Children and chocolate. That is what most people think when they think Hershey, Pennsylvania.
But it's entirely possible to have a grown-up weekend in the town that chocolate built.
Mine involved visits to a winery, a brewery, a spa, an outlet mall and an antique car museum. All for a travel story for The Burg, a monthly community newspaper for Harrisburg, Pa.
I've written about Hershey way more times than I need to count. Somehow I keep ending back there! Each trip has been fun...and different. Including a falconry experience.
This time, I started at the spa in The Hotel Hershey. In the parking lot, I could see the roller coasters of the nearby amusement park and Chocolate World in the distance. But those were two places I bypassed all weekend.
At the hotel's spa, I indulged in a massage and then post-massage relaxation. The spa has a quiet room I love - chairs with ottomans. Muffins and tea. A view of the gardens out back. No one rushing you out.
I indulged in visits to two places I hadn't known existed, despite all my other visits.
One was the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum. It was way cooler than I'd expected. It houses "famous" cars and buses from movies such as Forrest Gump and the 1988 Tucker: The Man and His Dream, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
The museum has permanent exhibits and some great temporary exhibits. I saw one on the "mods and rockers" era in the U.K. - a display of scooters, motorcycles, clothing and other paraphernalia from the late 1950s and early 1960s. It's there until October 15.
And another exhibit on pioneers in African-American auto history. Really interesting. That one's gone now.
I also visited Tröeg's Brewery and took a tour. It came with tastings. Always important!
You can read more on all of it in the story in The Burg.
Photos: Ellen Perlman. 1. The antique auto museum 2. Crosswinds Winery 3. Um...the Cocoa Diner in Hershey, just like it says. Open 24 hours.
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