On May 19, just in time for summer and in celebration of its 50th anniversary, Hershey’s Chocolate World is opening a new, train travel attraction. Hershey’s Great Candy Expedition, a fully immersive, interactive experience that incorporates all five senses, will take visitors of all ages through an exploration of colorful candy worlds inspired by Hershey’s brands including Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s, Jolly Rancher, Kit Kat, Twizzlers, and Almond Joy & Mounds. Guests will engage with new characters, like Ginny the Sweets Expedition Co. Engineer, along the way through 270-degree 4K projection mapping, and special effects.
“We are proud to bring fans a new experience unlike any other attraction of its kind in North America,” said Suzanne Jones, vice president of The Hershey Experience. “Hershey’s Great Candy Expedition combines the nostalgia of train-style travel, the story of Hershey’s beloved candy brands, and cutting-edge technology into a brand-new family-friendly experience for all ages to mark Hershey’s Chocolate World’s 50th anniversary year.”
The 30-minute adventure will usher guests through three different main areas, beginning at Hershey’s Chocolate World Train Station, which is inspired by trains that Milton Hershey himself traveled on to explore and find ingredients for his candy-making. The train station is designed to bring guests back to the golden age of travel, outfitted with an Art Deco-inspired departure board, clocks, and vignettes as well as retro-style posters depicting each Hersheyland along the journey.
When it’s time to head to the official Sweets Expedition Co. Platform 73, guests will be immersed in the time-period specific sights, locomotive sounds, and realistic experiential lighting as they step onto the Hersheyland Express.
Once seated inside the theater, guests will be surrounded by projection-mapped screens that whisk them away to colorful sweet stops using special effects. Scents will change throughout the candy worlds, including berry, coconut, roasted peanut, and Hershey’s chocolate. To get from one candy-filled world to the next, guests will be able to collectively control each of the train’s destinations by voting using light-up buttons on their armrests. The journeys through candy worlds such as Jolly Rancher Junction, Kit Kat Timbers, Twizzlers Forest, and Almond & Mounds Cove, tell each brand’s story for the first time ever at Hershey’s Chocolate World, offering an all-new opportunity for entertaining education.
While waiting to board, visitors can enjoy an exclusive ingredient tasting such as Reese’s peanut cup butter straight from the factory and will receive an official Adventurer’s Guide filled with information on each Hersheyland they will discover as well as games and puzzles for families to continue their exploration at home. After the journey ends, guests can also take home an exclusive bag filled with treats from each Hersheyland sweet stops they visited along the trip.
Characters bringing Hershey’s Great Candy Expedition to life include:
Sweets Expedition Co. Engineer, Ginny
Phil of Kisses Valley
Judy of Jolly Rancher Junction
Rip of Reese’s Ridge
Kaia of Almond Joy & Mounds Cove
Edgar Snap of Kit Kat Timbers
Fritz of Twizzlers Forest
Hershey’s Great Candy Expedition will depart daily from the station year-round.
