the sweetest thing

we took advantage of a monday off last week and headed to hershey, pa. also known as the sweetest place on earth.

we rode a little ride that took us through a simulation of the operations of real hershey factory just up the street...

... and at the end they gave us free chocolate.

then we went on a trolley tour of hershey...



... past the house where milton hershey grew up...

... the factory that made him rich...

... the house where he and his wife kitty lived once they were gazillionaires...

... and the school for orphan boys they founded with all their money (now a residence school for disadvantaged boys and girls)...

... and while we were riding around they gave us a bunch of free chocolate.

we also learned that milton hershey had five failed caramel business before he got into chocolate.

and we learned that when his friend mr. reese came told him about a new peanut butter recipe, milton hershey said he wasn't interested because he didn't think peanut butter and chocolate would ever be popular together, but he gave mr. reese as much hershey's chocolate as he wanted. and then he bought reese's several years later for a couple million dollars. so, oops there.

and we learned that while on a trip around the world in 1912, mr. hershey got word that business wasn't so good back home, so he decided to end his trip early. so off he went to book a new passage home, and to cancel his tickets on the maiden voyage of the titanic.

i mentioned the free chocolate right?

then it was off to make our own candy bars in a simulated factory environment where you had to wear hair nets and take off your jewelry even though all we ever touched was a computer screen.

but, our chocolate bars (with custom designed labels) were (not free but) delicious.

then it was a chocolate tasting class at hershey university (you guessed it. more chocolate!) and we even got diplomas at the end. though you had to fill in your own name.

we finished the night with dinner at the grill on chocolate avenue under the glow of the hershey kiss street lights.

a sweet day indeed.