Do you remember the first time you rode a roller coaster? I do. I was about 5 or 6 years old and it was at Hershey Park. When I think back, I’m surprised I even met the height requirements, but I remember the exhilarating feeling of the pre-ride butterflies, the way your stomach does a flip-flop at that first big drop, and how your legs feel a bit like jello once the ride is over. Ever since then, I was sold.

So, when our friend and Guest Crusader, Julie, invited us to visit the park with her, I jumped at the chance! Not only would there be chocolate and roller coasters, but we would be seeing Broadway and TV sensation Megan Hilty perform and, after a quick search, I found out there would be cupcakes too!

Our first stop, before entering the park, was Hershey’s Chocolate World. Their website stated that the Hershey’s Bake Shoppe offered over 30 varieties of cupcakes, so we had to check it out.

It is a bit hard to find at first, but eventually we navigated our way there passing the entrance to Hershey’s Dessert Studio on the way. Next time I’m determined to become a dessert expert and also want to complete the Chocolate Tasting Adventure to receive my masters in Chocolate Tasting. This 30 year old thinks all of this would be VERY cool. No, I’m not kidding…

(Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcake from Hershey’s Chocolate World)

Since it was still before 10am, we decided to share a cupcake for breakfast and then return to the Bake Shoppe before heading home. The Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcake seemed like the perfect choice. Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcakes are quickly becoming a favorite of mine. The cake was a little on the dry side, but the peanut butter and jelly combination was perfect. The cupcake actually somehow had jelly swirled throughout, not just used as a filling. The Reese’s cup on top was the perfect finish to this Hershey’s cupcake.

We had several hours to kill until Megan Hilty was scheduled to perform, so we hit the roller coasters with full force, mapping out the best paths to take to make sure we didn’t miss any. Going to amusement parks in the fall is the best for a few reasons: First, the weather is perfect—not too hot and not too cold. Second, there are no lines. It’s so nice to be able to go right up to the front without a wait. After cramming in a majority of the roller coasters Hershey Park has to offer, we found a spot to enjoy the smooth soulful voice of Megan Hilty.

(While we were hurrying around the park finding roller coasters, we passed this sign and made a mental note to return a little later).

Being the big-time theater nerds that we are, seeing both of Megan Hilty’s shows was on our agenda, but since there wasn’t enough time for any roller coaster riding in between the shows, Jenn and I thought it would be perfect opportunity to grab another cupcake inside the park. The Simply Chocolate food vendor only had two options: Chocolate Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Butter. After seeing all the Chocolate Peanut Butter selections that Hershey’s Bake Shoppe had to offer, we ordered the Chocolate Chocolate. Unfortunately this cupcake was kept in the refrigerator, but since the park probably gets pretty hot in the summer months, they really don’t have another option. This was easy to over look though because the cupcake came in this:

(Chocolate Chocolate from Simply Chocolate located inside Hershey Park)

A special Hershey’s cupcake holder! We tried to keep our cool when we saw these, but the inner child squealed with excitement which was impossible to keep inside. Seriously, how cool is it?! Luckily we didn’t have to fight over it because Jenn and I decided that Jenn’s daughter, baby Leah, could get good use out of it for snacks. It would be a nice (free) souvenir that she would enjoy.

While the cupcake was very dense and dry due to being cold, it was super rich and fudgy. Between the two of us we quickly finished it off and headed back to the theater to see Megan’s second show. Thanks to some inside connections, Jenn and I were lucky enough to meet the wonderfully fabulous and ridiculously sweet Megan! (Talk about feeling under dressed… standing next to a beautiful woman in a black sparkly cocktail dress wearing a hoodie will inevitability make a person feel a bit out of place).

(Jenn and me with Megan Hilty! Yay! PS – Jenn’s on the left, I’m on the right.)

High on showtunes, broadway celebs, roller coasters, coke slushies, chocolate, and cupcakes, it was time to head home, but not before visiting the Bake Shoppe one last time.

(Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cupcake from Hershey’s Chocolate World)

Jenn and I each wanted to take home a chocolate peanut butter cupcake to share with our spouses, so I went with their Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (chocolate cupcake, peanut butter frosting, topped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups) and Jenn took home the Reese’s Minis cupcake (chocolate cupcake, chocolate & peanut butter swirled frosting, topped with Reese’s Minis).

(Reese’s Minis cupcake from Hershey’s Bake Shoppe)

Both of these cupcakes were rich and wonderful. The cake was a little more dense than I typically prefer, but I think that only added to the decadence of each cupcake. Jenn’s husband is a major peanut butter/chocolate lover and she said, “Of course he LOVED it!”

All in all it was a great day, but how can a day filled with friends, roller coasters, and cupcakes be anything but wonderful?

– Posted by Cupcake Crusader, Stacy (Baltimore, MD)