculptures to me?) and Estate of Evil is being opened with Christmas decor as a walkthrough experience. They also mentioned "Holly Jolly Laff Trakk" and an overlay for the Twin Turnpike which sound like revisions to what they've done in the past for those rides during Candylane.
There are more markings over near Candymonium and additional signs that surveying is going on over there, but it's been really quiet on the rumors front recently. Sounds like it's a 2028 project, if anything? I haven't heard much for 2027, and I wonder if the park is waiting for Halloween to be over or IAAPA to announce something specific.
Edit: Also I wanted to add that yes, running Sweet Lights on gas generators is probably problematic this year. That was likely a big factor in ending it, but it does free up the land for other uses. Even during Concerts or the RV show, this is kinda considered extreme overflow for parking, so I don't think that keeps it around entirely for that use alone, and they do have use of other spaces for parking like the General Lot #1 that is shown on the map below, which rarely gets used during the concerts in the Stadium over the Summer. In past years, they set up Sweet Lights while the RV show was going on, so I personally think they can get by entirely without that space if they wanted to use it for a new resort if the numbers warranted adding another one:
Sweet Lights was the drive-through holiday lights show. Christmas Candylane is what they called their winter park event, like Winterfest or Holiday in the Park.
