Road Trip to Hershey

Because I couldn’t wait to post yesterday’s Running Skirts clothing review and giveaway, I decided to post this past weekend’s events today.  Did you ever have one of those weekends where you did something fun and spontaneous…possibly a quick getaway in a moment’s notice or an impromptu road trip with the family?  That’s exactly what my husband and I did on Saturday afternoon.   As I said in Friday’s post, we had a trip planned for Sunday to visit the in-laws since we didn’t get to see them over the holidays due to bad weather.  Because they live two and a half hours away and driving that far and back on the same day wasn’t appealing, we decided to treat ourselves {and the kids} to an overnight stay at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, PA {the capital of chocolate, obviously}.

Before arriving at our destination, we made a stop at Chocolate World.   

Here we went on a ride that told the history of the Hershey empire, as well as the process of making chocolate.  When asked, this was one of the favorite parts of the weekend.  

After the ride, we got some free samples {my favorite part}…

The gift shop was HUGE!

We also got a cookie, something that Fred and I always do when we do the tour.  My fav…their chocolate cookie with peanut butter chips.  In my opinion, it's the best combination ever.  

On the way to the hotel, we traveled down Chocolate Avenue in the downtown area.  Check out the street lights…they are Hershey Kisses!  That photo pretty much sums up the weather we had…dreary, drizzly and dark.  Ugh. 

According to the girls, the Hershey Lodge was “the fanciest hotel they have ever seen,” and it was worth it.  It’s not often that the girls can swim in the middle of winter, so this was the perfect little getaway for our family even if it was only for a night.

Upon arrival, we were given four {full-sized} Hershey bars as welcome gifts from the hotel.  My stepdaughter doesn’t like chocolate, but my daughter and I willingly accepted her bar.

The foyer, lobby and inside hallways are designed to follow the chocolate theme that flows through the entire estate.  This iss my favorite place to chill when I spend time at the Lodge…right here by this fireplace with either a glass of wine or a cup of hot tea, both available within a few steps from this area.   

The main attraction for us was the indoor swimming pool, naturally.  I can’t say that I exactly enjoyed wearing a bathing suit in January but the girls sure didn’t mind.  The pool was rather large to have a fun time, and Fred and I thoroughly enjoyed the hot tub off to the side which was reserved only for adults.  Here I am relaxing with my magazine and Oiselle bag in tow and Fred with the girls in the pool having fun...

After dinner, we decided to hang in the hotel and have dinner at The Bear’s Den, named after the Hershey Bears hockey team {I think}.  This was a kid-friendly place where the girls could get food they liked and I could still get a glass of wine {win-win}!  For dinner I decided on a cheeseburger, something that I don’t normally eat out.  It was super delicious and I ate almost the whole thing!  

Photo op outside of the restaurant!
 

So did we, but Fred was obviously more interested in the football game on TV in the corner of the lobby/bar area!

Sunday morning began with another trip to the pool for Fred & the girls and a run for me.  I met a new buddy {the valet parking attendant} and he directed me to a nice running path across the street from the hotel.  Since I slept in late and time was not on our side, I kept my run to a simple out and back 4.5 miler at about 7:50 pace.  Upon my return, my new friend had a nice bottle of Hershey water ready for me as well as a speech about the importance of hydration.  Nice guy!

  

After the run, I ate breakfast in The Beanery, a cute little café in the lobby.  My choice was coffee and a yogurt parfait topped with some homemade granola, which I brought from home.  We kept breakfast simple since we knew we were going to have a big meal at later on with the in-laws. 

After dinner and presents with Fred’s family, we headed home.  By the time we got back and gave Willsey a proper welcome, I started in on the regular Sunday night routine, lunch packing, baths, etc.  It was a fun weekend adventure for us all, one I think the girls will remember for a long time!

In case you missed yesterday’s post, don’t forget to enter to win either a skirt or a long-sleeved yoga to from Running Skirts!  The contest ends tomorrow at 6pm EST.