Each year when we visit PA we go to either Knoebels Amusement Park or Hershey Park. This year, much to Jacob's dismay, it was Hershey Park! Jim was very excited, since it's his favorite amusement park, but Jacob was leery. Two years ago when we were there, Jacob had some not so great experiences on his first roller coasters. This time around we told him he didn't HAVE to go on anything if he really didn't want to (yeah, right.)
We are very fortunate that our niece Stacey works for Milton Hershey Schools and has access to free passes. These passes include parking, admission and discounts on food while in the park!!! The amount of money saved is unbelievable. Normally, we stay with Stacey, Tim and Sydney when we are there, since they only live about 2 miles from the park and they are great hosts. However, this year Sydney came home with a fever the day we arrived and Tim wasn't feeling well either. We decided rather than risk the flu, it would be prudent to stay in a hotel that was a short mile from the park. We were all bummed about Sydney being sick which, by the way, we blame on her Grandfather, my brother Pat.
When you first enter the park, you measure yourself to see what rides you are tall enough to ride. This year, Jacob was a Twizzlers!!...just like his vertically challenged cousin, Stacey.
We don't have very many pictures of the rest of our day...we were busy having fun!!! Our nephew Adam joined us and Jim had a great time riding the bigger/scarier roller coasters with him (Fahrenheit and Storm Runner), while Jacob and I did ones more his speed. Even though the weather was great, there wasn't a crowd (my guess is because of the economy and the high cost of admission.) However, it made the day all the more fun because the lines were short! Jacob easily rode the Trailer Blazer a dozen times and sometimes didn't have to leave his seat in between. I did get to ride on the Great Bear with Adam and Jim, while Jacob patiently waited. It was awesome! We also managed to coax Jacob into riding the Coal Cracker. He was so nervous, but also so funny. He started yelling even before we went down the drop and the three of us laughed so hard! When we stopped to see the picture, he wasn't even visible since he ducked down behind me. Of course, we then told him we had to ride one more time to get a good picture. He didn't want to, but we all got back in line and we got a good pic.
The three of us are yelling for fun...Jacob's yelling out of terror!! In the end, he was fine and said it wasn't that bad.Now, the thing about riding the Coal Cracker is that you can see the Sooper Dooper Looper. You see, Jacob loves roller coasters...that is in theory. He plays Roller Coaster Tycoon and loves looking up different coasters online to study how they were made and how fast they go. Jacob's fear of coasters is that first drop and the drop-in-the-stomach feeling...he doesn't like it (yet.) So, we had him compare the slope of one drop to the other and the Sooper Dooper Looper wasn't as steep (even though it goes right into a loop.) Yep, we headed that way next. Jacob had talked about going on it in the month leading up to our trip, but when we got to the park he sang a different tune. At first, Jim and Adam went on while Jacob and I watched. Then Adam and I went. When we got off the ride I told him how fun it was and told him he would like it. He still said no...that is until I bribed him. Yes, I offered him not only $5, but also a Sooper Dooper Looper T-shirt!! He agreed. Thankfully, the queue line was empty and we were able to proceed directly to the boarding platform and a train was ready for us. He did resist a little and he chose to sit next to Mom (Jim and Adam sat right in front of us.) As the tears rolled out from behind his sunglasses, I gave him words of encouragement and told him to yell all he wanted. He did! He also closed his eyes. After going through the loop and out the other side he said "Is it over?" I said yes and he turned his tear streaked little face to me and said with shock "That was it?!?" We just laughed!! As soon as we got off the ride, I paid my debt. He got an "I survived the Sooper Dooper Looper" t-shirt and his money. As Jim and Adam made their way to ride the Comet (there was no way we'd talk Jacob into that one this year.), I did manage to talk him into riding the "loop" again. He was scared, but he kept his eyes open and yelled more with excitement! I was so proud of him.
After a couple more rides and the cousins decided to try out the Boardwalk. It's Hershey's water park section. The water was a little chilly for Jim and I, so we sat out, took some pictures and rode a roller coaster while the "kids" splashed. They both had a blast!!
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