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Hershey Park, Pa

wonkabar

By wonkabar
in Traveling with Celiac Disease

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wonkabar Contributor
wonkabar
Posted

We took the kids to Hershey Park last Thursday and Friday; it was a blast. It's very different from when I was a kid...I'm 36! They still give you lots of Hershey chocolate which is always a plus!!

We stayed at the Hershey Lodge which was very nice; we plan on going back next year. When we got there, I spoke to the concierge (sp?) regarding Zachary's need for gluten-free meals. We had reservations for a Breakfast at the Park with the Hershey characters on Friday....this was great fun, BTW! The concierge contacted the rest. and confirmed that they would have a gluten-free b-fast for him. As soon as we were seated for breakfast, our waitress confirmed Zachary's dietary needs. It turned out to be an enormous fresh fruit platter...they thought the meal was for an adult. It wasn't exactly the most kid-friendly breakfast, but I was absolutely thrilled to see that they truly accomodated his dietary needs. He was quite happy eating grapes and bananas and playing with the cantelope slices! :) Next year, I would bring an unopened bag of gluten-free pancake mix to give to the rest. so he can have them. Both of the kids were so distracted by the characters that they didn't eat too much anyway!

We had dinner on Friday and lunch on Saturday at the Hershey Grille. Not only was the food great, but they were unbelievably accomodating. When we were seated, I explained to the hostess that Zachary needed a gluten-free meal. She informed the chef, and one of the sous chefs was at our table almost immediately. I explained what Zachary needed AND he actually understood! :blink: He was very helpful and knowledgable about ingredients. He came back to our table to let us know that the fries did have a coating on them, but it was rice flour. Zachary had "the usual"...plain hamburger and french fries both times...this is his fav! :P The sous chef also contacted the rest for our breakfast to confirm that they were aware of Zahcary's dietary needs and would have an appropriate meal for him. Hershey's level of understanding and accomodations certainly made our trip less stressful. I, of course, had TONS of gluten-free stuff in the diaper bag so there was never a time when he didn't have something to much on.

We can't wait to go back next year! :D:D

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Guhlia Rising Star
Guhlia
Posted

I don't know how old your kids are, but if they are young, you may also want to take them to Dutch Wonderland next year. It's no where near as big as Hershey Park, but it 's a great place for the little ones. They have a Kosher stand that has gluten free options. Also, they will let you take gluten free food into the park if you have Celiac Disease.

wonkabar Contributor
wonkabar
Posted
  • Author
I don't know how old your kids are, but if they are young, you may also want to take them to Dutch Wonderland next year. It's no where near as big as Hershey Park, but it 's a great place for the little ones. They have a Kosher stand that has gluten free options. Also, they will let you take gluten free food into the park if you have Celiac Disease.

My kiddos are 3 1/2 and 19 months. Even being this young they had a blast. We grabbed a pamphlet on Dutch Wonderland; it looked neat. We only went overnight this year so we didn't have time to check it out. We also did Hershey Gardens and The Children's Garden which were beautiful. Next year we're gonna definately do a long (4-day) weekend. We're only about an hour and forty-five minutes from Hershey so it's a nice get away.

Fortunately, no one gave me a hard time with bringing food into the park. My diaper bag was checked each time we went in and his snacks were right on top.

Guhlia Rising Star
Guhlia
Posted

If your kids are that young, definitely do Dutch Wonderland next time you come out this way. Your little ones will be able to go on almost every ride in the park by next summer. My daughter is two and we go often (probably too often). :D We only live about half an hour from the park. I haven't had her to Hershey yet. Are there many rides for little ones?

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