America’s “Sweetest Small Town” is a Willy Wonka Dream – It Even Smells Like Chocolate

Hershey, PA

Welcome to the sweetest small town in America, where the streetlights are shaped like Kisses and the air literally smells like chocolate. No, seriously. There’s a real town called Hershey, and it’s it’s a weirdly perfect mix of chocolate empire theme park and small-town charm.

How Hershey Cared for Its Factory Workers

When other factory towns had poor living conditions, Milton Hershey built something different for his workers. He constructed brick houses with modern plumbing and set up electric trolleys to help people get around. Workers and their families could enjoy a park, swimming pool, theater, and library.

The town had the area’s first public high school, giving children a good education. During the Great Depression, Hershey created jobs by building landmarks like the Hotel Hershey and the Community Building, which still stand today.

How a Simple Park Became a Major Theme Park

In 1906, Hersheypark started as a small recreation area for factory workers. It had just a carousel, a bandstand, and places for picnics. The park grew much bigger over time, and now covers 121 acres with about 76 rides. Its first roller coaster, the Wild Cat, opened in 1923 and cost $50,000.

Today, visitors can ride 15 roller coasters, including Candymonium, which stands about 220 feet tall. The park’s different areas have names based on Hershey’s candies.

A School That Changes Children’s Lives

The Milton Hershey School helps students from families who don’t have much money. The school gets its funding from The Hershey Company through a special trust. Students receive free education, housing, healthcare, and clothing.

Milton and Catherine Hershey gave all their money to the school, creating a fund worth over billions today. The school’s approximately 7000-acre campus has modern classrooms, farms, and nature centers.

The Factory’s Role in World War II

During World War II, Hershey’s factory made special chocolate bars for soldiers. These Field Ration D bars had to meet strict military requirements: they weighed 4 ounces, had a mixture of chocolate, sugar, powdered milk, oat flour, and vitamins, and provided 600 calories.

The factory made this project top secret, and workers in different areas didn’t know what others were doing. Between 1941 and 1945, they made over three billion bars. Each bar had to pass tough tests, including being dropped from high places and soaked in water for an hour.

Mediterranean Style in Pennsylvania Architecture

Milton Hershey loved the building styles he saw while traveling in southern Europe and North Africa. He brought these designs back to his town. The Hotel Hershey shows this influence with its red-tiled roofs, fountains, and detailed tile work.

His home, High Point Mansion, mixed this style with traditional American Colonial design. The old chocolate factory had features from Venice, like curved windows and fancy brickwork. New buildings in town must still follow these design rules today.

The Town’s Historic Transportation System

Hershey’s trolley system changed how people moved around the area in the past. The tracks stretched for miles, connecting the chocolate factory to nearby dairy farms and towns.

Tourists could ride these trolleys to see how chocolate was made, looking through special glass windows. While the electric trolleys stopped running years ago, replica trolleys still give tours today, helping visitors learn about the town’s history.

Building a Hotel During Hard Times

When many businesses were closing during the Great Depression, Milton Hershey started his biggest project. He built the Hotel Hershey on Pat’s Hill from 1932 to 1933, giving jobs to hundreds of local workers.

The hotel used materials from areas close to the town. It had 170 rooms, each with its own bathroom – very rare for that time. Workers also built beautiful gardens and underground tunnels for hotel staff to use.

Research That Changed Chocolate Making

The Hershey Technical Center opened in 1970 and improved how chocolate is made. Scientists there created better ways to test cocoa beans, including the “cut test” that shows if beans are ready to use.

They found ways to make chocolate last longer and helped farmers grow better cocoa beans. Their research helped other companies make better chocolate too by showing how chocolate crystals form to create the right texture.

Unique Street Lights Tell the Town’s Story

Engineer John Schaeffer designed special street lights for Chocolate Avenue in 1963. These 10 to 12-foot aluminum lights look like Hershey’s Kisses, both wrapped and unwrapped.

The town has 105 of these lights on its main streets. Each light needs special equipment for maintenance. These unique lights are protected by trademark law, making Hershey’s streets different from any other town.

A Zoo Focused on American Wildlife

What started as Milton Hershey’s personal collection of local animals in 1905 is now ZooAmerica. This 11-acre zoo has more than 200 animals from 70 North American species.

The animals live in five different areas that match their natural homes: Eastern Woodlands, Great Southwest, Big Sky Country, Northlands, and Southern Swamps. The zoo helps protect endangered species like the American red wolf and thick-billed parrot.

Hershey Gardens: A Sweet Retreat

Originally planned as a “nice little garden of roses” for Milton Hershey’s wife Catherine, Hershey Gardens now spans 23 acres filled with trees, flowers, and botanical beauty.

Visitors can explore the gardens and visit the Conservatory and tropical Butterfly Atrium for a delightful, fluttering experience. With a variety of ever-changing exhibits and attractions, Hershey Gardens offers something new and exciting for both first-time visitors and those making sweet returns.