Dutch Wonderland with our Toddler Prince

On day two of our Pennsylvania trip, we decided to head out to Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster. We ate breakfast in the Hershey Lodge at Lebbie Lebkicher's. I didn't think it was fantastic and Jax was not excited to sit down and have a meal, but they did add chocolate chips to everything, so I couldn't complain.

After breakfast, we got in the car and headed to Lancaster. Dutch Wonderland was about 30 minutes from Hershey and easy to find with the GPS. We paid $10 for Premier Parking and parked to the right of the entrance, but we realized it really wasn't necessary. The walk wouldn't have been long at all. Jax was napping when we walked in, so we just took our time seeing where everything was situated. It wasn't long before we started taking pictures of ourselves acting silly with the animatronic dinosaurs.

Snapping a quick pic with a Tyrannosaurus Rex

TK hatching from a dinosaur egg

Jackson finally woke up from his nap and we headed back over to the dinosaurs and he enjoyed RAWRing at each one of them, and there were a bunch. He also photobombed a few people's family pictures. Oops. Then, we went over to the fossil area so Jax could dig in the sand. It was really hot, so he wasn't too fond of sitting in the sand for too long.

RAWRRR!

We decided to head over to the splash area called Duke's Lagoon. The small kids' area was having an issue, so the water was off, unfortunately. Jax wasn't able to splash around and slide down the little slides, but he did stand at the end of the big slide and crack up laughing every time a kid slid down and splashed him. Unfortunately, he wouldn't go down any of the slides by himself and didn't want to walk under the sprayers, but he enjoyed himself and cooled off.

By that time, we all got hungry, so we left the park and walked down to Sonic. We sat outside and enjoyed our slushes, sandwiches and tots. It wasn't a far walk at all, so we also decided to see what stores were in the outlets across the street. The stores I wanted to check out (Janie and Jack and the Disney Store) weren't there, so we headed back into Dutch Wonderland. We rode the cars and the train together, and Jackson enjoyed them both. The lines weren't long, and we are used to waiting on lines at Walt Disney World, so it was refreshing.

Fortunately, while walking around we saw that they sold Dole Whips, and like I said, we are used to Walt Disney World, so we know EXACTLY what those are and love them. TK and I both got a Dole Whip float and then left the park. They were so sweet and refreshing after that hot day.

On the way back to the Hershey Lodge, Jax fell asleep, so we went to the lobby bar and had one drink each. I had a Troeg's and TK had a Special Dark Martini. His drink was delicious and he was able to keep the glass. When we were done with our drinks, we went back to the room to freshen up and change for dinner.

Special Dark Martini

We took a drive to see if we could check out the outlets, but they were closed and so were most of the restaurants we wanted to try because it was Sunday. We saw lampposts on Chocolate Avenue that looked like Hershey Kisses and the Hershey Museum, which was also closed. Instead of eating at a Chili's or a Red Lobster, we headed back to the Lodge to eat at the Hershey Grill. When TK and I travel, we make a deal to only eat at places that we can't get at home.

Kiss lampposts

At the Hershey Grill, we all had delicious meals and I washed mine down with a Reese's Peanut Butter Martini that was pretty amazing. I was able to keep that glass also.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Martini

At the end of our meal, we walked back to the lobby of the Lodge and stopped at the gift shop. I got my mother some chocolate and smelly chocolate wax melts. I got my in-laws a magnet and my father sugar-free Jolly Ranchers. For us, I got a Reese's Peanut Butter Bar, a Reese's Christmas ornament and chocolate lotion. I wanted to make sure I bought things that were unique to Hershey.

Jax refused to shop anymore, so we went back to our room and turned in for the night. In the morning, we got everything together to leave. We couldn't find a check out option on the remote or the television, so I had to get on line at the front desk to check out. Lazarus, the attendant, was very friendly and the process was very quick and efficient. After we were squared away, I went to the Cocoa Beanery again to get us Frozen Hot Chocolates and bagels for our ride home, and TK and Jax went to the car. The bagels were terrible, even toasted, but the drinks were delicious, even without whipped cream. I guess during the morning rush, they leave off the whip to conserve time. I prefer it with whip, so I made a note for future visits and a note to skip the bagels.

We finished our weekend away with a final drive home and decided that we loved the Hershey Lodge, the food and Dutch Wonderland for little ones. We also concluded that we probably should've waited one more year to take Jax to these parks, but he had a great time nonetheless. I just think that we would've had more fun if he was more apt to get on rides, so we stuffed our faces instead and everybody won! We enjoyed ourselves.

A Trip to Hersheypark ... with a Toddler

Since we couldn't afford to head to Walt Disney World for a long weekend, we stayed closer to home and decided to go to Pennsylvania. We booked the Hershey Lodge because the price was comparable to other hotel prices for that weekend, but it was partly our fault because we waited until the last minute to book.

