If you want to be inspired, the Hershey Story Museum in Hershey, PA, is a great place to visit. It’s all about chocolate for one thing — wait, isn’t that THE most important thing? There are so many other exciting things about the Hershey story, and it all begins with Milton Hershey.
Learn the incredible story of Milton Hershey at the Hershey Story Museum through hands-on classes and incredible exhibits. You’ll also learn about your favorite sweets in the Chocolate Lab and sample warm drinking chocolate from around the world at Tastings. Grab a delicious treat from the Pantry Café and find a unique assortment of keepsakes and chocolate at the Museum Shop. History is fun at the Hershey Museum!
The Museum on Chocolate Avenue
The Hershey Story Museum tells the inspiring life story of Milton Hershey and his wife, Catherine, through incredible and dynamic exhibits. In addition to its historical significance, the museum is also a stop on The Chocolate & More Sweet Treat Trail, so make sure to print a bingo card and get a stamp when you visit!
You’ll learn what motivated Mr. Hershey to keep striving for success after multiple failures, how his innovations influenced the world of chocolatiers and advertising, and how his philanthropy helped build a community and better futures for generations of children.
A visit to the museum is truly an educational experience that is fully immersive and fun for people of all ages. The museum features five immersive exhibits on Milton Hershey’s early life:
1. Failure to Fortune
Explore exhibits about Milton Hershey’s early life on the homestead and his apprenticeships and first sweet shops. Milton was driven to make a sweet chocolate treat that wasn’t exclusive to the elite but that everyone could enjoy. Learn how he finally perfected his chocolate-making process and started his factory.
Did you know that chocolate kisses were hand-wrapped from 1907 to 1920? Just like that famous episode of “I Love Lucy!”
2. Sweet Innovations
Displays in this exhibit detail Milton Hershey’s newly developed machine-run chocolate process. You’ll also see how he understood the need for additional revenue streams through his innovative creations from the byproducts of making his sweet treat.
Did you know that Milton Hershey spent three years trying to perfect his chocolate-making process? Today, it is known as the Hershey process.
3. The Power of Promotion
Milton Hershey knew that he was not only persistent in his pursuit of success but also well aware of the need to market his product. His promotional campaigns included brilliant artwork and colorful marketing pieces in his packaging, which helped develop his brand. Exhibits in this area display various marketing pieces throughout his career.
Did you know that before he bought Reese’s brand in 1963, Hershey supplied the chocolate used to make the sweet peanut butter treat?
4. The Living Legacy
The Hershey Story Museum highlights an extraordinary man with an extraordinary heart. As a young man, he penned, “One is only happy in proportion as he makes others feel happy.” Later in life, he was able to bring that statement to fruition. The M.S. Hershey Foundation has significantly impacted the community since its founding in 1935. This exhibit shares how Hershey has given back and made “others feel happy.”
5. Hershey Builds Hershey
Milton Hershey didn’t just build a factory; he also built a community. Investing in the area of his birthplace, this exhibit features all the local dairy farms, property, and railroads that Milton founded to make our little town what it is today. The exhibit discusses how he and his wife developed Milton Hershey School and Hersheypark.
Check out this fun fact about Milton Hershey and the Titanic: Milton Hershey almost sailed on the Titanic! What a sinking feeling to think of life without a Hershey bar (or Reese’s cup).
The Chocolate Lab
See if you have what it takes to become a chocolatier! The Chocolate Lab at The Hershey Story Museum gives visitors a hands-on chocolate-making experience. During a 45-minute class, you’ll learn what makes this sweet treat irresistible and create your own delicious creation to take home.
Chocolate Lab tickets are available at the museum’s admissions desk for guests aged five and older. The museum wants visitors to note that adults must accompany children under 13 and that the Chocolate Lab is NOT Kosher, gluten-free, or allergen-free.
Tastings: Chocolate from Around the World
Nibble your way around the globe for an international flight of flavor! At Tastings, you’ll have the opportunity to sample drinking chocolate from countries worldwide. Each region’s cacao beans produce chocolate with unique flavor notes. Spicy? Fruity? Nutty? Which one will be your favorite? You can also pick up seasonal drinks and special treats.
We hope this taste of what to expect at the Hershey Story Museum makes you even more excited to visit Hershey, PA! No matter the season, it’s the perfect addition to your vacation or weekend getaway. There’s so much to see and do that you should plan on several days for your visit.
Book your stay at the Inn at Westwynd Farm. We can’t wait to join you for your next sweet chocolate adventure.
Photo Credit: The Hershey Story Museum, used by permission