Hershey is the town that chocolate built. Milton S. Hershey founded both the chocolate company and the town itself, and the scent of cocoa still drifts through the streets. Even the lampposts are shaped like Hershey Kisses.
Hersheypark is the main attraction -- a full-scale amusement park with roller coasters, water rides, and a zoo. Chocolate World next door offers free factory tours that walk you through the chocolate-making process, ending with a free sample. The town also has Hershey Gardens, a 23-acre botanical garden that started as Milton Hershey's rose garden.
Hershey Medical Center, part of Penn State Health, is a world-class medical facility and a major employer. Milton Hershey also founded a school for orphaned children that still operates today, funded by the Hershey Trust. The surrounding countryside is lush dairy farmland -- much of the milk in the milk chocolate comes from local farms.
Hershey is about 15 minutes east of Harrisburg and makes an easy day trip from Philadelphia, roughly 90 minutes to the southeast.