Hershey Lodge

We left for PA at 4:15 a.m. on Saturday and drove all morning until we got to Lancaster. Jackson slept the entire time, so we only made one bathroom stop in Brandywine where we actually saw hot air balloons in the sky. TK said he would never go on one, but I would love it. Our destination was Shady Maple Smorgasbord in Lancaster. We heard it was like a warehouse-sized buffet with delicious food, and wanted to see what it was all about. Lancaster is famous for its Mennonite population, farming and food, and even though the folks in town will never read this, the food is really good. There was a pancake station where you can really add whatever fruit or candy that you want. I got Blueberry Pancakes before I noticed that the list included cinnamon chips and bananas. Oh well! You can get your eggs made-to-order and special French Toast. I tried their donuts and HOLY SMOKES, they were good. A man on line told us that it was the "best breakfast buffet in the state," but I don't actually have anything to compare it to, so I will say he is correct. He then found me by the buffet and told me that if I liked gift shops, that there was a huge one on the bottom floor. OK, thank you ... I think.

Buggy Parking

Shady Maple Smorgasbord

After breakfast, we made our way out to the Hershey Lodge to check in. When we got there, I got out of the car and got on line at the front desk. The attendant was nice and she gave me three bars of chocolate, but our room was not ready yet, so I went to the concierge desk and bought our tickets for Hersheypark. I also got complimentary tickets to the Hershey Gardens and Hershey Museum. You get them for free if you stay at the Hershey Lodge or the Hotel Hershey. I looked around the lobby a little and it looked very comforting with dark leather and large plush seating. The back of the lobby housed a bar and I knew I would pay it a visit some time in the next couple of days. There was also a four-sided fireplace that you could probably sit around with a hot chocolate in the fall and winter. That's what I would do.We dropped our bags off at bell services and headed out to the park.

Hershey Lodge Fireplace

The Lodge had a complimentary shuttle to Hersheypark, but we decided to take our own car. We paid $12 to park and walked right in because we already had our tickets. Jax was free because he is only two years old and considered a Miniature because he is only 34.5" tall. So, we rode two rides with him and there were other rides for him, but he wouldn't go on anything alone. We made our way to the Boardwalk area and I changed Jax into his bathing suit and water shoes so he could run around and splash around a bit. We didn't go on any slides or try the surfing attraction, but if we all wore swimsuits, we may have. The water area of the park was pretty large, but we stayed in the area for little ones.

The Boardwalk Splash Area

We forgot our towel, so we bought a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup one and made our way to the front of the park. We got our hands stamped and went to the car. I changed Jax back into his dry clothes so we could get gas and get a few things at Target. Jax fell asleep after Target and we went to go eat lunch at Smoked Bar and Grill. He slept through the whole thing and we got him Macaroni and Cheese to go. Lunch was delicious and we loved it so much that we would've gone back the next day if it wasn't closed on Sundays, like almost everything else.

We headed back to the Lodge to check out if our room was ready and it wasn't, so I went over to the Cocoa Beanery to get myself a Frozen Hot Chocolate. While I was paying, my phone rang and it was the front desk telling me that our room was ready. I scooped up my drink and went to the desk to pick up our keys. While I was waiting to get the keys, I tried the Frozen Hot Chocolate and it was like one big delicious punch in the face. I almost shouted across the lobby at TK to tell him how yummy it was, but then I saw the beautiful fireplace and kept my opinion to myself.

Our room was in the same building as the lobby because I requested an inside entrance room. It was lovely with little Hershey details all over. There were kisses on the sheets and on the wallpaper in the bathroom. I was impressed by their commitment. The toiletries even smelled like sweet chocolate and I knew that when I found the gift shop, chocolate lotion would be purchased.

Hotel Room

Bathroom Sink with Hershey Kiss Wallpaper

Can you find the Hershey Kiss on the sheets?

When we got settled in the room, I called down to bell services to bring up our luggage and to the front desk to ask about the pack n play. They delivered both and the pack n play had a Johnson's Take Along Pack in it. I was so surprised that they would give away baby toiletries to their guests and thought it was a great touch.

We got freshened up and then headed back out to the park. This time, we took the free shuttle and it dropped us off right at the gate. We headed right to ZooAmerica so Jackson could run around a little. ZooAmerica is a zoo connected to Hersheypark and it features North American animals. Admission is included with admission to Hersheypark, but you can buy a ticket to get into to ZooAmerica without going through the park also.

Jax checking out the fish in the bear exhibit

After Jax got to see a bunch of animals, we headed over to some of the carnival games and he played the one where you throw the wiffle ball into the cups, and he actually won! He got a Despicable Me Minion for getting the ball in a gold cup. Not bad!

Finally, we decided to get some snacks so I got a slushie in a Hersheypark cup and TK got a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae, and whoa, was that sundae delicious! Jax had apple juice and pineapple tidbits from a cup of fruit I had for him. He isn't big into baked goods or ice cream. Whose kid is this?

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae

After we had our snacks, we decided to head back to the Lodge for the night. All day, we didn't see any Hershey characters walking around the park, unfortunately.

Jax put himself to bed that night and I was shocked, but he was done, so I understood. We were done too. It was a long day of traveling, eating chocolate and laughing, and we were ready to do it again.